I always do....I can actually see the fabric relax and sometimes I even hear it say "awwwwwww"....LOL

Unless the instructions say otherwise, I always set my seams.

Alas the REAL reason comes out ... I definitely want to hear the fabric say "awwwwwwwwww"!!!!! :lol:

Always have, always will. Makes the seam lay flatter and neater.

I use a wooden Tailor's clapper on all my quilt seams. And I have the Steady Betty. My blocks are as flat as they can be.

If you have a bacon press, that will work as good as the Tailor's Clapper.

You've just hit me with terms I have never heard of before ... Tailor's Clapper? Bacon Press?

I never knew what that meant. I will try setting and see if it seems to make a difference. I am always learning something on this board :)

I don't know the techincal reason for doing it but MY reason for doing it is because I use so much starch my fabric doesn't really fold back willingly so I set the seam with a little steam and a press and then while it is still warm I open the seam up and press it back. The little bit of steam that it gets causes the fabric to soften just enough to fold it back without issue. I never set seams before I started using starch.

The Tailor's Clapper is made to set seams. Here is a picture of one June Taylor use to sell. Scroll about half way down the page. lots of good pressing tool pics there. http://thesewingdivas.wordpress.com/category/pressing/

The bacon press is for when you are cooking bacon to
keep the bacon flat. LOL. Now it is probably called a Panini press. An old flat iron is great for clapping too!

The Steady Betty is a portable pressing surface board that keeps the block from stretching when pressed.

Thanks!
I thought of the real bacon press ... but thought, oh no, she means something else!