When you are sitting at your machine, do you press every seam that you sew as you go on your quilt top? Where do you keep your iron? All around my machine I have things stacked up to sew, so I was wondering if it would be worth the time to 'create' a pressing area by my machine.

My Big Board/ironing board sits to the right & is the same height of my sewing cabinet, so that I can just swivel on my chair to the press seams as I go.

Me too, I have an adjustable ironing board that is the same height as my sewing space, I press as I go all the time.

I usually chain for awhile, then press. My ironing board (full size) is across the room. It makes me get up and move, otherwise I would be sitting WAY to long. I tried setting up a pressing area next to my sewing machine, just didn't work for me.

I press as I sew. I have an ironing board next to my sewing machine. It encourages me to stand up and move a bit while I am sewing. I do sew a chain of items at one time, then I stand up and iron them all, then sit and sew some more.

Yes, i press all the seams. My iron is set up right next to my table for easy access. Although i have to get up to iron or press, it gives me a little exersize while sewing LOL

Same here, same reason.

Yes. I learned the hard way to not skip this step. have a small table with a cover on it next to my sewing machine to make it easy. Sometimes I will get up and walk across room to use my ironing board. just depends what I am doing.

I have flip cut/press mat that stays with a small iron for doing seams as I go...to the right of my sewing machine. Once "it" gets bigger I use my x-large ironing board that resides in my walk-in closet.

Yes, I press every seam. The iron is set up at the opposite end of the room from the sewing machine. I think that getting up to iron is better than sitting for long periods of time, and I don't want the heat from the iron that close to me while I'm sewing.

I'm like most everyone else, I press most of my seams as I go, but have to get up and move around so that gives my back a change. Some projects I just finger press as I go then do the pressing all at once. I find sitting and pressing bothers my shoulders, so I stand to do it .

I chain piece then take them to the ironing board across the hall in the bathroom. This forces me to get up and get some exercise or my butt would be even bigger than it is.

This is exactly my thinking. I do have a tabletop board that I use occasionally, but since I've been walking across the room, I find I'm less sore at the end of a full day of quilting. BTW I always press every seam as I sew. Finger pressing, even with a tool does not seem to work for me.

I'm another one who presses every seam and has board across the room from sewing machine.
I need to get up pretty often or I wont be able to walk the next day

I hand-sew, and I almost always press each seam straight after sewing it, unless there's a good reason not to. I have a tabletop ironing board and travel iron which I keep on my sewing desk. The ironing board is big enough for a 12" block plus the iron, but small enough that it doesn't take up much space, and I keep my acrylic rulers etc. tucked underneath. I find the smaller iron easier to manoeuvre and more accurate, especially for small or curved seams. I only use the big ironing board and standard iron for pressing whole fabrics or pressing quilt tops before basting.

I'm a frequent presser, too, but I think it was Eddie who had a post on only finger pressing until the block is assembled and then using the iron. Darn, tried "search" but I can't find it now. But it does work well. Just can't bring myself to trust it! Can anyone remember the post?

I do exactly the same. I have a wooden seam presser that I use if I need to press a seam before I sew, but really need to get up and stretch sometimes.

He took a class with someone famous (can't remember who) who said never to press until the project is finished. It seems like a time saving idea, but I like to keep track of my hits and misses and pressing helps me with that.

This is exactly how I do it and for the same reason.... :)

Except my ironing board is in the living room.

Actually I usually finger press if that will do the job. Between finger pressing and nesting seams I can usually wait to do the ironing til the block is finished, if I am doing one block at a time.

ali

ok silly question but why do you have to do this?

Hard to answer without a point of reference.

I recently started fingerpressing the seams and don't use the iron until the block is done UNLESS there are some more bulky seams that won't lay flat without the iron. To do the fingerpress, I actually use a wooden press stick with a flat edge. It works really well.

When I have to use the iron, I sew all of my blocks in string-piece fashion and take all of them to the board. That way I am not up and down and up and down. Unfortunately, the ironing board is in front of my table and the table isn't big enough to hold EVERYTHING.

Me, too but mine is on the left and my big-board is just a few steps away. It only resides in my closet when I'm quilting on the frame otherwise it is open & ready for use in the middle of my room.

I used to have every thing in a nice litle U shape, cutting matt to the right, seweing machine center, and ironing board to the left. swivel chair, and never got up, not good for figure. Now I have my big board ironing board and iron in the next room. So I have to get up and move around a bit, much better for me. I have to move more.But I do press each seam as I go.

It makes the seams nestle together better & keeps my blocks & rows more square.

That's how I'm set up too.

I have a pressing table next to my machine, but I don't use it! I still set up the ironing board and iron in the other room. It forces me to get up and walk around every few minutes. Some days, it is the closest thing to exercise that I get! lol

I sew some strips and then go to iron board and press, do some more strips and go to iron board and press. I just can't sit all the time, so this works for me.

simple quilter

I'm with Grammy. I like the fact that I have to get up and walk. Of course that sometimes mean I also get sidetracked :)

I press every seam I sew. I have to get up and walk a few feet, helps me to move around.

I don't have room to keep the big ironing board up all the time. I have a "travel ironing board" and a travel iron next to my machine on the right....I don't even have to swivel!!!! And I DO press each seam after sewing -- note: I PRESS, I don't iron! It makes for a better quilt without having folds.

Yes I press right next to my machine.

The best thing I ever did for myself was to make room for my iron next to my sewing machine. I really didn't realize how much I had to get up to go to my ironing board before I did that. Now I have more time to sew.

I sew for a while and press for a while. I like the change of pace.

I get up to iron but is close by.

I have my ironing board set at a low position (lower than my quilting table opposite it's place. Then have a smaller table for my work for designing in between them. That way I just swivel my chair around and press as I go along. I have found that it is best for me to press my blocks as I go along so I have no problem with joining them altogether with seams matching. Unlike some I have to do it this way with my arthritis or I would really have problems. I do take walkaround breaks so I don't have the dreaded quilters crunch but there is just no way I could get up and move everytime I had to press or work at my design table. I do move and raise my ironing board when I am pressing my large pieces of fabric. My cutting table is across the room but I get all my cutting done beforehand. I also use the weighted back support to help keep my back in alignment which is a true blessing so I don't hump over all the time. We all just have to find the way that works best for each of us especially when many of us spend hours a day quilting. :-D

I do press all seams and I do chain sew but I love my ironing
board I made to be right at my right arm. I had an unused typing stand on wheels so I just fixed a board and padded it for
the top. I can move it easily and it works just great.
Yes it is a good idea to get up from that machine once in awhile.
My legs don't work too well if I don't but I still love my ironing
stand beside me.

Flo in NNY

To me pressing as I sew is as important as seam allowance and using the right needle/thread. This goes for regular sewing also. My high school Home Ec teacher (I loved Mrs. Yates!!) pounded it into our heads that "The only way to get quality sewing is to press-as-you-go girrrrls!!"

It sets the seam down into the fabric, making the seam a little sturdier. Also it flattens everything out and makes your points line up much better as you assemble blocks. :)

my little ironing area is at a right angle to my machine. I press chainstyle as I sew in chains. The little ironing area is a rolling computer cart. When the project gets way too big for that I put up my wide board. But I can get alot of mileage out of the litlle area.