I also iron a lot of my blocks. It does make them lie flat better and eaier to work with. I moved my machine to another room to be closer to my cutting table and ironing board, so save steps and make it easier for to do my quilts.

I too press from the moment I make an individual block until the entire top is finished, that way hopefully I can catch any mistakes, loose threads, etc.

i also press each seam as i sew...it helps when i have to sew seams together. and, when i finish the whole top i press it before it gets quilted and i press the back especially when i make it up myself

I am always ironing it seems, I iron between each piece I block (sew) then iron each time I add on to it and yes I iron the entire quilt top before I sandwich it, or send it away which ever the case it might be.

Maybe1day

Yep, I am an ironer! Every step of the way. I also use spray starch. I just read somewhere that bugs love to eat starch so you should use the expensive stuff they sell in the quilt shops (that the bugs don't like) - anyone know about this?

Absolutely. Just my personal perference to press during and after block construction and after finishing the top.

I do this too, but all my quilt sandwiches are made and finished on the longarm. If you don't want wrinkles or pleats on your quilt, you have to press the top and backing before loading them on the longarm. However, my DH bought me a steamer, so the next quilt will get steamed before I load it and I'll see if I like that. I do like the way the starch gives so much body to the quilt, so I need to figure out how to do the starch and steam thing.

Me too ! If I am doing the quilting, I want every advantage I can get to make quilting easier. you catch little folds before the walking foot does. besides, it is fun to look at the quilt a little at a time & realize you have finished it and appreciate the work.

I press - seems to help the top lay better when sandwiching it. A

I press and starch from beginning to end. I just like the way it looks and feels. - Cynthia

I always do

I iron my backing, and press the front as I'm sewing, so I guess I do!

for non QAYG..i finger press seams while constructing a block, then iron the block when complete, check its squared up at this stage..i join my blocks into rows and press the completed row..then join the rows, pressing again, then press the whole top, this time using steam..

for QAYG blocks and quilts, pressing is the key to getting a superb finish, 'press-as-you-go' is a must, don't cut corners and the resulting quilt will shine!! :-)

Me too! Is it just basic 'fussiness' or OCD? LOL! My LAQ showed me the wisdom in this kind of "fussbugetness". It makes the hardest part of quiltmaking WAAAAAAAAY easier! If you hand quilt, LAQ, machine quilt, or even tie, it makes the whole process work with you, instead of against you. Everything lines up for me. Funny thing is, I end up with a 'humility' block in every one without trying. I use spray sizing also. ( I do not hand quilt. :oops: )

Since I use my HandiQuilter for quilting ... I always iron my tops. That way the seam thickness is controlled as I want it to be and the machine quilts better.

ali

Glad to know I am not alone. Some of the gals in a quilt group I attend think I am nuts. So be it. I like to press as I go, every step along the way. My quilter is happy about my ironing fetish, too.

Let us know how good the steamer works.

yes i try and iron it the best i can before sandwiching it

The iron is my best friend and sits next to my machines. In fact, a few years ago I impressed upon my 6 year old granddaughter that pressing those seams made everything go better. She discovered the steam release button and now says she likes pressing better than actual piecing. Check out that cloud of steam! lol

I press as I go and then starch the quilt top. As I press I watch for "problem" spots or threads that need to be trimmed before quilting. I also press the back side of the top. I do this in hopes it looks that much better when I get it back from my quilter. After all I wouldn't want my quilter to see a messy quilt--what would she think LOL.

I don't see how the quilt top could lie as flat as possible, and as fully extended in all directions as possible, if it is not pressed with all the seams arranged for best flat fit.

I press the tops and the backs to eliminate wrinkles as I quilt my own stuff and don't like unpicking.

Me to, i iron as i go. T his is the way i was taught and i feel it looks better when you want to quilt it, thats just me i guess.

I too iron each block as it is sewn and iron when the blocks are sewn into a quilt. I read where someone used cornstarch and water to make their starch...it is great! I used to go thru many cans of starch...the cornstarch and water is so much cheaper...therefore I can buy more fabric...

hello what is cornstarch, is that cornflour (i think thats what we call it in australia) and what quantities do you use. Thanks Bella

I press at all stages and especially when it is put together. It is usually my last check before putting together and quilting. I can't imagine not pressing at all.

I press/iron at every step. The finished productis more pleasing to me. The last time, pressing the complete top, I use spray starch.
Nina

I like to press mine also. Front and back, see my mistakes and threads and anything else that might jump out at me.

Good night

http://www.ashleys.net/recipes/Starch.htm
I am not affiliated with the above site but it has the portions of cornstarch and water to mix and cook to make homemade clothing starch.

This sounds like what my Mother made in the 1950s. Good luck. From what I remember ironing as a kid, Dad's shirts were really heavily starched (as most men's were those days) and he looked mighty sharp. Mom even starched his all green and all tan work shirts. Of course, everything was ironed, including the pillow cases, hankies and kitchen towels.

I'm with Bearisgray. I do all the things she does for all the same reasons. It's so much easier to fix little glitches before the quilt is all put together and I like my work to look as good as possible before I start to quilt.
Keep asking any and all questions you may have we're only too happy to give our opinions.

Take what you like, of our opions, and leave the rest. Soon you find what works the best for you.

Andie :D :D :D

I press-press-press all throughout the whole assembly process, and give the whole she-bang a one-more-time pressing before sandwiching and quilting. Doing this makes everything work so much better, and my professional quilter says that the clients who do this give her the easiest quilts to work on. For example, you can actually "block" some of the more rebellious blocks whose shape retention needs some assistance by pressing; the seams lie flat everywhere, which has to make the quilting easier; you can press/steam out some of the barely noticeable "fullness" that comes from easing seams; and a hundred other little positive things that result from taking this extra step.

I press everything even as I go.

I like to iron mine as I go so it will be as flat as possible an catch mistakes. I'm going to try the startching on my next quilt. Linda Re

I longarm quilt and it is so much easier when the top and back is pressed I was hoping someone would address this.

I do iron them before I make sure they are straight and before I quilt them.

I to iron every step, that way if my blocks arn't quite right i can fix them , phill99

I iron the tops when they're done and if they have been folded before being put onto the long arm, I iron them again with starch.

I no longer have to iron the backing after seeing a Sharon Schamber video on it. She loaded the backing into the frame and as she loaded it she sprayed it lightly with starch. I tried it and it was amazing! I wanted to film it! The fabric was washed and had that un-ironed look. I sprayed each section as I loaded it and the wrinkles just totally disappeared, the backing tightened up, and it loaded just perfectly.

How do you make starch with corn starch and water I would like to try it. phill99

I always iron my quilt tops before quilting them. I also iron the backing fabric before loading it on the longarm. Even with the top and backing stretched on the frame, it seems like the seams can still have "bumpy" seams unless I try to get it ironed well. I made a 2' x 4' ironing board out of plywood and duckcloth which makes the ironing so much easier.