a pressing matter

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One of the tricks to a well-pieced quilt is to press your pieces three times: 1.) press your sewed pieces to help set the seam, 2.) press your seam to one side, then 3.) open pieces and press open seam.  Also, pressing is not the same as ironing.  Pressing means to place your hot iron on the fabric and then lift up.  Ironing involves placing your hot iron and moving it around, smoothing out the fabric as you go.  I used to always iron my pieces, which would inevitably stretch out the fabric and lead to uneven points.  Using steam just exacerbates the problem!  Even 1/8th of a difference can make a big difference...  So if your pattern involves a lot of matching up points, remember to use a dry iron (no steam) and press, don't iron.  *B