Lesson needed here
05-21-2020, 07:19 AM
#11
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: NW Kansas
Posts: 601
Oh my. I press my seams open 95% of the time. But I lower my stitch length to 1.8 and some times 1.5 so never an issue for me. Never any problem with quilting on my sit down long arm. Do be sure and tell your patron to lower her stitch length.
05-21-2020, 08:04 AM
#12
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 581
I have done both - pressing to the side and pressing seams open. As others have said, you need to reduce the size if your stitches in both instances. Sewing machines are set for 2.5mm stitches - try sewing at 2.0mm. Also, I’ve had professional quilters say that they prefer pressing seams open to eliminate the slight bump when quilting over seams. The more seams in the quilt blocks, the harder it can be to quilt well. There shouldn’t be seams that pull apart anywhere. Maybe the tension is slightly off or the stitches are too big for piecing. If you have block seams at end at the edge and you’re not adding borders, thise ending seams should be backstitched to keep them from separating. Way back in my dinosaur days of learning to quilt, we did everything by hand and we always did a back stitch at the end of sewing. With machines this isn’t being taught anymore. I hate backstitching but I try to use it when a seam isn’t being crossed by another piece.
Thanks for listening,
Sandy in Mooresville, NC
Thanks for listening,
Sandy in Mooresville, NC
Thanks. Karen
05-21-2020, 10:43 AM
#13
Super Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Northern KY
Posts: 1,938
I recently quilted a beautiful quilt in burgundy shades for a customer. She had pressed all her seams open which wasn't a problem since I wasn't doing any SID. But she pieced it with either an off white or a light gray thread. To my horror, the nature of the longarm putting pressure on the seams caused that light colored thread to show in several seam lines. Made a stunning quilt look not so stunning up close. So, if you press your seams open, it's best to match your thread color to your fabrics.
05-22-2020, 03:33 AM
#14
Power Poster
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: western NY formerly MN, FL, NC, SC
Posts: 51,430
I recently quilted a beautiful quilt in burgundy shades for a customer. She had pressed all her seams open which wasn't a problem since I wasn't doing any SID. But she pieced it with either an off white or a light gray thread. To my horror, the nature of the longarm putting pressure on the seams caused that light colored thread to show in several seam lines. Made a stunning quilt look not so stunning up close. So, if you press your seams open, it's best to match your thread color to your fabrics.
08-29-2020, 10:39 AM
#15
Super Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: California
Posts: 1,732
I make a decision as to which side to press to based on what I'm going to use it. If I want it flatter like for a table topping, I press open. If it's a quilt for the couch that would get a lot of wear, I press to the side.
08-29-2020, 01:20 PM
#16
Administrator
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Southeast Georgia, USA
Posts: 9,132
if i plan to use my embroidery machine for all or most of the quilting i try to press all seam open.
i've had the embroidery foot get caught on a bulky seam. di-zas-ter, to say the least.
if i plan to limit things to simple quilting under my walking foot i feel safe pressing to the side in most cases.
if my blocks have complex intersections of more than 4 seams i press open to reduce bulk and increase accuracy.
it took longer than it should have to sink in, but i have learned that stitch size and thread color matter a lot when i plan to press open.
i've had the embroidery foot get caught on a bulky seam. di-zas-ter, to say the least.
if i plan to limit things to simple quilting under my walking foot i feel safe pressing to the side in most cases.
if my blocks have complex intersections of more than 4 seams i press open to reduce bulk and increase accuracy.
it took longer than it should have to sink in, but i have learned that stitch size and thread color matter a lot when i plan to press open.
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08-29-2020, 04:52 PM
#17
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Mooresville, NC
Posts: 660
I remember the days when we were told to never, ever press quilt seams open. Now we have a choice. And you had a good reminder about open seams with machine embroidery. When I pressed seams open many years ago, I kept looking for the quilt police!!!
Sandy in Mooresville, NC
Sandy in Mooresville, NC
