Just a very very quick tip. I was doing some seam samples for college today and I remembered this little nugget of sewing wisdom. As a beginner I would read the instructions “press seam allowances open” or “press seam allowances to one side” and do just that. What they usually fail to tell you is to press the stitching line first….
Then press seams open (or to one side, whichever) ….
The first press, I was informed,”sets” the stitching smoothly, uniformly and flat. This creates a cleaner and sharper seam when you press the seam allowances open. It’s all these “little” details, that you only pick up over time, that make a difference to your finish. Who knew?? Back then, I sure as heck didn’t!