As a young girl I remember my mom and grandmother always hand pieced their quilts. They always pressed to one side. This made the quilt stronger. If the seam is pressed open on hand piecing your stitches are not as strong and will come apart after time.

Hi and welcome from the sunny state of Florida!!

Jinny Beyer has a great book on hand piecing a quilt. It has a lot of helpful information especially for a beginner. I really learned a lot from reading it. I also got her 'Perfect Piecer.' It is a template that you can hold in your hand to mark the perfect 1/4 " seam on any piece you are sewing, as it has all the angles represented. I highly recommend getting it! I hope this helps. Janis