Let's discuss pressing seams.... again!

Yes, but people freak about pressing seams open for other reasons. I do it anyway much of the time and my quilts are doing fine so far.

marcella renegade presser

renegade presser? Now there is a title Marcella.

Ok Leslie, I have pulled out a stack of older quilts. I found one I had forgotten I had and it is my fall favorite. I see some of what you are talking about with the line but not much. I am not real consistent in what thread I use and a couple of the quilts are from swap a blocks so I really have no clue about those. I think my quilts may get more sun than yours though and there is definitely fading on the older ones. Maybe if they fade you don't see the line so much? I think I am too set in my ways to change my pressing (although I doubt I fit renegade status) I wonder if the batting and amount of quilting make a difference? Study that quilt some more. I can tell you I probably don't wash mine as much as you do but do swap mine out once in awhile. The one I forgot I had was covered in cat hair. Yuck! I could wash a million times though and 5 minutes later Maki would 'hair' any bed quilt up. I wouldn't admit it to DH but Maki cat owns that bed! You don't over do that practicing the super gimp because you need to heal and get over it asap! Hugs, Taria

PS-Leslie did you hear I got a new pooch? 18 months old small goldeny girl that has been here 5 weeks and is a real big sweetheart. Georgia can't figure out if she is happy or bothered but they are getting along great!

Marcella Peek wrote:

I would guess that mark is from the extra wear on the side of the seam that sticks out a bit higher because the seam allowance is pressed that way. If that's the case, it would make sense that by pressing the seams open, you would have more even wear and any marks would be equal from side to side. Personally, if I decided that I'm going to press all my seams open, I would shorten my stitch length to avoid any batting from creeping out between the stitches. I'm glad you're feeling well enough to start raising some H***. That's a good sign! It's good to hear from you Leslie!

PLEASE take pity on Polly's Gators. I haven't had to feed them in a few weeks. They have got to be mighty hungry. And I'm skeert that they are going to be heading my way if someone doesn't step in and feed 'em soon. They can only digest so many Tourists before they get a lil greener than they already are.

Butterfly (glad to hear you're better and I know what you speak of)

The ONLY seams I don't press open are FPP. No problems so far with any of my quilts. All you need to do is remember the difference between "press" and "iron" lol

Good to hear from you Leslie!

I'm going to go sit on the Renegade Bench with Marcella. The quilt I'm piecing now needs 81 squares. That's about 60 more than I usually can persuade me to do. I've discovered that seams are easier (for me) to match if they are pressed open. And Furthermore!, I've discovered that they are easier to press open if I do Not press the seam flat or 'as stitched' to merge/meld/whatever the thread down into the seam before I've pressed it. Just to tempt the quilt police, I am pinning 'before' the seam or point to be matched and find that works very nicely. Now as to the gators' diet - they are l-o-n-g-i-n-g for a med or two. They really prefer incompetent doctors, and tourists all smell like coconuts and warm beer. So very glad to hear from you Leslie. Polly

I think the best argument for pressing seams to one side or another is for batting to stay in and not start bearding. But on the other hand, battings today are scrimmed and what not... but... I think it also helps with threads not peeking out as well... so I'm for pressing to one side or the other instead of open... but for heavens sake.... pick a side and stay with it.... I hate it when I'm trying to SID for someone else's quilt and that seam flips back in forth.... you simply can not SID if there is no ditch!! :-)

And while I'm on it.... heavier fabric... good fabric.... will slow down that crease see thru as well as quality batting... and for heavens sake... match that thread up... if you are using white fabric, that bright neon thread is going to show thru and might possibly bleed on to the white fabric.....

Yup... that's all I got.... ROTFL.... sorry you asked??!! No.. I honestly am not the quilt police.... just some things to ponder when you start that next quilt and are wondering what difference it really makes..... your quilt = your rules :-)

Jan RCTQ Coffee Diva... who is obviously happy that Leslie made a guest appearance.....

I think the 'rule' about not pressing seams open started back in the days of hand piecing. Most of us machine piece now. I can see no difference between pressing seams open on clothing (which is certainly worn and washed a lot) than on quilts.

I suspect it would, but I always took the pressing of seams to be something you did because it made piecing and potentially quilting easier rather than because it wore the best.

Anne

really? I can see that that would make sense on non perpendicular seams because then you can see exactly where the seam is, but on perpendicular seams, I don't match them, but ease them together by feel, if the max length of the seams perpendicular to the stitch line is butted together, I mostly get a really good meeting point.

Anne

lets be fair, the way you make say, a standard 9-patch, whether by strip piecing or not, in one direction you have the seams flipping and the other they shouldn't, unfortunately at some points in some blocks alternating seams is a necesary evil, you'll the the same when you join rows together too.

Anne

I can see two, one is the batting, but as others have pointed out, it's better quality these days, less likely to beard. The other is quilting, SITD, doesn't really work very well on open seams.

Anne

Lovely to see you perking up, Leslie. Great! Keep going, but gently!

Now, seams: on more and more occasions I find a pressed open seam works best. As you know, most of what I do doesn't come in for any wear at all >ggg< . In message , Leslie & The Furbabies in MO. writes

I suppose my stuff is a bit unusual in that it is rarely a bed quilt (if ever). I never look upon quilting as strengthening! I take your point, though. The SITD is through the batting and backing, so it does stabilise, which is what I mostly use it for. 'Horses for courses' perhaps? (just popped into my head as apt?) . In message , Julia in MN writes

How heavily is it quilted? More quilting seems to make seams sink into the batting better. But yes, when you have extra thickness anywhere, that part is likely to wear faster. IMO it helps give older quilts a nice patina. Nothing lasts forever. Roberta in D, plenty of patina

"Leslie & The Furbabies in MO." schrieb im Newsbeitrag news: snipped-for-privacy@y80g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...

Hi All, Rencently I was talking to a rep. from Superior threads...and they said the way threads are made these days..long staple cottons and such...that they were very strong and pressing seams open was totally okay if not preferred. one of the main reasons for pressing seams to one side was to add strength to the project..and that is just not needed like it once was. Take care all, andrea

Leslie, it's so good to see a post from you, and glad that you're almost feeling well enough to go out and thump some people on the head! You go girl!!

Patti in Seattle

I've been a press-open gal for many years, and I don't have a problem with batting or threads peeking out. Of course, I make sure my tension is well adjusted, I don't torture the quilt by stretching it, and I trim my thread tails as I go.

Sloppily made quilts will have problems no matter how the seams are pressed. (Or, more commonly, hardly pressed at all.) Well made quilts will be well made no matter how the seams are pressed.

What really cracks me up are the customers who press all the seams to one side on the top, but press open on the back. Whenever I ask them, they say they press to one side on the top so the batting won't escape -- then why would they press open on the back? Makes no sense to me. :)