That last presssing -
 

For my "final pressing" -

I press from the back.

That is when I find twisted seams, seams that have skimpy seam allowances, and loose threads.

I usually press each seam before it is joined to another one, so I am fairly confident I do not have "pleats" - because I press each seam to be sure it is pleat free - from the top. But occasionally I do miss one.

Then I give the another press from the "right side" - just to be doubly sure that there are no pleats.

It would probably be a good idea to take a picture of the top at that stage - and look at the picture the next day to make sure that the top was assembled "as intended".

I pretty much always press from the back but then I press my seams open. I'll typically do a quick pass over the top after the seams are open.

One of my anti-quilt-police things I do is I iron with both a very hot iron and I use steam. It's how I do things and so I don't have problems with it but I can say my pieces are firmly positioned and don't move around.

When I am preparing my fabric for quilting, I'm a big believer in pre-washing and drying which means iron I must! I really don't like ironing but I feel it is essential to what I consider my successes in quilting. I always iron from the back of the fabric, don't really know why but I think it is something that lingers from my 1970 home ec class... It has saved me a couple of times when I had problems of whatever sort with my irons.

Because I don't like to iron, doing it is a priority when I have a drier full of fabric, the real trick is to get it out at just the right point of almost totally dry, shake it out/store it unwrinkled and iron them just as fast as you can. Then I fold them for cutting which also fits the boxes I use for storage. I don't starch and I keep a spray bottle with water on a fine mist setting.

One of my golden rules in quilting is Press... Press... Press! The other is square up! I press outward even with sashing. I know there is always the risk of a pleat and using a hot iron and going in a circular motion I can usually iron out a plete. Over the years I have become pretty good and not having a plete. Frankly I don't worry about a small plete if I am using a higher lofted batting. When I use W&N I find I have less issues because everything will lay just as it should. Plus I don't worry because once the quilt is washed it is less likely to show anyway. There are no quilt police here either.

I forgot to mention- that is when I trim the loose threads. I ravelly mess bothers me.

I iron/press washed fabric from the back, too. I think a glitch - such as a small hole (yes, even LQS fabric has occasionally had a flaw in it!), a big slub, printing errors/flaws - seem to be easier to spot from the back. It's also easier to see if the grain lines are more or less perpendicular.]

If working with a panel, it is helpful to know if it is printed on-grain - or not. If not printed on-grain, how can the panel be worked with.

I am so not into trying to trying to pull it into shape to try to make it work.

I just used a terribly printed panel in a pieced back because there was no way you could use it other than chop it up really small but it fit the theme of the other fabrics I was using.

For disclosure, I did get it at the thrift store and maybe that is why it was there, but the whole thing was just so bad. I tugged at the grain of the fabric here, and blocked it there but I just don't think the darn thing was really square -- it was too far off. Made one side as straight as I could along the design and cut the other sides at 90 degree angles and stuff is chopped off on all the other sides. Name brand and it would have majorly peeved me if I had bought it off the bolt like that.

I always press the back and then the front.drives me nuts when i see someone on t.v. pressing the front only.

I bought a wool pressing mat and have used it for the first time recently.
Love the difference it has made to seams.
I also like to press back first then front.

I work with prewashed starched fabric. I work with small pieces.

As I build my blocks I finger press from the back.
Once the block is built I press from the front.
Once the top is built I steam pres from the back, then the front.
When I do the front I restarch so it is nice and flat for the quilter.

I don't pre wash unless it is flannel. I have too many large pieces of fabric used for backing that makes washing difficult, and drying becomes a knotted mess. But the quilt will get washed after it is finished. For my birthday I gifted myself with a Rowenta steam generator iron like Donna Jordan has. What a difference it makes in being able to make a nice flat block. I also have a large ironing table, so the ironing process is fun for me. I also have learned to finger press each seam as I go along, making the final press much easier, and a time saver too. The block will get pressed from back AND front at that time.