Trying to figure out which way to iron these seams is driving me batty, and I'm only making a patchwork Christmas stocking! I can't imagine doing this on a whole bed quilt. So, from now on, I'm ironing all my seams open. Go ahead, shoot me! Steal my favorite seam ripper! :mrgreen: I actually find matching points & seams easier that way anyway.

Do what works for you...

You can do whatever turns your crank! I usually press to the side, but don't worry too much about which way. I can match seams anyway, so that is not a concern. It's your stocking!

:lol: No shooting or stealing of the seam ripper allowed! The rule of thumb is to press the seams toward the darker color. That doesn't always work if you have intersecting seams where they both fall on the same side. However, pressing everything open isn't the answer either. If the thread breaks between those seams, then you see right through to the batting. The seam is stronger when the seams are pressed to one side.

Time for a break. Go get a cuppa and a snack to go with it and come back to it later. {{{hugs}}}

I always do what is easy for me. No use getting all worked up tight over something that is supposed to be fun and relaxing.

Do what you want and keep the badge polish handy.....lol!!

I have the same problem. Especially when I am doing rows. Trying to figure out which way to press so they butt up. Just when I think I got it, I don't.

it is sometimes frustrating, for sure. sometimes, when i see that it is going to be a problem, i just re-press to the other side. it's your quilt,do it your way

Open seams are fine for things like stockings, wallhangings and other things that don't get a lot of hands on use.

On a quilt that is used as a quilt, it really does compromise the seam and I avoid that. The exception is for things like an 8 pointed star, then I "swirl" the seam to avoid that bump where they intersect.

That said, I'm not anal about how my seams are pressed....I try to press to the dark, but locking is more important IF that is possible.

In the end, I find that whether the seams lock or don't, and even if they twist between pieces (are laying one way at one end of the seam but the other way at the other end) none of it is really noticeable once the item is quilted.

So while the purist in me gasps a little at pressing seams open, the only real danger is you'll be slightly more likely to have to do a little seam repair somewhere in the future.

I iron my seams open 90% of the time. It's much easier to match seams this way. Many think that covering the seam with the seam pressed in one directions keeps the seam from stress. If you use a quality thread and quality fabric, there isn't much of a worry about that. The quilt is quilted and that keeps the pull of the weight off the seams.

Do whatever works for you. I don't think you need worry about a pressed open seam being weaker. We do it in clothing all the time and they get much more stress than a quilt, especially a stocking.

Lots of quilters press their seams open. Tell the quilt Police to back off.

I press to the side using this method:

1. Can I figure out which way to press the seam so that the next time I sew on this particular piece, the seams will 'lock'?

If "Yes", press the seam to the chosen side, celebrate, do a happy dance, imagine myself to be the 'great, all-knowing Quilter'.

If "No", give up trying to figure it out, tell myself it doesn't matter and move on to Step 2.

2. Can I figure out how to press so the bulk of the seam lies to the 'dark' side of the fabrics?

If "Yes", press the seam to the chosen side, celebrate my return to "the dark side", practice breathing through a black face mask, and imagine myself to be the most feared, dark 'Jedi-knight Quilter'.

If "No", give up trying to figure it out, tell myself I'm not a rocket scientist anyways and move onto Step 3.

3. Can I just figure out how to press the seam to one side or the other???? The voices in my head say, "Enough already, you've spent 30 minutes trying to press out ONE seam while exercising your imagination. Just press the dang seam!" Goto Step 4.

4. Realize that Quilting is exhausting. Turn off the iron, leave the quilting room, and close the door. I'm sure I can find "Star Wars" or "The Twilight Zone" reruns on cable somewheres...

I do what ever the situation calls for, but mostly open for me!

Your ok. I put in a call and diverted the qp!

Me too! I can't be bothered figuring that all out when I can design the quilt I want in EQ. From an old seamstress matching and pinning is not that hard and quilting gets even easier without what my mother would call "hunky" seams.

That may have been true when piecing was done by hand. Nowadays machine stitching is very strong and seams can be pressed open without danger of coming open.

I am going to start locking my doors so the QP can't come in, didn't know they were so active this time of year!

bwahahaha! It's not just me!!!

"Pressing? I don' need no steenkin' pressing."
(Hoping someone recognizes the parody.)

I find my self ironing seams open a lot....the only additional suggestion I would have is to sew with tight short stitches...which is what I do. On my machine it is 2.0...the only time I use 2.5 is when sewing clothing....

Gosh Deborah... I thought that normal quilting/piecing was 2.0 anyways. At least that's what my beginner books told me a few years ago. I swear by Eleanor Burns. That woman has taught me more about sewing and quilting and having fun with it... than anyone!

Wait, wait, don't tell me..... um... Princess Bride? Wait, no... that was "My name is Edward Montoya, you have to do some pressing? PREPARE TO DIE!"

[quote=Quilter7x]However, pressing everything open isn't the answer either. If the thread breaks between those seams, then you see right through to the batting. The seam is stronger when the seams are pressed to one side./quote]

Thanks, I did not know this.

I press my seams open. Don't care what the quilt police think. :evil: :-D

[quote=annthreecats]machine seams unravel a lot easier once broken as well, hand sttiching has to basically unweave itself, so for me, the added security of pressing seams to the side is worth it for either type of sewing.

Many times people press their seams open. If that works better for you then do that. No one will judge that and no need for you to hide (smile).

HUGS too. Take a break. You are probably OK since I assume that it won't have the wear of a normal quilt. GOOD LUCK and hang in there !!! :lol:

I press to the dark side, obewan..it's a Starwars thing.

Come on out of those bushes. Any way you decide to do it is the right way.


Greenheron: Yeah, I get it....ha ha ha ha ha

Alex Anderson says let the seam tell you which way it wants to go. FYI - you will find stitching in the ditch a waste of time if you press the seams open...

Don't worry....we'll protect you!!! :-)

Really?

When my rows have a random mix of lights and darks, pressing all odd rows one way and all even rows the other way helps them to butt together. When lights and darks alternate, I press to the dark.

If I have to piece a fabric scrap, THAT seam gets pressed open so that it doesn't stick out!

I agree with both of those...while I prefer pressing to the darkest fabric, there are times that the seam just doesn't want to go that way.

As for quilting in the ditch, that also makes sense, if your seam is pressed open and you are quilting in it, it seems that the original seam line could be easily compromised.

I get it. :mrgreen:

No quilt police here, do what makes you happy. The only time to worry about pressing open is if you plan to stitch in the ditch. The machine quilting tends to disappear into the stitching.

That is a cute picture of a looks like a oven mit. Where did you get it or did you make it???????

I think I will try that.

Take your pick.."Treasure of Sierra Madre" and/or "Blazing Saddles" :thumbup: