I am making a double wedding ring wallhanging for a gift. Now, I have about a dozen different patterns and they are pretty much divided as to whether to press the seams towards the arcs or towards the melons. They both have advantages. Towards the melons makes a flatter seam, and if you press toward the arc you don't run the risk of seeing any darker arc fabrics through the lighter melons. The instructions for the one I'm making says to press towards the arc, but the fabric is fighting me and won't stay down. Think it would be okay to press the other way? Is one way better than the other? Any of you who have made one, which way did you press your seams...and why??
Thanks bunches!!!
bev.

I press in the direction of the melon, it lays better. Yes you do run the risk of some dark showing. If the melon is lite colored lay a piece of batting under neath it and see what shows. If the seam shows than press toward the ring. You may have to make notches in the seam allowance to help it lay better. Experiment on a stray piece first.

Thank you. I guess I just wanted someone to say it was okay to do something opposite from what the directions say (and still have it come out right). Couldn't figure out why some had you press one way and some the other. Guess there's no rule written in stone.
Thanks again!
bev.

A little shadowing will go un-noticed in a completed quilt unless it is a show quilt. I press to the melon.

I rarely use colors with extreme contrast so there is little problem with a shadow and light colors will always shadow.

you don't have the quilt police here do you?
i sure hope not. i don't need them looking over my shoulders, that''s for sure

I'm piecing one right now, and was wondering the same thing. Most of mine I press to the melon, but still have questions about it laying flat. I'm piecing this for a friend of mine, now I know why she didn't want to do it. It's king size and it's been a lot of work...I have clipped some of the arcs but don't see much difference in the ones I do not clip. She is longarming it so hopefully it comes out great...No problem with shadowing at all..

The quilt police are inside my head nibbling at my brain. What's funny is that I never follow instructions, okay maybe not never, but this is for a 50th anniversary so I wanted to be sure not to mess it up. Thankfully you all have given me the courage to go with my common sense. Heaven knows I put in enough sleeves in home ec to know which way to press for a curved seam. Do they even have home ec any more? But that's for another topic...
bev.

Hi and welcome to the board from Iowa. No quilt police here.

I pressed mine to the arc. I did a free motion SID inside the melon and the centers, so I didn't want the seam allowance to get in my way. It worked pretty well, for the most part.

Wow, that's really beautiful! Love your fabric choices!! Have no idea what I'm going to do about quilting, but that has given me something to think about. Was wondering what the back would look like. Thank you for the pictures!
bev.