I have done both - pressing to the side and pressing seams open. As others have said, you need to reduce the size if your stitches in both instances. Sewing machines are set for 2.5mm stitches - try sewing at 2.0mm. Also, I’ve had professional quilters say that they prefer pressing seams open to eliminate the slight bump when quilting over seams. The more seams in the quilt blocks, the harder it can be to quilt well. There shouldn’t be seams that pull apart anywhere. Maybe the tension is slightly off or the stitches are too big for piecing. If you have block seams at end at the edge and you’re not adding borders, thise ending seams should be backstitched to keep them from separating. Way back in my dinosaur days of learning to quilt, we did everything by hand and we always did a back stitch at the end of sewing. With machines this isn’t being taught anymore. I hate backstitching but I try to use it when a seam isn’t being crossed by another piece.
Thanks for listening,
Sandy in Mooresville, NC