The company is off to the beach so I decided to take a little blog time. Some of us quilters have been having a discussion about the issue of pressing seams. Some feel that the "quilt police" enforce the press to one side rule. Others say that the press to one side rule comes from old times when most quilts were hand made and pressing to one side made the seam stronger. Yet, recently I have been finding many places that say that the rule isn't necessary because machine stitching already makes a stronger seam. They suggest that pressing the seams open makes the seams less bulky for joining and for quilting. Several websites have mentioned this. Hmmmm, what is right?
I am really into traditional quilting and have many quilting books that were my grandmothers' - grandmothers on both sides were quilters. I was just looking through a book that belonged to Grandmother McCune published in 1934. I am attaching an image of the page. See what it says!
The title of the book is : Quilting - Leisure League Little Book Number 8 by Elizabeth King (New York: Leisure League) 1934.
4 comments:
Well.. I was always taught to press the seams open. So when I grew older and actually started reading quilt magazines, and they said to press seams to one side I thought.."that can't be the right way to do it!". It never made sense to me. So. I press mine open.
Hmm. I press mine to one side. Its hard to change a habit. I'm not sure I could press open. I used to press open when making clothes but I havent' done that for years! I know that now machine quilting makes the seams stronger. I guess its up to the quilter.
My sewing days began when making clothes for myself and my daughters I always pressed garment seams open. It was hard for me to remember to press seams to one side when I was learning to quilt. Now I can go back to open seams and nobody can tell me I'm wrong. Hooray!!!
Thanks for that little snippett... I too, began as a dress maker rather than a Quilter and always pressed my seams open... Next quilt roject, I'm going to give it a go. Just don't tell the Quilt Police on me!! Lx
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