Open seams or pressed to one side
 

Dear Fellow Quilters,
When you have 8 pieces meeting together in the center of a block,
do you press the main seam when you join both sides (each side has 4 pieces)
open or to one side? Also, do you tend to open the seams or press to the side
when you are first sewing each two pieces together to make the four piece on one-half of the block?
I am trying to do it the way that would be less bulkier in the center for when the long-arm machine quilts my quilt.
Thank you so much for your help in this matter.

I used to press my seams towards the darker fabric but since I started to make mini quilts I now press all my seams open. There is less bulk.

Thanks Sync.

I always press to the side. It prevents the batting from creeping up through the stitches and the quilting stitches from possibly breaking the seams during quilting.

I always press open if at all possible. Have not had issues with batting popping through and find it makes for a flatter block all the way around. Particularly when lots of seams are meeting.

Are you able to open the place where they come together like a pinwheel? If so, that's what I'd do that--but I'm pressing open more and more where there are many seams that come together due to bulk, and without any "bearding" of the batting.

I'd probably do a sample block and play around with it and see what leaves less bulk.

I "pinwheel" my seams to reduce bulk when 8 pieces meet -- so seams are going to the same side of each quarter of he block.

I made clothing for myself and family members for many years, so I've always been taught to press the seams open. Unless I have a fabric where the seam is going to show up as a shadow on the face of the quilt, I press my seams open. With the improvements in batting products, I have not had any problems with "bearding". Of course, I am just an Official Rank Amateur, so I might be proved wrong. If the stitches are short enough, there shouldn't be a problem with bearding, even with SITD!

I find it easier to press to one side and the seams fit together just fine in the pinwheel. So. :) you see everyone does it their own way, there is no wrong way. Whatever works best for you

Same here.

Quiltingshorttimer,
i have seen the pinwheel technique on the internet but I have not tried it yet.

Thanks fellow quilters. I appreciate your answers.
I guess one of the reasons I have not tried the pinwheel thing in the center is that I was slightly afraid to undo those stitches (that are needed to rip out in the center) in case it would come undone at that spot. I think that must not be a problem because so many people do it. How many of you pinwheel your centers and have any of you had trouble with the center becoming unstitched? I need to try that technique.

I pinwheel not only 8 seams, but also on four patch assemblies.....if you just remove the two stitches before you reach the connecting seam, there is no undoing of any seams...same principal as joining pieces...new seam keeps old one from undoing.....
I also press seams to the side rather than open, not for beading, I think batt makers have pretty much corrected that, but just in case when machine quilting, sewing machine needle going thru a thread can split it and weaken the twist of the strands.....being that the seam stitches are so small, chances are greater than in garment sewing...jmho

I press to one side unless the pattern instructions specify pressing open. I find it very tedious to press open those tiny 1/4" seam allowances!!

I have pressed open, and pinwheeled. I like pinwheeling for places where 4 or more seams meet. I've never had a center come undone when pinwheeled; don't cut the threads when you open the seam allowance, and the thread tails are long enough to keep the stitches from pulling open unless your tension is way too loose.

I usually press open to reduce bulk. The idea of pressing to one side came about when hand piecing was used and it made the seam stronger. With machine stitching came out, the machine stitching is much stronger than hand stitching.

I press which ever way gives me less bulk. At my BOM class the instructor states to open the seams but I rarely do unless it gives me less bulk. I'm also doing a PP project and here you have to press to one side till you get to the point of putting the sections together, it states to press the seams open so I do here. I like using the swirling approach when I can like Ellen B. shows us.

I iron to the side but not always, you have to be the judge. In the case of 8 pieces meeting in the middle, you can actually bear down in the middle and actually spin the center and iron to make it less bulky. Good luck

For me, it depends on the pattern.
I've done both, and find that in some cases, pressing open works best, in other cases, pressing to one side works best.

Just play with it and see how it works for you. There are no quilt police, and as long as you're using quality thread and fabrics, you should be good either way.