S ewing Together

Once you have crocheted all the parts of a project, it will be time to sew them together. Usually you will want your stitches to be hidden, so you should use a large darning or tapestry needle and the same yarn to sew the pieces together.

You may already know some sewing stitches, but here’s a new one used especially in crochet and knitting – mattress stitch. This stitch is a great way to sew together crocheted pieces as invisibly as possible. When sewing crochet together, always use a large tapestry needle (make sure your tapestry needle is blunt to avoid piercing the yarn).

Step 1: Lay the pieces you wish to join on a flat surface, side by side, with the wrong side, (the inside) facing up. Thread your needle with the same yarn, then secure it to the end of your crocheted work with a couple of stitches on top of each other.

Step 2: Now look closely at the crochet and gently pull apart the first two edge stitches. Can you see the series of little horizontal running threads connecting them? We will be using these for our mattress stitches.

Step 3: Put your needle under and through the horizontal running thread that runs between the first and second stitch on the opposite piece of crochet, like in this diagram. Pull your yarn all the way through.

Step 4: Cross over to the other piece of crochet and do the same, on the same stitch, on that side. Pull the yarn through again. Carry on like this, zig zagging from one piece to the other, moving up one stitch each time.

Step 5: Each time you make a stitch and pull on the yarn tight, you will be creating a strong “seam” to hold your work together. When you reach the end, secure with 2 or 3 stitches on top of each other.