Most quiltmakers are taught to press to the dark or in such a way as to enable nesting of seams. Generally this works pretty well for most projects.
Ruth McDowell talks a lot about the direction of the pressed seams. She uses the added bulk of the seam allowance to highlight sections of her quilts.
This technique came to mind when I was making a Drunkard’s Path block for the Sampler Class. I used to use the Drunkard’s Path as the block to learn curved piecing. It is a hard block, though and I want my students to be successful, so I chose the Dove this time. It went together so easily that I was glad I had chosen it.
Still, I may offer the Drunkard’s Path as an additional block in the Sampler Class, so I decided to make one in the colors of the Aqua-Red Sampler. This is where the pressing came to mind. I tried to press to the outside piece (the concave piece), so that I could next the seams, but the curved pie shape really wants to stand out, so I ended up pressing to the inside curve. We will see if it makes a difference in the way this piece stands out in the end.
I like Ruth McDowell too. I don’t remember where I read it, but I have been doing that for a couple years now. Whether dark, light or medium, I tend to press to the part I want to be the foreground.
I love the way you say that “I tend to press to the part I want to be the foreground”. Nice!