I love El Burns patterns because she tells you which way to press seams. So many patterns dont.
If I am not sure which way I will press open. If you can sit on pants that have a seam that is pressed open you can press a quilt seam open. Quilting From The Heartland always presses open.
There are some blocks that no matter how careful you are some seams end up in the same direction and that is so frustrating. So open seams are a solution for a complicated block.
I like to press to the side for nesting seams in oposite directions, this makes for the best matching of points.
I also agree with madquilter for stitch in the ditch.