The top photo is the setup I had while sewing this quilt. I have my sewing machine set up on my Hoosier cabinet, which provides a decent height for sewing projects. As you can see, I'm not very organized, but there's a system amongst the chaos.

I decided on a variation of the Log Cabin Block. It was a fun quilt to work on, but it required lots of ironing between sewing. I came up with a setup that allowed me to never have to get out of my seat. Part laziness, part time management. I even kept some cereal nearby as a snack, and setup up my laptop near the cabinet to play movies as background noise/entertainment.

The key to ironing is actually pressing. Instead of moving the iron around constantly, you press for a few seconds, move a little and press some more. This allows the heat to actually set in. I also keep a spray bottle on hand, spraying the seam at the end and than pressing, which creates a very crisp, non-wrinkled seam.

I decided on open seams for this quilt, since I didn't have to butt up any seams, and also thinking that it would reduce bulk. Lots of pressing is involved. Press the threads on the sewn seam, press the fabric open and than flip the piece over and press the seam open. This is where I spray the seam with water, to create an open seam that will lay flat. It will end up looking like the last photo.