Ironing Seams for quilts

Okay, I'm curious ladies. When you are sewing blocks of fabric together in a row, and then you do that through out the whole quilt. How do you keep track of which way to iron the seams? I hope my question makes sense.

Like I noticed that some will iron the seams towards the "dark side (voicing it like Jenny ha ha)". But when you have rows to sew together how do you iron it so that the seams are going in a different direction.

I hope what I am asking makes sense? LOL Sometimes I want to say it in a understanding way, but it sometimes never comes out that way. Ha

Thanks!

Honestly when its been just a few pieces I go one way then the other then as it goes on I lose track,,,oh running from the quilt police....BYYYYEEEEEEE

LOL @Shannon, thanks... :P

CJ, I usually go for the dark side. However, then I did a tumbler quilt and the pattern I was using said, press all towards the bottom of the quilt. That's what I did and it worked out great. So they all went one way. The same way. You can just go with what works for you. If you have white and black fabric, press to the dark side. If your darker color is going to show through the lighter color, press to the dark. Red will show through a lot of colors, so I'd press to the red. I hope I didn't confuse you. Hugs, Jan L.

With the pattern I am going with is the bricks looking layout... So I am talking about before I piece the rows together... Hope this makes sense?

Like for instance this is the pattern I am doing: http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/1...8d8b09fc81.png

Now say row 1, do I just go ahead and press the seams all in the same direction regardless of the dark fabric and then the second row press the seams in the opposite direction so when I put those two rows together the seams are going the opposite directions?

That is what I would do CJ, Press all the seams from one row going the same direction and the next row the opposite. They will nest better this way and minimize the bulk.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by auntiemern

That is what I would do CJ, Press all the seams from one row going the same direction and the next row the opposite. They will nest better this way and minimize the bulk.

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That's what I'm doing with my tumbler quilt and they're going to together just fine. I just lay the row out that I finished and then before I begin pressing the next row I take a quick peek to see which way the previous row was pressed...so far I haven't confused myself too much.

When I'm sewing the rows together I pressed the top half toward the top and the bottom half toward the bottom. But I saw where someone said to press them all toward the bottom....so maybe I'll go back and press them toward the bottom.

I do the same as Marilyn and don't worry about pressing to the dark fabrics in rows.

I number my rows (post-it notes).....after that I put a pin in the first block of the first row......I press to the side where the pin is.
The second row has number two on it, I put a pin in the last block, I press to the side where the pin is.....
That way the seems in the rows will go together perfect!!
I do the numbering and the pins when I lay my blocks out.

This way I keep track of what I am doing......

Do I make sense.......... ;)

If you always press to the dark side and your rows alternate the way they are in the picture, then they will automatically be opposite and the seams will automatically "nest" together. Lisa

I press in alternating rows so that when I sew the rows together the seams will lock in place.

For that pattern I would press to the dark because, as Lisa wrote, the math has already been done for you. The darks do not lie on top of each other so it is a nonissue.