How I press seam allowances open

Step 1

Join:

I join 2 patches together to form a segment

Press wrong side facing up:

For each segment, with wrong side facing up, I press the seam allowances open (Diagram 1)

Press right side facing up:

Then I turn the segments right side up and press again along the join (Diagram 2), ensuring that there is no overhang along the join (Diagram 3)

When I press right side up, I make sure that I press the seam allowances in the same direction that I pressed with wrong side up

If there is an overhang along the join, a pleat will be formed, making 1 patch the incorrect size

In the example shown in Diagram 3, the dark patch is larger than the light patch

Step 2

Join:

I join 2 segments together to form a block

Press wrong side facing up:

In the example shown in Diagram 4, I pressed the last sewn seam allowance open

I was careful not to disturb the seam allowances of each segment pressed under Step 1

Press right side facing up:

Then I turn the block right side up and press again along the join (Diagram 5), ensuring that there is no overhang along the join (Diagram 6)

When I press right side up, I make sure that I press the join in the same direction that I pressed with wrong side up

If there is overhang along the join, a pleat will be formed and the block size will be incorrect (Diagram 7)

Step 3

Join:

I join all of my blocks together to form my quilt top

Press wrong side facing up:

Diagram 9 illustrates how I press the seams open in this example

I am careful not to disturb the seam allowances pressed under Step 1 and Step 2

Press right side facing up:

Then I turn the quilt top right side up and press again along the joins (Diagram 10) ensuring that there is no overhang along the joins (Diagram 6 and Diagram 7 above)

Your work will be beautifully flat (Diagram 11)