Weekly Tip: Seams So Easy

On my website, I post a weekly tip, which I post here so they can be archived, as I take them down from the site at the end of the month. 

This week's tip is really six tips about dealing with seams that will make the back of your quilt look better, and by doing so, make your piecing, assembly, and quilting easier.  

First, a repurposing tip. Repurposing  is when I take something meant for an entirely different use and put it to work in my quilting studio.  I keep a wallpaper seam roller at my quilting table and in my class kit.  It's great for pressing seams quickly.  

If you finger press first or use a wallpaper seam roller, you will have an idea of whether the seam needs to be pressed differently, before you've pressed it with the iron.

When it's preferable not to press to the darker seam, press to the lighter seam, and then trim the darker seam.

When pressing seams in your quilt block always press the seam flat first, the way it was sewn.  This is called "locking the seam".  It sinks the thread into the fabric and reduces the bulk of the seam.  Your seams, when pressed to one side, will lie flatter.

Often, I prefer to press multiple seams open instead of to one side to reduce the bulk.