Hi, I am new to quilting and paper piecing, but have a question on this block. I have a "knot" of fabrics in the center of the block. How can I trim and flatten the "knot"? As can be seen from the photos, several layers of fabric join at the same seam. Thank you for help :roll:

Press that big center seam open. That is all you can do. I would press them open for all four quarters on the next one.

Press that big center seam open. That is all you can do. I would press them open for all four quarters on the next one.

I don't have an answer for you , other than that also happens in regular quilting when you have a pattern like a pinwheel. Just press it down

Thank you so much, I thought pressing a seam open was a "no-no."

Not any more. With the machines that we use and smaller stitches you are ok to press it open. Did you shorten your stitch length when you did the piecing ?

Pressing open is kind of a no no because it weakens the seams but you gotta do what you gotta do. I have seen somewhere years ago that after pressing, you can cover your seams with another piece of fabric and pound the seam with a rubber mallet. Bulky seams is one small price to pay for the perfect points you get in paper piecing...

I press open all of the time, depends on if the piece calls for it, due to bulk. If you do the mallet thing, press then whack it a good one while still hot. Do NOT use a steel hammer, it will make your fabric shiny where you smacked the living daylights out of it.

I press all of the seams open in these types of blocks when joining them together. Then I put a drop of water in the center of the 4 blocks, when joined, on the front and back and press it well from both sides (after I take out the paper in the seams). They will usually lay nice and flat then :D:D:D

Good advice from everyone. Here is what I was taught in a class. Remove just a couple of stitches from the ends of all those seams, than spread the ends out as you press. Clear as mud? Maybe someone here can explain it better.

I have pressed seams open to get rid of the bulk. I never have had a problem with pressing them open.

"swirl" the ends like a fan when you press....still muddy?

the points of the seam appear to make a circle when you do this. This process is used whenever you have a great many seams meeting.

You could also change the points on your pattern, shorten them a little, and then you would only have 4 fabrics going into the middle.

I also saw on some website that you can whack the seam flatter. I got a cheep rubber mallet, and I steam press the seam well, then whack it from the wrong side a couple of good whacks, and it flattens some.

I use the rubber mallet wack routine..and it works! I have the mallet hidden so my hubby doesn't borrow it..or it will never see the light of day again..(another post, LOL)

Thank you.....all of you. I will try this and the mallet seems like a perfect tool to use. Thank you.....

You can unsew the stitches that are within the seam allowances in the block and swirl the seams around the center point.