Changing to a 14 quilting needle did it. I was sewing on double-fold binding, so there were a LOT of layers to deal with.
This group is such a blessing.
One point, though. Why *do* we not press open seams? As was commented upon, clothes-makers do it all the time, and, say, a shoulder seam in a child's garment takes a lot more stress than does a piecing seam.
Curious,
Martha
If you don't have a batt that is well made...the batting will migrate between the stitches when pressed open. If you make sure you have a short stitch length and a well made batt (probably with scrim), you can press open seams. I still probably wouldn't press open seams on a quilt I know will get regular washings. KJ
I often do, Martha. In fact I have done quite a few this very day! . In message , Martha writes
As I said - I press most of mine open and have done for many years. No disasters yet, and the finished tops are much easier to quilt either by hand or machine. I no longer do my own quilting, but I still prefer the "flatter" look that can be achieved by not having those bumps where seam allowances cross/meet.
When I teach new comers to quilting I have them make a couple of small quilt/placemats using four patch blocks in a simple Irish chain pattern using quite heavy homespun - one with seams pressed to one side and one with seam pressed open. They learn that to one side makes the seams "nest" nicely but produces a "hump" of seam allowances, and that pressed open requires more time and patience and a differnet technique to match seams. Then I tell them to use the one they prefer, or switch between the two according to the style of quilt they are making. I generally recommend using one method throughout each quilt just for appearance, with the sole exception that I normally press all my seams open except those on my long plain borders borders. But it's not a hard-and-fast law. I would have no problem with switching from one method to another if construction called for it.
I am making a scrap quilt ATM and most of the seams are pressed open. But I used all charm squares and just a few are a tiny bit small so I double stitched the smaller seam allowance and pressed to one side. If you look real close at the blocks you can see the difference but once it's quilted it won't be noticed. But I still prefer the flatter look and feel of open-pressed seams.
Glad the size 14 needle did the trick - I remember reading years ago that open seams were not a good idea if the quilting plan was for stitch in the ditch - the idea being that there might be a tendency to snap the seam stitches with the quilting. It is a personal choice and certainly there are some aspects of quiltmaking where it is helpful to eliminate excess bulk at the seams. In dressmaking, there isn't usually any stitching in the ditch unless it is fagotting......jennellh (change the mail to news)
And thank you, Martha, for reporting back. It does distress us when we've tried to help with a problem and never hear from the troubled quilter again. We don't know if there was a solution - or if the aggravated quilter is out banging her head on the driveway or sitting in fetal position in the back corner of the hall closet. Polly
The tradition comes from hand quilting, where you try to avoid having to stitch through extra layers. Anything with ditch outlining would benefit if the extra layers were all on the other side. But for machine quilting, no reason, as long as your stitch length is small enough not to gap and your batting is bonded. Personally, I like pressing to one side, goes more quickly for me. And I get better accuracy with *most* construction when I can butt the seams. YMMD Roberta in D
"Martha" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news: snipped-for-privacy@news.sover.net...
My cat hates when I do that; it's his favorite secret napping place.
Val
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