Joining and seams · Easy
Joining and seaming pieces
There are two ways to join crochet pieces: sew them together with a yarn needle, or crochet them together with the hook, in slip stitch or single crochet (UK double crochet). A sewn seam lies flatter and shows less. A crocheted seam is quicker to work and stands up from the fabric as a ridge.
How to work it
Look at the edges
First see which kind of edge you are joining. A top edge is the tops of a row or round: one pair of loops for each stitch, so two top edges match stitch for stitch. A side edge is the ends of the rows. It has no loops, so match row to row and space the stitches of the seam evenly.
Whip stitch: sewn, quick
Hold the edges together and sew over them with a yarn needle, through a stitch of both edges each time. It is quick to sew. The stitches can be seen, less so in a matching yarn.
Mattress stitch: sewn, hidden
Lay the pieces side by side with the right sides up and sew from edge to edge, then pull the yarn to close the gap. In a matching yarn the seam almost disappears, and it lies flat.
Slip stitch: crocheted, firm
Hold the pieces together, push the hook through a stitch of both, yarn over and pull through everything on the hook. The seam is firm. It shows as a chain-like line on the side that faces you, and far less on the other side.
Single crochet: crocheted, meant to show
Work a single crochet through each pair of stitches. The row of stitches stands on the join as a ridge. Worked with the wrong sides of the pieces together, the ridge is on the front and frames each piece.
At a glance
- Used for
- putting together a blanket of squares or strips; seaming garments, bags and pillows; choosing a seam when the pattern only says to join the pieces
- For a flat seam
- A sewn seam: mattress stitch or whip stitch
- For a seam that hides
- Mattress stitch, in yarn of the same color
- For a strong, firm seam
- Slip stitch
- For a seam that is meant to show
- Single crochet, worked from the right side, or any seam in a second color
- For many pieces
- A crocheted seam, which is quicker over a whole blanket
- Without a seam
- Join as you go: the last round of each piece is worked into the edge of its neighbor. How it is done depends on the pattern.
A crocheted seam forms its ridge on the side that faces you as you work. Hold the pieces with their wrong sides together and the ridge ends up on the front. Hold them with their right sides together and it ends up on the back, out of sight. A pattern that cares says which.
A sewn seam needs a blunt yarn needle and a length of the yarn the pieces are made of. A crocheted seam needs only the hook and the yarn.
Before a long seam of either kind, hold the two pieces together with clips, pins or stitch markers at both ends and at a few places between, so that the edges come out the same length.
The two sewn seams have pages of their own, with every step and picture: whip stitch and mattress stitch. Joining squares shows the crocheted joins step by step.
Tips
- Work a crocheted seam loosely. Slip stitches are easy to pull too tight, and a slip stitch seam has little give.
When it goes wrong
- The seam is tighter than the fabric and pulls it in.
- Undo it and work it again more loosely. If it still pulls, sew the seam with a needle.
- The two edges are not the same length.
- Hold them together at both ends and in the middle before you start, then at the points between. Join from clip to clip, easing the longer edge in evenly.
Questions
- Should I sew or crochet my pieces together?
- Sew for a flat seam or a hidden one. Crochet for speed, for a firm seam, or for a ridge that is part of the design.
- Which seam does not show?
- Mattress stitch in a matching yarn. A slip stitch seam worked with the right sides together hides its ridge on the back.
- Do I need to block the pieces first?
- It helps. Blocked pieces are the same size, and their edges are easier to line up.