I ALWAYS press. I didn't pre-wash at first, then read that I should so did, then read that I didn't have to, so stopped.....so now I do and I don't, depending on the fabric, the colors (I'm pretty sure I've made a quilt with reds that will run when it's washed but too late now, it's done) and my mood and energy level. :rolleyes:

Making clothes for years, I learned that pressing makes all the difference. I didn't always do it then, either, but the clothes went together ....and fit.....so much better when I did press. In my opinion, it's just the way to go.

Wash fabric to remove excess chemicals, sew up fabric ends to prevent raveling. Dry and press your fabric, this will remove wrinkles so they don't set. When piecing always press after Every seam, press the block after its pieced.
Press, don't iron or your pieces/block will get stretched out of shape. I don't care how long it takes to piece a quilt top, as long as I prepare my fabric correctly, cut accurately, and press each sewn seam accurately. I buy good quality fabric so I never use starch. I press the entire quilt top when its finished as well. I hang it up until it goes to the LAQ.

"Having said that, I have read on the QB about people who have taken a class from Kaye England. If I understood those posts correctly, she does not press until the top is finished. I remember one post especially about a student who tried this out for himself and said he got better results with it. I haven't had the courage to try it myself."


I'm sorry but this just does not make sense to me. I'd love someone to explain the rationale behind it. Pressing, if done right -- not ironing but pressing -- can only help, it seems to me. What am I missing here?

For those of you who starch, what kind of spray starch are you using? I have never used it but am thinking of giving it a try. I also am only a 2 year quilter!! I am SO hooked...... ;-)

I do the same, but I prewash. I quilt on the frame. Having quilted for others, I have found that pressing while you are piecing should be mandatory. Also, twisted seams make for quilting issues. Flattening those seam intersections makes quilting on the frame easier. JMHO.

I'm a prewasher and presser with product, kind of like pressing yardage and handing the fabrics too.

I just want to express my dismay at those who have said a queen size top in a week is "slow" or even "about right." Wow, takes me a lot longer than that! I do have a FT job, house, family etc, though. If I could piece a queen a week I'd probably go broke, too. lol. Good on all you superproductive quilters! I'm in awe.

I do different things for different projects. I don't prewash unless mixing new fabric with used (old clothes) or batiks. I never starch - just never tried it. I press my seams for most projects, but try hard to avoid pressing when working with bias cuts. If a project is a really simple one, I may not press at all until the end. It's hard to get seams to change direction once pressed, and sometimes I need to change them to eliminate bulk.

@ JBeamer: I wish i had caught that '2 year old' line! ha-ha!

@ mme3924: Pressing is picking the iron up and setting it down to 'press' the fabric so it will not shift around and get distorted. ironing is usually what you do to a shirt where you glide the iron over the fabric. When constructing a pieced block ironing can and will push the block out of shape.

that's my experience.
peace

Same here, except that my hand-press gimmick is made of plastic rather than wood. If any adjustments are needed in the block construction so that everything meets exactly where it should, seams pressed with a hot iron are much more difficult to adjust.