Seaming Using Mattress Stitch

Mattress Stitch is perfect for joining sweater pieces. It creates a neat, firm seam that adds support to a garment with a professional look.

Always seam with right sides facing. The tutorial shows a contrast color yarn to show the technique clearly, but I suggest using your working yarn. Before you begin, thread your tapestry needle with enough yarn to complete your seam plus about an extra 12 in/30 cm.

To make seaming easier and neater, wet block pieces before seaming. As you begin, be sure your edges is completely unrolled so that you're working exactly one stitch in from either edge.

Seaming Vertical Edges

Insert tapestry needle one stitch in from the edge of one piece of fabric and draw through. 

Insert tapestry needle one stich in from the edge of other piece and draw through, but don’t pull too tightly. 

Your two pieces of fabric are now joined. 

Insert tapestry needle into rst piece at the same place where the yarn is coming out of and behind two bars (rows). Gently draw yarn through. 

Repeat last step for second piece. 

Work exactly one stitch in from the edge to get perfectly vertical rows on either side. 

Even when working with a contrasting color, the seam is nearly invisible when finished. 

 

Horizontal Edges

Insert tapestry needle into two bars directly next to the rst bound-off stitch. Draw yarn through. 

Repeat for the second piece. 

Continue as established, inserting behind the next two bars every time and staying directly next to the bound-off stitches. 

The finished seam.

 

Patterns That Use This Technique