Glossary / Mattress stitch
mattress stMattress stitch
An almost invisible vertical seam worked from the right side.
Also written: mattress
How to work it
Lay both pieces side by side with the right sides facing you. Find the horizontal bar between the first and second stitch columns at the edge of each piece. With a yarn needle, pick up one or two bars from one side, then the matching bars from the other, alternating and drawing the yarn snug every few rungs. The seam pulls the two edges together and disappears, taking up exactly one stitch from each side.
Common confusions
Why is my mattress seam puckered or gaping?
Pulling too hard puckers it, and not pulling enough leaves the ladder showing. Work several rungs loosely, then draw the yarn until the edges just meet and the seam vanishes, and repeat. Tightening after every single rung is what causes puckering.
Which bars do I pick up?
The horizontal running threads one full stitch in from the edge, not the edge stitch itself. That is why mattress stitch consumes one stitch from each piece, and why patterns include a selvedge stitch for seaming. Picking up the very edge leaves a lumpy, visible seam.
In other languages
| Language | Term | Abbreviation |
|---|---|---|
| English | Mattress stitch | mattress st |
| Español | Punto colchonero | no standard code |
| Deutsch | Matratzenstich | no standard code |
| Français | Point de matelas | no standard code |
| Italiano | Cucitura a maglia (punto materasso) | no standard code |
| 日本語 | すくいとじ | no standard code |
Related stitches
Keep your place while you work this stitch. Worsted counts your rows and rounds and remembers your spot in the pattern, for crochet and knitting.
Get Worsted