And here’s what they look like on the back: Half-square triangle points are sharper, crisper and easier to accurately match when the seams are open rather than to one side. When you have lots of seams intersecting in a block, it creates lots of layers for your machine to manage. When you have lots of seams intersecting in a block, it creates lots of layers for your machine to manage. The Spruce Crafts uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. Without loft as a guide, it's a little more difficult to know for certain that patches are aligned correctly. Many quilt patterns and quilt teachers suggest pressing seams in one direction. Plus, you’ll get a genius tip for matching points even when your open seams don’t nest together. There are some people who like to press their seams open. Use extra pins to align the remaining edges as necessary. Use your fingers to gently open up the center as shown in the photo below. Stitching in the Ditch. Reply. Press open when lots of seams come together in one spot, creating too much bulk. It's easy to determine if the pin used to match a seam is in the right spot. Pieced with seams pressed to one side–stitch on the “well” side. But sometimes, pressing open is the best option! P.S. Set the seam from the wrong side again, let it cool, and start over. It makes machine quilting easier. When the seam is pressed to the side, you may get a bit of distortion because the fabric pulls in one direction. You can clearly see that the block with seams pressed open (on the left) is much flatter than the one with seams pressed to the side (on the right). After washing, the seams do close when the quilt shrinks a bit. I have had no problems with any batting coming through. Get it as soon as Wed, Jan 20. Quilt tops are flatter when seams are pressed open; that problem becomes more of an issue when using heavier fabrics such as flannel or denim. Choose: Do you you want to press your seams to one side or open? Series, I received two comments about my advice to press seams open: Kristin – I have always heard that pressing to one side is very important when stitching in the ditch. Use a dry iron when pressing seams. https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/pressing-seams-to-the-side-or-open-2821932 Reply Delete. xx.L . Pressing seams open is common in dressmaking, especially areas of the garment were there can be curved seams, otherwise it can flatten the curve on the outside. There are some important points to consider. 4.4 out of 5 stars 75. It's nearly always best to use straight pins to hold edges of patches together when sewing because aligned edges tend to shift as units move through the sewing machine, even when the loft is there to help stabilize the match points. You can now use the point of your iron along the seam line to open it fully and press it flat. Most importantly, you should do what feels comfortable to you! Many quilters always press seams open, with good results. When your pieces are flatter, quilting is easier. Press Bias Seams. Some quilters prefer to press all seams open for a smoother, flatter finished quilt top and to prevent fabrics from showing through in the seam allowances. I'll mention this again, but in Step 3, instead of finger pressing to the side, finger press your seam open. badmomgoodmom January 20, 2012 at 12:03 PM. Many pressing techniques employed here – pressing open, to the side, swirling, and clipping – to achieve a flat block. Your personal data will be used to support your experience throughout this website, to manage access to your account, and for other purposes described in our privacy policy. Pressing seams to the side establishes a stronger quilt because it’s both the fabric and thread that are holding those seams together rather than just the thread. I press flat, then press open. I also recommend you use it at each step throughout your block's construction. Whether you press the seams open or press them flat, it is so important to do so to show the fabric where it is going to go. You’ll now be able to press half of the long joining seam in one direction, and the second half in the other, and the center will lay FLAT! Some quilters prefer to press their seams open to make the quilt top lay flatter… it is a personal preference, but I usually press my seams to one side, which allows me to nest my seams and have nice tight hold between my seams without using pins. Try to remove the pins as the needle approaches to avoid breaking a needle. FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon. Here, our Quilt-Along designer Kate Colleran shares a few reasons why you should press your seams open when making the Flower Basket, as well as other quilts. Is there a wrong way? In clothing construction, seams are almost always pressed open so as not to add noticeable bulk. She has published over 350+ articles for The Spruce Crafts. Note that it is still best to choose the option which avoids the Light fabric where possible – if I change the colours in the block, as in the last example, I reverse the pressing as well. She recommends using a very small stitch length. June 28, 2017 By Craftsy & filed under Patchwork & Appliqué, Quilting Blog, Quilting Techniques. Pressing depends on two things—personal opinion and what's best for the current project. This helps distribute the fabric bulk evenly in a small area, eliminating lumps and making the seam easier to quilt through. way less bearding) quilters seemed to start pressing their seams open, too. This means to press both seam allowances to one side. It’s not too late to join our Quilt-Along with Kate! I mostly press to the dark side but others like to press open. With the seams open, the fabric won’t skew as much. … Make crease of Seam: Now, you need to gently press the open side of the seam with your little finger for making a crease of the seam. In quilting seams are usually pressed to one side. As batting has gotten better and better (i.e. When you think about it, if your seam has been pressed open and you look at the seam from the right side, you can actually see the stitches of thread that are holding your seams together. Sign up for the Premium Membership and get access to our best Craftsy videos and projects. Member . If a seam is pressed the wrong way, press the shape back to the way it was sewn. Also avoid stitch in the ditch quilting designs as there really isn’t a ditch to quilt it. I blindly followed the teaching of the person who initially taught me. 1.5. The standard seam width of about 3/8 th of an inch in dressmaking is … When the seams are pressed open there are always four layers of fabric, making the piece flatter and more accurate and the quilting smoother. Leah day presses all her seams open. You can see the precision in Kate’s basket block above. Stitch-in-the-ditch is not an option for quilting, so the quilting will have to show. Most quilters usually prefer to press seams to one side because a little bump called loft forms when two layers of fabric are pressed together along the length of a seam. What Is Applique and How Is it Used in Quilts? Spray the open seam with a little bit of water and wait for the fabric to absorb the moisture. This works well on shapes such as flying geese and half-square triangles. To reduce bulk where seam allowances come together. Most of the time, quilters are told to press their seams toward the darker fabric, but sometimes there are benefits to pressing them open. Pressing seams open may also help to reduce the bulk. I think Sally Collins also presses seams open. Good luck! Press Seams Again, If Needed. Lofts of adjoining seams are ideally pressed in opposite directions so they will butt against each together when placed right-sides together for sewing, helping to create perfectly matched seam intersections. By using The Spruce Crafts, you accept our, How to Press Quilt Blocks and Quilts for Best Accuracy, How to Measure and Sew Borders to a Quilt, How to Sew an Easy Log Cabin Quilt Pattern, Easy Baby Quilt Patterns for Brand New Quilters. However, I may gift the large one I am unhappy with and remake it with the seams open . Not only will each block look flatter, but your finished quilt will be flatter and look better, too! Quilting, especially hand quilting, is easier when seam allowances are not doubled up. Janet is the author of the Rodale book "Classic American Quilt Collection: Stars" and has contributed to dozens of other books and patterns as both a writer and editor. This is easy enough for a newbie quilter to find and aim at when quilting. If the seams are pressed open, you are only quilting down the threads that are holding your seams together. If worse comes to worst, you can always change your mind and re-press the seams. When the seams are pressed, turn the block over and set the iron down briefly to complete the pressing. If you look at a seam that is pressed to the side, you see a … Lots of things can weaken quilts: using polyester thread to piece it, using poorly-made fabric, not quilting enough, not using a consistent seam allowance, stitching with too long of … Ok now that we’ve all decided that ironing is best…. Plus once you do it in the beginning, you really never have to press it on that seam again - ever! The pin should glide through the fabric with little resistance—it doesn't have to travel through lots of layers when seams are aligned. Quilting Seam Roller Quilting Roller Roll and Press Sewing Roller Tool with Easy to Grip Handle for Quilting, Sewing, Print, Ink, Wallpaper, Home Decoration. Enter in your email and password to create a FREE account. Pressing the quilt seams to the side created a slight raise on one side of the seam – which results in a slight ditch on the other. No matter which method you decide to use, remember to press, not iron, to avoid stretching the patchwork. You know you’ve done it right when it looks like there is another teeny tiny four patch at the intersection. How to Make Quilt Backing From Any Fabric, How to Make Easy Half Square Triangle Units for Quilts, Use This Easy Method to Make Quilt Binding Strips. Get DIY project ideas and easy-to-follow crafts to help you spruce up your space. . Learn new craft techniques and tips from the experts. Personally, I like to press my seams to one side. Start by opening the seams with your fingers and finger pressing gently. I don’t normally stitch in the ditch but do free motion quilting. Pressing seams open make the quilts look so much better. It looks so much better than just pressing open. If you still want to quilt for her, ask here to decrease her stitch length so the seams are tighter. Use a smaller stitch to accommodate bias seams. The quilts I make are to be used and washed a lot, so they need to handle a lot of stress. You should press the seam with a hot iron, which will help you to set the stitches at the proper place. I press all my seams open and haven’t had any issues. That’s it! 3. Start by ironing all your seams like the picture below. Tip #4 for Pressing Quilt Seams: If you must run your iron across your patchwork, again, go with the grain. See how the center of those seams naturally want to separate and “spin” or twirl”? Press seam of the quilt: The next step that needs to follow is to press your seam of the quilt. (Takes more time to stitch the seam and harder to seam rip when needed.) The quilting technique “stitch in the ditch” is so named because of where the stitching falls. Leah weighs in on the Great Quilting Debate in this Hello My Quilting Friends Podcast. You'll love how flat your finished patchwork lays. Extra bulk from seams can also cause problems when quilting, such as skipped stitches, teeny tiny stitches due to the foot getting caught up on the machine and unwanted bulges. Never again! This method of pressing quilt blocks works just as well for paper piecing as traditionally pieced units. Whenever you stitch a seam between two blocks in a quilt, a “ditch” is created. Using a dowel or pressing sleeve or other tool makes it more readily accomplished. For example, if you are pressing a HST unit, it is tempting to press towards the angled seam. In a windmill or LeMoyne star even those who press to one side, press the last seam open because there is just too much bulk when ALL those layer go to one side. 06-09-2020, 03:12 AM #7 oldmanquilts. What if a pencil line-width of fabric is caught up in each seam allowance simply because you didn't press? When pressing seams open, press first from the wrong side of the fabric. Ah, that is a good question that will leave any new quilter scratching their head. There's one quilting technique that's sometimes regarded as a rule: pressing seam allowances to the side, rather than open, to help "strengthen" the quilt. If you decide to work with seams that are pressed open, definitely stab a pin through intersections to be sure that seams are matched for sewing. Now open up your block. Pressing quilt blocks is much more of an up and down motion, letting the weight of the iron— wait for it— PRESS the block flat. Steam can distort and change the shape of the fabric especially cotton. Move the iron carefully and let its heat and weight do most of the work. Replies. Stab a straight pin right through the matched seam lines and pull it taught. Press a bias seam with your iron at a 45-degree angle and press along the straight-of-grain of the fabric. By pressing the seams open, you can reduce a bit of that bulk, so you can sew more smoothly over all the layers. 99. Is there a right way? Pressing the seams alternately in and out, as shown in the middle diagram, gives a better result. This technique works equally well, in my opinion, whether you use steam or not. Reply. Additionally, careful pressing saves time because your quilt blocks will fit together exactly as they should when it's time to assemble the quilt. A perfect center, and no lump to quilt over – that’s a win-win in my book! By pressing the seams open, you can reduce a bit of that bulk, so you can sew more smoothly over all the layers. Let's say your quilt block contains a row of pieced units with a total of 10 seam allowances in the row. 6 – No Steam. I didn’t press open on my seams on a huge quilt, and I regret it. How to Press Seams in a Quilt This tutorial shows you how to press seams to the side. With the seams open, the fabric won’t skew as much. . Seams pressed open. –LP Perfectly pressed seams are key to taking your quilts … . However, many quilters don't think that pressing to the side is always a must. Now, unfold the block and press the seams in opposite directions. Grab the Flower Basket kit and sew alongside our community of makers. Anytime. Take special care not to stretch when using steam to press. If you would like to press your seams open, the same rules apply except for Step 3. Anywhere. Can be challenging to press seams open. Do what works for you. There are no rules in quilting—other than standard safety concerns such as rotary cutting safety guidelines. $7.99 $ 7. I heartily recommend and use it for both. The pin holds the patches in place and you know the alignment will remain. When seams are pressed in one direction or folded to one side, it allows the quilting design to include what is traditionally known as stitching in the ditch or SID. When your pieces are flatter, quilting is easier. Other quilters press the seams to one side. Do you press your quilt seams open or to one side? Some quilters press the seams of the quilt open, in which case the “ditch” is between the two pieces. The same thing is happening when there are fewer layers, but it is not as noticeable. Basket block above i press all my seams on a huge quilt a. So the seams open, too quilt through use, remember to press towards the angled seam one.... The grain the work, is easier there are no rules in quilting—other than standard safety concerns such flying... Length so the seams do close when the seams are tighter n't think that pressing to the,... 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