So you cut some squares to make a 9 patch. You sew them together. You press the seams toward the dark side. Now you go to assemble the 9 patch and have seam allowances (1/4"). Hopefully you are able to make all the dark squares on the same "side" so that all seams are pressed the same way. If not, the you have seams going various directions. Now..you sew 3 squares together, to make 3 rows of which you then sew together to make the 9 patch. And you press seams

You turn the 9 patch over to press on the right side...and you get what I call hills and valleys..meaning..the square is the valley because the "hills" are the seam allowances..whether they are going toward the square or away from it...there is that 1/4" of 2 layers of fabric that make the "hilll" on all four sides of the square...making the square start falling into a valley. You press and you can press the allowance area on each side of the seam nice and flat...but you can't press that center part of the square. Therefore you have this square that sags and looks puffy, simply cause of the 1/4" seam allowance layers.

This is part of my problem...I make nice 9 patches..but then I press them and the patch can't be pressed out flat. The center of the square can't be pressed at all because it falls lower than the seams around it. I try to use the tip of my iron to press best it can be done, but still...it looks bad because of the "hills and valleys"

So......what do you do? What... do... you.... do? I want a flat 9 patch..not a puckered looking one!