SewFun

I've found the forum info very valuable. I've been sewing for years but recently have gotten back into quilting. I have a LOT to learn. I did a block of the month where some of the seams were pressed to the side and some were pressed open. Now I was on a quilt shop site about longarm quilting and they said "don't press seams open because the needle on the machine is large and might cut your threads".
So......press seams open or to the side and
The quilt top that I just finished with the seams pressed open , can it be quilted using a long arm.
Thanks

Tartan

Welcome from Ontario, Canada. I generally press to the side. Occasionally there are patterns where a lot of seams meet in the middle and I will press the last seam open. You would need to ask your longarmer if she prefers seams to the side or open.

gale

Same here. To the side unless there's a lot of bulk and then I press open. I did a whole quilt with the seams pressed open once and felt hinky about it the whole time. I just feel better pressing to the side.

tessagin

I've noticed many of the instructions will suggest which side to press to or open depending on the block but like Tartan states ask your longarmer also.

luvspaper

I generally press to the side, but not when doing English paper piecing by hand.

Honestly I think you need to consider how it is going to be quilted -- by hand? Because if you press open, you can't stitch-in-the-ditch because you could break the sewing threads. And you have to be careful with the quilting patterns you pick.

As long as you plan it out, you should be okay either way!

Dolphyngyrl

I would do whatever the pattern calls for. I would think the lomgarmer would just adjust the quilting style depending on what you do. If they are new to longarming maybe they are just not comfortable tackling that project and don't waant to ruin the quilt

feline fanatic

Hi SewFun and welcome to the board.

This will largely depend on your longarmer and what kind of LA quilting you want done. If you do an all over end to end design then your pressed open seams shouldn't present a problem. But if you want custom quilting with stitch in the ditch to emphasize your piecing then it will be a bit problematic for you longarmer. What most of us (longarmers) do in a case like yours is not quilt in the ditch but a thread or two over to the side of the ditch. Technically when you press seams open there is no ditch (ie a low side of the joining seam). For the most part this will still give the quilt the desired look but if you intend to put it in a show then it could cost you points.
Then there is the option of doing a custom quilting with no ditch work, in which case your pressed open seams will not present a problem.

Most longarm quilters are flexible and strive to give you the look you want without compromising the integrity of the piecing.

Onebyone

I do both. Whatever the seams wants to do is how I press it. Sometimes I don't off set, sometimes I have opposite seams on both ends. I let the seam twist in the middle. I've never had a problem with machine quilting no matter how the seams are pressed. I haven't noticed any needle holes or skipped stitches. I do stitch in the ditch with open seams. No one has ever said I noticed you did SITD with open seams, even in judged shows. I guess it's what you do with what you have the way you want to do it.

feline fanatic

OBO are you using a longarm or domestic? the difference in needle size between the two is what the OP was concerned about and what my comment was referring to. The size of a LA needle is much bigger than a DSM and can break the stitching threads used in piecing if longarmed directly on them. With a domestic you can probably get right in the seam line if seams are pressed open and not do any damage. With a longarm there is the potential for breaking the stitching lines so most show quilters I know will stitch a thread or two next to the ditch as there is no ditch when seams are pressed open (ie a low side of the seam) . Breaking the piecing stitching may or may not happen but we will err on the side of caution and not stitch directly over them. In a big national show ditching that is right next to the seam even by a thread could mean the difference between ribboning or not and it won't be noted on the judge’s comments. The judge doesn't care how the seams are pressed either, unless there is obvious shadowing, what they are looking for is if the ditch quilting is "in" the ditch, directly on the seam line and not a thread or two over. In most cases a judge can't tell if the seam was pressed open. The longarmer made that decision based on what he or she saw before loading it on the rack.

joe'smom

If the pattern includes pressing directions, I'll follow those. Many modern patterns will specify pressing open, while more traditional patterns will have pressing to the side. Pressing to the side allows seams to nest; I have fewer unmatched seams when pressing to the side. Sometimes I'll combine both in one kind of unit, for example, pressing the final seam of an hourglass unit open so it lies flatter. I like the sturdier look and feel pressing to the side gives to the back of the quilt top.