knitters please help with sewing up problems

[bigbuttons]

Whenever I sew up a garment , using mattress stitch, the seams have no give in the what so ever and the garment feels very uncomfortable on. I have just spent an age knitting myself a cardi in Sirdar nomad, lovely, soft wool, sewn it up and it feels really 'stiff' on the seams. Where am I going wrong? I don't pull the stitches tight. Is there a way of making up a garment so that is feels nice and stretchy at the seams?
Help PLEASE!!!!

I don't use mattress stitch, since I find exactly the same thing. I use a small backstitch, being careful to line up the rows, which you have to do with mattress stitch anyway.
What helps me in that is that I have some little gadgets which came free with some knitting mag or other to clip the seams together, they look like butterflies and I have never seen them to buy. They're better than pins.
At least with mattress stitch it is easy to undo the seam

Thanks I thought it was just me! I shall try a back stitch next time then and shall look out for the seam clips.

Thanks, that seems to have done the trick!!

I never have this problem with mattress stitch. I think it's easy to be tempted to pull up the seams too tight as you zip it up, which does leave you with a rather bulky seam. I check carefully to make sure it does match the surrounding knitting in tension.

If you really hate the seams most garments can be adapted to be knit in the round, shoulder joins can be made less bulky with short row shaping and a 3 needle bind off to join them together and even set in sleeves can be picked up and knit from the top down - I know that's generally the hardest seam to get smooth and even.