Sewing Seams Pressed to the Side
 

I usually press seams open to avoid this, but sometimes you need to press seams to the side. What do you do when those seams are all facing the same way? In other words, they do not butt together. Do you twist the seam so it nestles together? Or, are there other solutions to the problem?

If I am sewing rows together, I use a pin to let me know which way to press them so they will nest.

If I can plan ahead so that the seams nest then I do so, but often that isn't possible (or I forget). I have no problem letting a seam allowance flip direction in the middle of a seam if that makes the points easier to match. I hesitate to clip into a seam allowance to flip it though.

Sometimes when that happens I'll reverse the direction of one of the seams if possible, or let it switch directions as it wants to in the center, or press those seams open before sewing, which gets half the seam out of the pile up.

I clip the seam and flip it to nest. I figure I'd been clipping seams as per instructions on garments for years without problems, so it should work with quilts. If it's a light/dark, then I do it so the bulk of the seam is to the dark side.

ditto for me...................

. I too clip the seam as a last resort, but I've heard that it's not advisable. I don't know why. What is the harm in doing this?

Just a guess, but it could weaken the seam. I have had to do it sometimes, but not as a usual behavior.

I figure if it works for clothing where the seam is going to be getting a lot more stress and rubbing,(like armholes, crotch seams. . .) it should be fine in a quilt that once you bind and quilt it, there is going to be way less stress on that seam. Yes, it may "weaken" it, but I doubt anyone has done any testing to quantify the difference.

I do this a lot with my very small pieced blocks. Unless I'm not careful and snip the seam, I've never had it be an issue.

However I do try to plan and press seams so I don't need to do this, but sometimes with the small blocks, it's not possible if you want to avoid a big bump of seams coming together.

ditto for me, too.