The Skills You Need
to Become a Mattress Maker

Perks of Having Mattress Making Skills

Did you know that the global mattress market size is expected to grow from USD 30.38 billion in 2019 to USD 40.37 billion by 2027?

Experts say that the rising demand for beds in the healthcare industry will contribute a lot to this growth. Plus, there's also a growing number of people having sleeping disorders, which drives demand from the residential sector. Yes, this is the potential you can possibly tap if you have a background in mattress making. You can either be a manufacturer or supplier of beds. Or if you're planning to create beds for a hobby, you're also making something useful.

Skills to Learn to Get Started

Do you think having mattress making skills could serve you well? If you do, try learning one or more of these skills. You can find a course that offers all these competencies or enrol in a specialized course one at a time.

1. Quilting

Mattresses often come with quilted covers to give the sleeping surface of the product a nicer look and feel. Polyester, stitchbond, and plant-based materials are commonly used mattress cover materials. And these could be quilted in three ways – tack and jump, micro-quilted, and deep quilted. As you learn these quilting techniques and materials, you'll also know the best machines to use to achieve the desired finish and look of the mattress.

2. Tape Edging

Tape edging is the last process of mattress making. This is when you close the mattress by applying the tape. This is usually done using a sewing machine.

Today, the most common mattress tape materials are woven fabric and polyester. In the past, the size of the mattress tape was around ⅞ to 1½-inches wide. Now, the standard tape width is 1⅞ inches, which also includes decorative borders and elaborate embellishments that can add to the overall look of the mattress.

3. Hand Side Stitching

Hand side stitching is the skill you need to create mattresses that don't bulge on the side.

In a gist, this skill involves the process of stitching and looping lines of cord from the mattress side through the side rows of the springs. This process plays a huge role in the overall structure of the bed. A good mattress side stitching gives edge support, extends the bed's lifespan, and keeps all the internal mechanisms of the bed intact and aligned.

4. Sewing

You can show off your sewing skills in mattress making when it's time to make the covers. As you hone this skill, you'll also learn how to take measurements, choose threat colours, and pick the right machine to use.

When developing your sewing skills for mattress making, it would also be awesome to learn other basic techniques as well. Taking sewing classes for adults can be an excellent way to master these foundational skills. These classes often cover essential sewing techniques such as stitching, hemming, and fabric selection, providing a solid groundwork for more specialized tasks like mattress cover creation. Additionally, you'll gain hands-on experience with various sewing machines and tools, ensuring you're well-prepared for any sewing project that comes your way.

5. Drawer Making

Many people prefer their beds to have drawers. Indeed, space-efficiency matters. And you can address that by learning how to make beds with storage spaces. Developing this competency equips you with knowledge on the following:

Lumber types and measurements
Carpentry and woodworking tools (e.g., nails, screws, jigsaw, mitre saw, drill machinery, carpentry pencil)
Plywood types and dimensions

Pretty exciting, right? Even before you enrol in a formal mattress making course, check out other resources first to work on your first DIY under-bed storage drawer project.

6. Panel Cutting and Bed Frame Making

Honing your skills in panel cutting allows you to make almost any type and size of the bed, be it for infants, adults, and couples. You'll be able to familiarize different mattress sizes – king-size (76" x 80"), queen-size (60" x 80"), crib (28" x 52"), and twin (38" x 75"). Plus, you'll learn how to craft sideboards, baseboards, and headboards. Yes, this also involves a little, or a lot of, carpentry work, much like drawer making.

The best thing about learning panel cutting is that its market goes along with the demand for sturdier beds.

7. Tufting

Tuft is a mattress feature usually fitted in high-end beds. Through tufting, you can pull together the upholstery layers of the bed and pull them together toward the springs. This gives the surface of the mattress symmetrical undulations. Ultimately, tufting gives the mattress a uniform sleeping area, which also affects sleep quality. It also helps you determine the pocket spring count of the bed.

8. Spring Making

Yes, springs! What can bed makers do without them? By learning the science and art of spring making, you can just partner with bed manufacturers and other artisans to start making some money. You can also create customized springs for other purposes, be it for trampolines and upholstery.

9. Mattress Labelling, Inspection, and Packing

Are you thinking about monetizing your skill in mattress making? If yes, you might also like to consider learning how to pack, inspect, and label the items. You'll learn about product warranties, packaging, shipping, and protective covers. Adding sales and marketing techniques to your learning goals also helps.

10. CNC Routing

Lastly, this skill is highly beneficial if you're mass producing mattress components. Yes, you can create DIY springs and headboards. But you can also produce these bed accessories at a much faster rate using a CNC machine. This might require a little investment, though, as CNC machines don't come cheap.

Conclusion

Learning to create a mattress might be a challenging task. But the journey will be a fun and productive one. Ultimately, you'll develop another lucrative skill you can take anywhere with you. What's most important, though, is to find a reputable mentor and learning program.

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The Skills You Need to Become a Mattress Maker