Cutting Tips

Along with careful sewing, I have to give more attention to pressing techniques, thanks. It is easy to see that the fold can eat away at size, especially if there are many pieces in the block. Thanks for your advice. felwyn

Try it and see what you think! Remember, if you are working with scraps, the seams will not be terribly noticeable anyway. Use a neutral colour. Experiment with thread thickness and needle size until you get a result you like. I really like the balanced look it gives everything - and I am quite a recent convert. . In message , felwyn writes

Yes, that is the occasion when I would press to the side, too. But, if you are only using SITD to stabilise your blocks, prior to overall quilting, they should be OK. No good asking Kathy A. about this (she is the great devotee of pressing open), because she does fabulous quilting all over! and doesn't need to worry. . In message , Julia in MN writes

So sorry Felwyn, I honestly can't say anything about bearding through seams - I seem to get bearding everywhere, even through tightly woven fabric. I'll be eagerly watching the thread to find any answers! . In message , felwyn writes

I'm a hand quilter as well. And I only use cotton batting (Warm 'N White/Natural). Only a couple of times previously have I pressed open and that was only on a couple of seams in a lonestar wallhanging. That said, I use the lonestar actually as a Christmas table cover for my living room coffee table. It gets quite a workout for the period that it's out with parties and such and has survived numerous washings with no bearding at all that I've noticed. I quilted the entire star SID and then did amish-style doves in a heart in the corners. The few seams that were open were definitely easier to quilt than the others. I've also become a fan of quilting 1/4 in. out from the ditch. If you're doing that much work you should be able to see it! I usually quilt fairly heavily particularly for hand quilting and no one has had issues yet.

Here's a secret -- I'm not good enough to *always* hit that tiny fraction of an inch where the seam comes together without catching *any* of the fabric on either side, especially if I'm using regular quilting thread. (As opposed to a thin silk thread, which I might use if I really need the SID quilting to be absolutely invisible). And I bet 99.9% of you all aren't good enough, either. In which case, it's not an issue.

Besides, perfect SID quilting is HARD! If I'm going to do that much work, I'd like it to show. :)

I use all cotton or all wool and never had an issue, even after years of washing. Of course, the tension on my piecing machine is adjusted properly and the quilts have enough quilting on them. :)

On some pieces I like to use a serpentine stitch on my machine and go back and forth over the seam where I would have done a SID. That way I don't have to stay on a specific line. Quite easy. Good for kids quilts.

Smile!

I so agree that SITD is hard. I have always told any students that! And I mention it in any article that I can logically get it into! . In message , Kathy Applebaum writes

Greetings! For some reason, I've been under the impression that SITD is done just to the SIDE of the seam, not on the seam itself. This would be about 1/16th inch from the seam line. So, it would not matter if the seam allowances is pressed open or to the side. Am I the only one who thinks this? I could almost swear that I've read this in books, but am too lazy to check my book shelf!

Pat, curious in Virginia

IME a lot depends on whether the batting is bonded and the quality of the scrim. I have never had any bearding with cotton batting, even unbonded. But a very long time ago, before cotton was readily available, I used a local (in Denmark at the time)cheap bonded poly batt and the quilt turned into a werewolf the 1st time it was washed.

As for press>I use all cotton batts, but do you think a batt might 'beard' more easily

When the seam is pressed to the side, I have done my SITD on the low side, right up against the 'bump'. When I do a stabilising only stitch on pressed open seams, I go along the stitches themselves. Reason? I've never heard what should be done >gg< Pat, curious too, in Shropshire! . In message , Pat in Virginia writes