Cybrarian

Lately, on some Quilt shows I have seen where someone has presented the idea of a shorter stitch length and pressing seams open instead of one direction. On a bed runner I am currently making I have pressed the seams open in the disappearing nine patch area and pressed the seams in one direction on the solid color borders. The seams on the pieced borders are pressed open where the individual pieces join. The standard stitch on my Elna is a 3.2 stitch length. On the bed runner I have set my stitch length to 2.0. I have had to unsew some of the seams on the pieced borders to adjust the length. I have not had any problem unsewing them. The test will be when I free motion quilt this. I also have a string pieced quilt I am free motion quilting with the seams pressed in the traditional way. This way I feel I can make a good comparison as to whether the flatter seams make a difference. Just wondering if anyone else is experimenting with this. If so, have you found it easier to free motion quilt with the seams pressed this way? The pieces that look yellow are really a lime green :-)

DebraK

I don't like pressing seams open. seems to take longer for me to fidget with them. Side seams are easy and fast.

ManiacQuilter2

My understanding was that in the "old days", batting could migrate up thru a seam pressed opened. I had that happen once and there isn't anything one can do when the problem occurs.

Sewnoma

I agree! I hate pressing seams open, takes me 10x as long to get the pressing done, and that's about my least favorite part of the process so I definitely don't like to prolong it.

I press to the side unless it's a block that will end up with a huge clumpy intersection. That's the ONLY time I press open. Plus I like to interlock my seams and that only works with seams pressed to the side.

PenniF

I think it all depends on the pattern. Sometimes, just for bulk sake, pressing open works for me....other times, pressing to one side nests the seams just right. If it is going to be quilting....there really wouldn't be much strain on the seam in any case.

Tartan

I pressed open on the 8 point center section in my Spiderweb scrap quilt. It was really the only option but when I machine quilted it, the thread became visible and I had to sharpie over them. Pressing open DOES make the quilt top lay flatter. I think washing the quilt might allow the seams to close up some so the thread wouldn't show?

Lori S

I have been pressing seems open for decades. I like the flatter seams. I have never had any issues with quilts wearing out at the seams , or any of the issues that people who press to the dark claim I will have by pressing open. I make quilt blocks that have lots of seams and it just makes a flatter block. It also makes it easier to quilt on my machine ... no areas of multiple seams all facing the same way, creating a thickness that's can be tough to go thru.
It does take a bit longer to press open... but I like it.
Go with what you like and what works for you.

Annie Pearl

I have made the grand total of 2 quilts. I pressed open on the first one and to the side on the second one. I thought it much faster to press to the side but the pressed open seams were flatter. I guess whatever works best for you. I do agree that pressing flat reduces the bulk at intersections. I will be pressing to the side from now on. Just my 2 cents worth.

Peckish

I'm not one of those who presses one way or the other as a rule - it depends on the quilt. If pressing to one side helps match points by nesting the seams, that's what I'll do. However, I recently made a quilt for my LQS owner as a shop sample, and the directions said to press seams open. Since it was her quilt and not mine, I followed the directions exactly. When she quilted it on her Gammill, she hugged me for pressing those seams open. I guess it made it much easier for her to quilt.

Cybrarian

Peckish the one quilt I made with a friend for our boss was a t shirt memory quilt and I pressed the seams open. I got the same reaction from our LArmer. Guess that influenced me to try it on this quilt with the large number of seams. So soon I'll see if I can tell the difference on my DSM.