Seam Your Crochet with Mattress Stitch + 6 Tips for a Better Seam
You’ve finished crocheting your sweater. The stitch pattern is gorgeous, the color is beautiful, and it lays in glorious pieces around you. Now what? Many sweater patterns don’t give much detail about the finishing. You may have seen instructions like “sew shoulder seams” or “sew side seams.” After the detail of the rest of the pattern, the finishing can seem a bit vague. But fear not; I’m going to show you how to use mattress stitch to achieve a professional finish in your crochet projects.
Grille Pullover by Amy Gunderson
Alhambra Pullover by Blazenka Simic-Boro
Day Hiker Sweater by Blazenka Simic-Boro
Apple Blossom Pullover by Natasha Robarge
Why Choose Mattress Stitch for Your Crochet Projects
Here are a few reasons why you might choose to use mattress stitch to finish your crochet project.
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It’s easy. I’ll walk you through the steps in detail shortly, but basically you pick up a stitch on first one side of your crochet seam and then the other side, repeating that step along the entire seam. It’s even simpler than a crochet chain.
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It’s invisible. Once pulled taunt, mattress stitch is virtually invisible. You’ll see that even when using a contrasting yarn color, it’s near impossible to spot the stitches. If you use your working yarn, even you won’t be able to see the seam.
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It’s flat. We’ve worn a sweater with bulky, stiff seams. Mattress stitch creates a seam that lays flat and won’t mess up the fabrics drape.
Working a Mattress-Stitch Seam in Crochet
A mattress-stitch seam can be used to join the edges of almost any crochet fabric. You can use it at the side seams, shoulder seam, and armhole of crochet sweaters and even on other accessories like cowls, hats, bags and more.
Click the arrows to left and right below to see the step-by-step photos.
Follow these steps to become an expert at seaming your crochet with mattress stitch.
Thread your tapestry needle with the same yarn you used to work your piece. If you crocheted with an especially bulky yarn, you can split the strands (as long as you are left with at least two) or use a lighter-weight yarn in the same color. I am starting my first stitch on the right-hand
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Lay the two pieces to be seamed together. I find it helpful to lay larger pieces like sweaters on a table or other flat surface. The pieces should be side-by-side with the right side facing you (i.e. the side of the fabric that will be visible when you wear it).
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Use your threaded tapestry needle to join the corners of the two pieces by inserting the tapestry needle from wrong side (WS) to right side (RS) on one side and then from WS to RS in the corresponding stitch on the other side.
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Insert your tapestry needle from WS to RS, pick up a stitch or loop on the opposite side from your last stitch but a little farther up from the previous stitch on that side.
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Again inserting your tapestry needle from WS to RS, pick up a stitch or loop on the opposite side from your last stitch but directly across from the previous stitch.
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Repeat Steps 3–4 to seam end.
As you progress up the seam, pull the mattress stitches tight to bring the sides together. You should see your seaming yarn disappear. It’s like a magic trick! Work your last stitches at the top edge of the seam and weave in the loose ends at the top and bottom of the seam. You’ve done it! Another tool to add to your crochet toolbox, and you have hopefully allayed some of your finishing fears.
6 Tips for a Professional Finished Seam
If you have followed to the letter the instructions above, but you still aren’t happy with how your finished seam looks, you might just need a bit of practice. However, there are a few things to keep in mind to make sure your finished crochet project looks its best. Check out these tips:
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Don’t pull your mattress seam stitches too tight. It can be easy to pull the yarn too yard as you sew, but pulling the seam too tightly will cause the fabric to bunch or gather.
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Use locking stitch markers or pins to match up your seams. This will help prevent you from ending up with extra fabric on just one side at the end of a seam and keep you from pulling and twisting the seamed fabric.
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Going right with the tip above, make sure you are picking up stitches from the same place in a crochet stitch or row from each side of your seam. If you pick up a stitch from Row 12 on one side and Row 14 on the other, or even from the top of a tall stitch on one side and the bottom of the corresponding stitch on the other, you will also find that your seam twists.
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For a more professional look at your seam, take care not to split the yarn with your tapestry needle when you are picking up stitches.
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If your seam doesn’t disappear or you have a thick seam, you may be picking up loops too far into the crochet fabric. Make sure your stitches are picked up right along the edge.
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Gaps in your seam or a seam that wants to gather could be caused by stitches that are too far apart.
Don’t dread those last finishing steps or avoid crocheting that sweater you want to wear because you know it will never make it through the seaming process. Using mattress stitch to seam your crochet is easy, quick, and gives you a professional finish. So, which crochet sweater do you want to seam first?
Related: How to Seam Crochet with Whip Stitch
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