I prefer to press open my seams -- as my quilts are well used and washed, there has never been any indication of weakness in the seams -- pressing seams open keeps down the number of layers to sew through and there is never any confusion about which directions to press -- some of the patterns that my bee has used do indicate a direction for seam pressing -- pressing is one of my least favorite of quilting chores but a necessary one -- I guess that all of this is a matter of choice -- quilt police haven't complained about my pressing yet!! Do what you like and what works best for you!!