I usually press my seams to one side - because I think it's difficult to press those little 1/4 inch seams open.

I do both depending on what I am working on. If you do want to press your seams open make sure you shorten your stitch length.

I was taught to press seams to one side - toward the darker fabric if possible, and I've always done it that way. I do believe the seam is stronger. And, if you quilt by stitching in the ditch, and you've pressed the seams open, where is the ditch?? If you just quilt up the seamline, you are basically quilting the thread, not the fabric. There are ways to press which avoid the pile-up of lots of seams.

Traditionally, when hand piecing, seams were pressed to one side to make them stronger. Hand piecing is done with a single strand of thread and pressing seams open would place a lot of stress on a single strand. The practice was continued with machine piecing, but machine pieced seams are much stronger so quilters also have the option of pressing open.

I press open when there are a lot of matching seams involved, as it reduces bulks where seams meet; otherwise I press to the side as it is faster.

Jinny Beyer, who hand pieces, doesn't worry about how seams fall. When she is done piecing she irons her top from the front side and lets the seams go any way they want. (Note she does not press them open!)

I'm reasonably sure that Jinny Beyer, like many hand-piecers, only stitches the seams up to the seam allowances.

That way, no seam allowances are stitched down, and then the seams are free to be pressed in either direction.

Yes. She stitches only to the seam allowance. However, she doesn't care if the seams flip-flop back and forth along the piecing line!

I press to the side, towards the dark usually. I find it's easier to match up corners when the seams are pressed to the sides.
If it's a seam that will end up with a lot of bulk, I'll press open.

That's one of those 'do what works for you' questions.
Press open or not? Pre-wash or not? Starch or not? Like that.
Try everything at least once to gain experience and knowledge and then do what works for you for the particular project you're working on.

It matters with Bargello quilt and also some Eleanor burns quilts because it creates locking seams

i was taught to press to the dark side in my first quilt lesson-also how to butt the seams together-----somthing like 15 quilts later --i made a quilt with my daughter she presses seams open after the first couple of blocks i was getting it -----now i am totally confused as to what i will use for my next quilt --i did lower my stitch length and got quite good at pressing the 1/4 seams open without burning my fingers