My mom taught me to sew when I was very young and I remember her saying that you can sew without a sewing machine, but not without an iron. She was a real dressmaker and always pressed every seam as she went along from step to step. She said that was what made something look "handcrafted" not "homemade." I learned on little doll clothes. That is so embedded in my mind that when I quilt I rarely sew a seam without pressing it. I only press the pre-fabric if I have washed it, or if it is creased or wrinkled. But as they say, everyone has their own preferences.