Free tutorial with video: the indispensable MATTRESS STITCH!

DIY: Learn ladder stitch to make your own creations!

I am the creator of Salut Poupée! And I really want to share some of my secrets with you to help you make your own creations at home! Creating dolls and cuddly toys is not only a fabulous and surprisingly relaxing hobby, it's also a nice way to please your little ones! But it is also a long and tedious job, which requires patience, application, care and a little technique... But, if the passion is there, it's easy! I hope that these photos and especially this video will help you to progress!

But let's get back to today's topic! The ladder stitch is a basic but essential stitch that every doll maker should know! It is an ideal and invisible stitch, which creates pretty undulations on the jersey, and if it is well and regularly done, the thread is invisible! It can also be used for other sewing projects!

For dolls, teddy bears and cuddly toys, I recommend that you use thin but fairly long needles, as this is easier. I also advise you to choose a strong thread, such as quilting thread, and to work with it twice. Just to resist the battles of dolls and other assaults of cuddly toys :)

As you can see on the picture above, you have to work from right to left, following the numbers on the diagram, number 1 being the start and therefore the beginning knot. Try to make the stitches as even as possible to get a nice finish.

A video tutorial is better than words !

In this video you can see me working on a doll's ankle. In reality, I make three seams on this heavily used area: 2 ladder stitches (the second one being smaller than the first) and a final invisible backstitch which I will show you in a future video!