Very basic question 2 - seams pressed open or to the side?
 

I was taught to press seams to the side, because it makes the seam stronger than if it's pressed open. Watching a Leah Day video yesterday, I noticed that she presses hers open. It certainly makes things easier when it comes to avoiding bulk and also helps avoid light against dark fabric and vice versa. What are people's opinions on this?

I have been pressing open since I started quilting many decades ago. I like a very flat block or piecing unit. I have never had a seam come apart.
My advise .. try a few test blocks and see what you like.

Its funny a few years ago I had a large quilt top (all seams pressed open) .I was showing it a my LQS , and all of them loved how flat the top was. I then turned it over showed to open seams ... and a hush fell and even a gasp. They then all of them, as if on cue turned and walked away. It was as if I had committed a crime no one wanted to witness. It was then I realized I not only had come face to face with the quilt police ...it was the entire squad!

I laugh about it now wondering what the "charges" might have been. Maybe "illegal use of an iron", or "failure to follow local ironing laws", or "failing to yield to peer pressure".

I still press to one side. I found out the hard way that with seams open, that some batting can beard out between the seams. I am very careful to cut my strips the width of a pin wider to compensate for the fabric lost with the "hump" of the seam. I also prefer to do EB method of trimming down a block if possible.

I think the current feeling is to do it the way you like it. Pressing to the side was the standard when all piecing was done by hand. Machine piecing is strong, that's why I prefer it. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it.) I do believe machine work is more durable.
Sometimes I press open to reduce bulk, but I usually have more trouble pressing open, so I will press to the dark fabric whenever possible.

I prefer to press to the side whenever possible. It makes it easier to nest the seams. I had one I was working on and thought it would lay flatter if I pressed open. What a pain that was! It took forever and when I sandwiched it some of them flopped back over anyway. I won't bother pressing open unless I really think the pattern I'm working on requires it. As for quilting over the thick spots...some quilts look great with meandering patterns and I just work around the bulky seams. :)

I usually press to one side but there are some projects that would work better when they're pressed open, like the one I was working on last night. Wish I'd pressed them open.

when i first started, i pressed open like in garment sewing. but the seam is so narrow, i went with the pressing to the side. now i don't burn my fingers

My preferred method is to the side, but in actual application, it depends entirely upon the individual project. The fabrics used, the piecing pattern, any appliqué or embellishments to be added, the quilting planned...all those go into my decision on which way to press the seam allowances.

My thoughts on the group that walked away when they saw Lori's seams were pressed open are this: perhaps, just perhaps, their walking away (and maybe even rolling their eyes as they did) was simply because they knew that, despite admiring and understanding the obvious benefits, there was no way they would ever devote the time or energy required to press their own seams open.

That doesn't make them 'quilt police', just makes them acutely aware of their own limitations and maybe (dare I say hopefully?) even frustrated by being held prisoner by them. In other words, more of a self-judgement than a judgement of Lori. :)

Hi Lois S. Your comment really gave me a chuckle! Now I know a way to clear a room of quilters! I really would have loved to be there. Keep pressing you seams open! There are no rules!

I always press my seams open because I use a lot of pins to match my seams. Unless pattern specifies to iron to one side like in a Bargello. I love the flatness it gives!

Hadn't thought of that -something to consider. I once had batting that bearded, and I don't want to repeat the experience!

I press to one side most of the time, but there are situations where it makes sense (at least to me) to press a seam open to reduce bulk where many seams come together. It's a judgment call; not a case of right or wrong.

I find that many modern quilt patterns instruct to press seams open, and when the pattern calls for it, that's what I do. Pressing to the side doesn't make the seam stronger, but in a hand sewn seam, it offers some cover for the gaps in the stitching. Often there will be a design reason to press to the side, if you want one area to recede and one come forward. I like pressing to the side, as it does aid in matching the seams, and I just enjoy the look of it on the back. Things seem more solid. And of course, if you want a ditch to stitch in, you have to press to the side.

your quilt your rules

yep. totally situation oriented .

depends on quilt, some quilts use locking seame which they need to be pressed to the side for this, I would look at a quilts design and decide. Bargellos are especially know for having to press a certain way because there are a lot of locking seams to get everything to line up. If you did it open it would be more of a pinning effort to line everything up. Also if you are going to stitch in the ditch I would also be concerned about pressing open, so I would just keep in mind your whole quilt plan before making a decision on which type of pressing you want to do.

For hand pieced seams, you always want to press to the side because that makes the seam stronger. Seam strength is not an issue with machine piecing. The quilters who gasped at seams pressed open did not understand this difference.

As mentioned, seams pressed open can allow batting to beard through the seam. However, this is usually an issue only when doing stitch-in-the-ditch, especially if the batting is polyester and/or the stitch length is not small. Shortening the stitch length (and having a balanced machine stitch; some machines are really poor at balancing the top and bottom threads) can prevent this problem, plus cotton battings are highly unlikely to beard in this manner.

Pressing seams to the side can speed up piecing of certain types of pattern that involve lots of seam matching -- for example, quilts made of 9-patch blocks.

Pressing seams open can help when matching strip sets in patterns made exclusively of strip sets.

For apparel sewing I always press open. For quilts to the side. I tried pressing open but didn't feel good about it so I switched back. I want to have the option of SITD if I want to and not worry about stitching over only thread.

when I first started quilting, I was told to "press to the darker side". Then a few years ago, I saw a gadget demo'd at a qulit show, called a "strip stick". ( http://www.thestripstick.com/ ) To me, this is the best tool since the rotary cutter!! My blocks not only lay much flatter, but they tend to be more accurate (I am very prone to IRON rather than PRESS, which of course leads to distortion.)
With that said, it is still very much a matter of personal choice. Unlike some of the other posters here, I have not had any problems with the batting bearding through the seams. And I have not run into "the quilt police" as someone else did.
Just my 2 cents worth.

I hand piece and hand quilt and find the seams pressed to one side are must stronger. Tried pressing seams open but didn't like the final results.

I tried pressing open but it takes more time (I guess because I was not used to it). Also I burned my fingers so I am now back to pressing to one side.

Both ways work depending on the block being made. Sometimes open, most times to the side.
There is no "one way" to press seams. Even a hammer works if you want to get a thick seam to be flatter.
peace

I press to the dark side, if possible. If I have to piece a border, I press the seam open, because it seems to be less noticeable that way. I had directions for one quilt that said to press all seams open. After awhile, that became a real pain. Took longer to press and really slowed me down.

Be open to change. I have ALWAYS pressed to the side when doing a D4P so they would nest. Then on this latest project, for some reason unbeknownst to me, they won't work and after ripping out some more than once to get that "perfect" match, I gave up and tried one pressed open. Worked and so I finished the rest doing it that way. The only thing I can figure is that I haven't been starching the limpness out on these, no other explanation that I know of. So I do what works for the current project.

I press to the side as that was the way I was taught when I started. But folks do it both ways, it is personal preference, not right or wrong.

I was taught to press seams to the side but a few years ago I read in one of the magazines that the more popular quilters were pressing seams open. I have tried it a few times, but I end up burning my fingers on those scant 1/4 seams. I have no opinion on which way is best, do it your own way.

To me, pressing seams open is just so much work!! I only do it if the situation warrants it. Stack & Whack, for example...all the points of those six triangles meeting in the middle is a huge lump unless you press open. (And then it's just a medium lump) Or the baby changing pad I did recently - no batting so I wanted the seams to be flat and not ridges, so I pressed everything open on that.

MOST of the time I press to the side. It's faster, easier, and lets me nest my seam junctions together for best accuracy.

This is a very interesting subject. I,too, am working on D4P's and have really been upset about seams meeting and having to discard so many. Today I am going to try open seams and see if I like it. Thanks for bringing this up.

When I first began quilting, the norm was to press seams to one side, but now I think more and more quilters are deciding how to press seams, based on the block. Sometimes seams need to be pressed open to eliminate bulk, such as some star blocks, but mainly I think it is personal preference.

I am taking Leah Day's FMQ a Sampler class on Craftsy. She advises to press the seams open, even for stitching in the ditch. She says she's never had a problem with a seam coming open or shredding the thread. I've always pressed to one side, but my current project I'm pressing the seams open, and I'm going to SITD. It will be interesting to see what happens!

I do press to the side unless it makes it easier for some corners to come together, and then I press open.

I tend to press straight seams in a block to the side, but, where several points meet, I try to press them open so they will lay flat.. I think it is a matter of choice and you may want to think about how you are quilting as that will make a difference with the open seams

I really prefer to press "to the side" - I think pressing the seams open is a lot harder.

At times, I will do an analysis of a given spot and determine how many thicknesses I come up if I press the seams to the side or open.

I have decided that I can use both methods in one piece now.

I was watching the same Leah Day video and it seems to me that she mentioned the fact that some quilters feel the seam has to be pressed to one side to make the quilt stronger. However, her comment was that she has been quilter for a long time and never had a problem. But she did mention that when she was piecing, she set her stitch length at 1.5. I personally have never pressed the seam to one side. Seems to me that it would be very bulky. However, I must mention that I have never encountered the quilt police so probably have been quilting ignorant all these years. But you know what;:D I am happy in my ignorance, so there!

Right now I'm getting myself all kind of confused. I'm making a beach quilt with PUL for the backing, the directions call for 1/2" seams, I keep trying to start with a 1/4" and then pressing the seams open I keep pressing to the side first ACK! I'll be glad when this thing is done. I'll probably have to retrain myself again when I get back to a good old fashioned quilt :thumbup:

Interesting thread! I was going to post this question tonight; I am a long time quilter (since the early '80's) and have always pressed to the side. I'm starting a new project soon that says to press the seams open. My question to the group was going to be "What's the difference?" but you all have answered me very well. I now know that it will take longer and burn my fingers (I'm a klutz!) to press them open so I will try it but will return to the tried-and-true pressing to the side when I get tired of the new way.....Thank you all!!!!!

I usually press open after seeing a video done by a women in Idaho who uses her long arm to quilt Quilts of Valor and that is what she prefers from those people making the quilts. I will do to the side when I plan to stitch in the ditch or I will press open if I use a serpentine or zigzag stitch in the ditch where I not just stitching on the seam threads.

As a long arm quilter...If I get a quilt that has the seams pressed open...there can't be any stitching in the ditch on those seams...I've tried and break the sewing thread almost every time....so, I just don't do SID on those quilts. Having the seams pressed to one side is what makes it possible to do SID (stitch in the ditch)..and have the SID almost invisible.
Other than that, it's a matter of preference.