How wide are your seams in quilting?
 

I read today's quilt article about ironing seams. One sentence struck me as interesting and I wish I had wrote it down but it was that ironing seams open is OK now and we used standard width seams. I wouldn't mind ironing seams open but I seem to get burned way too often. Are you all using the scant 1/4 seam in quilting if you iron your seam open ? How do you keep from getting burned?

I don't use steam.

I do not press seams open very often because I think they are easier to 'nest' for joining to the next seam crossing it. I also think it is easier to quilt because of stitching in the ditch. I STID around squares, borders and binding on every quilt. I take of bulk that can happen when nested seams are crossed by taking our stitches in the seam lines and spinning (opening) the seam allowances. It works very nicely. That being said, if I do need to press a seam open, I finger press it open first and then I do not burn by fingers. You could also use the little wood block iron for this purpose.

1/4" and iron to one side.

I use 1/4" seams - sometimes they're scant - all the time, I press open as much as possible and I use steam. I generally finger press all of my seams open first or use a pressing tool and don't normally burn my fingers. Sometimes I skip the finger pressing part when I'm in a hurry and forget but I still manage to get my fingers out of the way in time.

I don't use steam either but I sure burn my fingers. I also have those little shovel things but when you have just chain pieced 100 little HST, who has time to finger press ?

One class I went to the instructor insisted we iron the seams open. I had seen so many do this before and they for some reason burn their fingers. At the time I had a couple "craft/aka popsicle sticks. These worked just fine. I left her class early because she called me a wimp for using it and referred to wimping out a few times and glancing over at me directly. Anyway try a craft stick. Super cheap to use and purchase.

I always iron my seams to one side as I think it's easier to match them than if they are pressed open. I made one pattern that said to press them open, but I had problems with matching and didn't think it reduced bulk.
If you would like to try, I would open the seam and use a wooden iron or your finger to open the seam, then iron so you are not trying to open the seam 1 or 2 inches in advance of the iron. You can also try using a bamboo skewer.

When Shar Jorgensen was on TV she taught to open every seam, I had been taught press to the dark so it was difficult at first but then it was quite easy if I remember correctly she used her fingernail to open the seam. So when I am doing something that requires open seams that is what I do then use a wooden iron. I actually made 2 queen size quilts that way with no problems. BTW definitely using a scant quarter inch!

Slow down a bit. The only time I burn myself is when I'm hurrying.