When I was reading Moby Dick for a university course, our professor found that whales were being mentioned everywhere he looked. Have you ever noticed that? You’re reading something or doing something and suddenly everywhere you look, you’re seeing related stories and information? I’ve started taking a quilting class, as I’ve mentioned and Sew Mama, Sew has started their “quilting month”. Pressing, I’ve come to learn, is a major part of quilting. I’ve only been sewing a little over a year but I’ve come to learn that pressing a seam open when making bags and clothes makes your work look more polished, more professional, things lie flatter and overall just look better.
Now as I take this class I was told to press the seams to one side. I wondered why but didn’t question it at all. Then I came across a quilting blog somewhere, I don’t even know where now, where the person was pressing their seams open. Well, I thought, if I don’t have to press them to the side, then I’m not going to. My next quilt will have the seams pressed open, I told myself. Of course, being me, I couldn’t wait for the next quilt and so, the next patch that I sewed together, I pressed the seams open. What I found was that my points lined up better, the patch lay flatter and overall, I just found it looked much better.
Naturally, as things have a way of doing, I came across this article by Mary Benson about pressing seams open. Funny how that goes.
Here’s the quilt in progress. The final photo is the patch where I pressed the seams open.
