Yep, I'm a presser too.

Agree with ChattyKathy: I press at every step, and square up each block
before adding any sashings/cornerstones/setting in rows, and adding borders.
Saves so much frustration later.

ditto for me. I press at every step and always press my quilt tops before sandwiching.

I press at each and every step. I learned to have a neat top every seam had to be pressed before you sewed over top of it again. A good finger pressing will work but I prefer to use the actual iron. I simply wouldn't think of doing it any other way. I have worked on group quilts. I wasn't Speedy Gonzales because of my attention to measuring and pressing details but then my sections actually ended up the measure they were supposed to be. I also believe the attention to detail helps to keep a quilt square and minimizes lettuce edges.

I don't use an ironing board. I have a home manufactured iron table approx 27"x 54". The only place the iron board gets used is to catch the gravity pull when I machine quilt or piece large tops.

Most longarmers ask that the top be pressed, threads be trimmed, etc. before they get it for quilting. There is nothing magical about the longarm that makes the seams lie flat. However, if the back is wrinkled, I have found that I don't have to press it (except at the seams) because I can easily get the wrinkles out by spraying very lightly with water when it is stretched on the frame.

I press at every step during piecing, again when the blocks are put together, and a final press if necessary before quilting.

I use Best Press and press each piece as I sew and then the whole top before quitling. I like the crispy look and clean. To each his own. Just like I do not prewash and have never had trouble and use shout color grabber and it comes out ok too. I took Grannyp70 a half gallon of Best Press today and she is hooked. Of course we are working on the Farmers wife blocks and they are small so really helps.

I press before and after.

I press each step and starch before cutting fabric and starch the top after it is together and also starch the backing. Makes the quilt go together nicely and make quilting go so much smoother.I try to keep my seams pressed all the correct direction and that make my quilting go so much smoother to.

I would rather spend the extra few minutes ironing the quilt top and backing, rather than having to spend the time removing the stitches.

I am an over presser, press each and every seam.

Yes I always iron my quilt tops and I spray starch them too to keep seams from fraying. My machine quilter said she loves that I take the time and that I'm careful to press the seams.

Golly too, I do the same! When I have taken quilts to be professionally quilted the lady comments that she has to press so many quilts before she can even start doing the machine quilting.

Me three. Some fabrics I also starch, especially flannels.

Nope. I don't iron. I find I make crases where there souldn't be any so I just stretch them out.

I always iron the heck out of my tops before I sandwich them.

It depends - I press as I go more often than not

I press as i go, and before sending it off to the quilter I make sure everything is perfect; she loves to quilt it when it lays flat when she puts the trio together for quilting.

Since I'm a new quilter, she is amazed I bring it to her in such fine shape. She says many of the old quilters just bring her a couple tops that are rolled up, wrinkled and she refuses to do their cleanup work for them, so there is threads at times, and of course if she sees them, she does remove them, but she makes no big attempt to remove what they could remove. Also, it lays so much nicer when she wants to go to quilting it - and I've been so pleased with the outcome of the quilt(s) when done.

So do I. My ironing board is right by my machine so it is very convenient to iron.

yes, I press as I quilt..Everything gets a good press. I seem to have better results.

I press too, as I go and when the top is completed. Good thing as I discovered two pieces of white on white had been put in wrong side out. Had to pick them out and turn them over. They weren't real noticeable if the quilt was hanging on the porch and you were driving by 30 mph, but I COULD SEE THEM!
Usually I fingernail press seams, then iron the blocks, but right now I am doing a flannel log cabin and am steam ironing each seam as I go. I did a another log cabin (my first) and even starched it as I went. It came out awesome.

I usually iron blocks as I put them together; then iron the sections after they are together. When I get ready to layer, I will iron if the top has gotten wrinkled; otherwise I just pin and quilt. I usually iron the backing first also.

I press - I like the crisp look and feel - also use spray starch. It helps hold the seams and makes for a much nicer top.

Yes, I press my tops before they are sandwiched together. I press everything......well......except for clothing......everything that has to do with quilting. Each seam is set, then pressed every step of the way. The time that it takes to press is all worth it in the end.

I iron as much as I sew. Learned that in home Ec class in school. I iron before I cut out my pieces and right after I sew a seam. My iron is right next to sewing mach, just spin around on my chair and I am right there.
I have never used the starch, may try that.
Everything fits together better if I iron

Alex Anderson taught me to press, press, press and thats what I do. If there's something that isn't right it will jump right out at you and can be corrected right away.


simple quilter

I iron block by block by block and seam by seam as it is put together. Works for me. No tugging and pulling that big quilt all over the tabletop to get a smooth surface.

Thought I was the only one that used starch for quilting. I don't use starch I use spray sizing. I also use spray sizing when pressing the bias tape to be sewn by hand. Makes it easier to control and I use Elmer's Spray on Glue for applique. I learned to use that the hard way. After using it on an applique design, found glue all over my fingers. Will only wash off with vinegar. I got educated real fast. I now lay the piece to be appliqued on another piece of fabric, preferable something that I would never use, wrong side up and spray until my applique is saturated. Pick up with 2 tweezers, put where it belongs to applique and again use the tweezers to move it around so there are no wrinkles, etc. If there is a wrinkle, just pick up one side and smooth the wringle out with the dull side of a kitchen knife and your done. Leave overnight to dry and the next day applique away. Love that stuff.

I iron before a piece and then again and again as I go. Then when I'm ready to baste I iron the back, the batting (I use warm and natural) and the top. It make the quilt lie nice and flat and you can see any potential problems. I do like to iron though (I may be the only one - LOL).

I really learned the hard way about that ironing. While hand quilting on my daughter's Christmas quilt, queen size, I came across a 20 inch area of the beacking that had unraveled! Has taken me weeks to repair (I'm slow) and has put me behind in my Christmas quilting. I might add, I had already quilted around this boo boo, that was a mistake too! Quilt and learn.

I iron the strips as I finish them since I found I can match the seams easier as I sew them together. By pressing the quilt just looks better to me. My daughter never used her iron until she began sewing so maybe I have passed on something to her

I iron everything...find it improves my odds of having everything look good. Also have room for ironing board.

I iron every step of the way. My trouble comes when it's time to take top and backing to the LAQ. It seems no matter how careful I try to be, they both wrinkle horribly when I fold them to transport. Think it would be silly to deliver them on hangers?

If you are hand delivering them, you could roll them and then there would only be a few wrinkles.

Yes, also use spray starch. It works wonder.

Yes, also try using spray starch, it works wonders.

I always press mine throughout the entire process and the backing too. That way there is less of a chance at puckers and wrinkles.


Billy

I'm from the press as you go school of dressmaking so it is a deeply ingrained habit to press, press, press. It would be too much stress for me to worry about my blocks being nice and flat throughout the entire process.

Ditto--I press every step and I square everything up each step-when I take my quilt top to the quilter it is ready to go and they never have trouble putting it on the long arm. I also square it up again when I get it back, do not press at this point.

What is "Best Press"? And, where do you buy it?