You’ve rotary cut with precision, you’ve stitched perfect ¼" seams. So when you go to sew your units together, why aren’t things matching up? If you’ve cut and sewn to the best of your ability, the culprit corrupting your quilt blocks just might be…a tumultuous relationship between you and your iron.

There’s always been debate about how to iron quilt seams best. What’s your approach? Are you prone to using a push-and-pull, seesaw motion when ironing quilt seams? Or do you lift and lower? The movements you make when you’re pressing quilt seams can make a masterpiece of—or a mess of—a precisely pieced quilt.

Think of it this way: you iron your clothes; you press your quilt blocks. What’s the difference? Below you’ll find smart pressing tips from a popular book that’s newly available in eBook form: The Quilter’s Quick Reference Guide. Learn foolproof methods for how to press quilt seams, how to quickly finger-press seams, and best of all, how to plan for pressing quilt seams in advance, so they behave from first block to final row.

How to Press Quilt Seams
Excerpted from The Quilter’s Quick Reference Guide by Candace Eisner Strick

Never underestimate the value of good pressing in your quiltmaking. If you cut and sew accurately but don’t take time to press correctly, your patchwork can end up just as off-kilter as it would if you had gone awry in the cutting or stitching.

First of all, pressing quilt seams is not ironing. Pressing entails gently lowering and lifting the iron. Ironing is a more aggressive back-and-forth motion of the iron along the fabric that can pull and distort shapes. Pressing, on the other hand, lets you turn seam allowances to one side without distorting your patchwork or appliqué shapes.

For years, quilters have bandied about certain rules of pressing. It often makes sense to apply these rules, such as “press toward the darker fabric.” But there are times when a particular rule is just not the best option for the project you’re sewing. Instead, here are some guidelines to help you press for success—in any situation.

• Press each seam before you sew that unit to another piece. This will help you avoid mismatched seams or stitched-in pleats.

• Always set the seam by pressing the joined pieces with right sides together, just as you sewed them. Your finished patchwork will appear much smoother and neater if you do.
  

Press, lift, move, and lower the iron along the seam.

• After setting the seam, open the piece on top and press gently along the seam line. This will ensure that your seam allowance is pressed to one side. Press toward the darker color—if it makes sense. To do so, start with the darker fabric on top, open up the dark patch or strip, and press.
  
  Flip top fabric over and press.

• Sometimes pressing toward the dark fabric isn’t feasible because you’ll be creating too much bulk once the seam is joined with another one that has the seam allowance pressed in the same direction. If you need to press toward the light fabric, check the finished work from the right side. If you can see the darker fabric showing through the lighter one, trim the darker seam allowance to slightly less than ¼" to make it less noticeable.

• Some seams tend to gravitate toward a certain side. Listen to what they are saying.

• Pressing a seam toward one side or the other can often make a big difference in the appearance of your patchwork. When sewing triangle squares together, for instance, open up the pieces and take a look at them from the right side. Notice that if you fold the seam allowance to one side, it looks as if you haven’t quite met the mark where the points are to join. Fold the seam allowance in the opposite direction, and the points may match perfectly. Once you determine the best direction, press the seam accordingly.

• Some quilters love using steam; others would never dream of using it. If your iron has a steam button, you can use a shot of intentionally placed steam to coax a stubborn seam into submission, but let the pieces cool on the ironing board. If you pick them up and move them while damp, you might stretch them out of shape.

• If you press a seam and then decide that you want it to go in the opposite direction, “unpress” it by pressing it in the closed position to reset the seam. Then press it in the desired direction.

QUICK TIP: Spray Sizing to the Rescue

I love to use Magic Sizing when I press. It adds a certain element of crispness to the pieces, and I think it helps make things nice and square. (I also like the smell!) Just take care when using spray sizing. It dampens your fabric, so press carefully; you don’t want to stretch the pieces out of shape. Another popular spray-sizing product is Mary Ellen’s Best Press, which several Martingale staffers use. –Ed.

Finger Pressing

In a pinch, you can substitute finger-pressing for pressing with an iron. If you don’t feel like constantly hopping up to get to the iron while creating a block, place the piece on a hard surface, right side up. Using the underside of your thumbnail, firmly draw it along the seam but hold the fabric steady with your other hand so that you don’t stretch the fabric. If you do a lot of finger-pressing, you can purchase a handy little tool for this purpose at most quilt shops.

Planning for Pressing

Having a pressing plan before you begin sewing will be helpful in making sure your seams butt neatly at intersections, thus allowing the finished quilt top to lie flat and smooth. The goal is to have the bulk of seams spread out; one should lie to the right and the other to the left. Let’s take a look at a Nine Patch block as an example.

One option is to press all the seams in the first row to the left, all the seams in the second row to the right, and all the seams in the third row to the left. Notice that this does not follow the rule of pressing toward the dark, which we said isn’t always possible. However, in this situation, it is possible to press all seams toward the darker fabric, and it’s a good second option. In fact, this would be my choice for a Nine Patch block.

Left: pressing alternate rows in opposite directions. Right: pressing toward the dark fabric.

Admittedly, this is an easy example. Some quilts that have a variety of blocks are not always easy to figure out. Make a sketch of your finished quilt and try planning your pressing scheme in advance. Pick the most logical approach, remembering that sometimes you might have to press seam allowances toward the light fabric.

A NOTE ABOUT PRESSING SEAMS OPEN: Learning to sew my own clothes from an early age, I was always taught to press seams open. When I became a quilter I noticed that almost all books told you to press your seams to one side, which I dutifully did. But I am a free thinker, and if I wish to break a rule, I will do it. It just seems easier in most cases to press the seams to one side. However, in some quilt designs where many seams converge at a central point, pressing seams open will reduce bulk.

Thanks for sharing your pressing tips, Candace!

Find more of Candace’s helpful answers for all kinds of quilting questions in The Quilter’s Quick Reference Guide, which includes chapters on:

color and fabric • tools of the trade • rotary-cutting techniques • sewing pieces • hand appliqué • machine appliqué • quilt settings • borders • backing and batting • hand and machine quilting • binding and finishing touches • handy charts and math cheat sheets

Which of Candace’s pressing tips do you use—or do you have your own pressing tips? Share your advice in the comments!

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