This curtain panel is made from granny-style squares in royal blue, ivory and sunny yellow. Each square has a small yellow flower, four blue buds, an ivory diamond and lacy blue corners. When you join the squares, the blue corners meet in a diagonal lattice, and the panel looks like a wall of Portuguese tiles.
The look is bright and graphic with a cottage feel. Light comes through the open corners, but the panel still gives good color and some privacy. An ivory band with seven ribbed tabs finishes the top, so the panel slides straight onto a rod.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. One panel measures 31.5 in x 81 in (80.0 cm x 205.7 cm), not counting the tabs. The photo shows two matching panels hung as a pair, so make two for one window.
Here’s how it’s built: make 65 identical squares, join them in a 5 x 13 grid with slip stitches, work a three-round blue border, then add the ivory band and tabs.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished panel size: 31.5 in x 81 in (80.0 cm x 205.7 cm), not counting tabs
- Skill level: Intermediate
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: Worsted (category 4) cotton
- Hook: 5.0 mm (H-8)
- Number of pieces: 65 squares per panel (130 for a pair), plus top band and 7 tabs
- Layout: 5 squares wide x 13 squares long
- Square size: 6 in x 6 in (15.2 cm x 15.2 cm), 27 sts per side
- Size before border: 30 in x 78 in (76.2 cm x 198.1 cm)
- Border depth: 0.75 in (1.9 cm) per side
- Top band: 1.5 in (3.8 cm) deep; tabs 8 in (20.3 cm) long before folding
Materials
Use a smooth worsted cotton with about 190 m per 100 g. Cotton keeps the squares crisp, hangs straight and holds up to washing. Avoid fuzzy yarns because they blur the lattice.
Quantities for one panel:
- Royal blue: 850 g (about 1,615 m)
- Ivory: 450 g (about 855 m)
- Yellow: 120 g (about 228 m)
Double these amounts for a pair. They include a margin of about 15% for your test square, joining and tension differences.
Tools:
- 5.0 mm (H-8) crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- Stitch markers
- Tape measure and scissors
- Blocking mats, rust-proof pins and a spray bottle
- Curtain rod up to 1.5 in (3.8 cm) in diameter
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- hdc – half double crochet
- dc – double crochet
- tr – treble crochet
- sp(s) – space(s)
- sk – skip
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- BLO – back loop only
- RS / WS – right side / wrong side
Special stitches
- 3-dc cluster (cl): [Yarn over, insert hook in indicated place, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull through 2 loops] 3 times, yarn over, pull through all 4 loops.
- Beginning cluster (beg cl): Ch 2, then work the cluster with only 2 repeats and pull through all 3 loops.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 18 sc and 20 rows = 4 in (10.2 cm). Make one full square first and check it at each stage:
- After Round 1: flower about 1.75 in (4.4 cm) across
- After Round 2: about 2.5 in (6.4 cm) point to point
- After Round 4: ivory square 4 in (10.2 cm) per side
- After Round 6: about 5.25 in (13.3 cm) per side
- After Round 8: 6 in (15.2 cm) per side, 27 sts per side
If the square is larger than 6.25 in (15.9 cm), switch to a 4.5 mm hook. If it is smaller than 5.75 in (14.6 cm), switch to a 5.5 mm hook. All squares should match within 1/8 in (0.3 cm), or the seams will ripple.
Square (Make 65 per Panel)
Round 1 – Yellow Flower
With yellow, make a magic ring. Beg cl in ring, ch 2, [cl in ring, ch 2] 7 times. Join with sl st to the top of the beg cl. Pull the ring closed and fasten off.
Count: 8 clusters, 8 ch-2 sps.
Round 2 – Blue Buds
Join blue in any ch-2 sp. Beg cl in the same sp, ch 3, cl in the same sp, ch 1, sc in the next ch-2 sp, ch 1. *(Cl, ch 3, cl) in the next ch-2 sp, ch 1, sc in the next ch-2 sp, ch 1. Repeat from * 2 more times. Join and fasten off.
Count: 8 clusters, 4 sc, 4 ch-3 corner sps, 8 ch-1 sps. Each pair of clusters makes one blue bud.
Round 3 – Ivory
Join ivory in any ch-3 sp. Ch 3 (counts as dc), (2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in the same sp. *3 dc in each of the next 2 ch-1 sps (skip the sc), (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in the next ch-3 sp. Repeat from * 2 more times, then work 3 dc in each of the last 2 ch-1 sps. Join.
Count: 48 dc (12 per side), 4 ch-2 corner sps.
Round 4 – Ivory
Sl st in the next 2 dc and into the corner sp. Ch 3, (dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in the same sp. *Dc in each of the next 12 dc, (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in the next corner sp. Repeat from * 2 more times, then dc in the last 12 dc. Join and fasten off.
Count: 64 dc (16 per side), 4 ch-2 corner sps.
Round 5 – Blue Turning Round
This round turns the ivory square 45 degrees. Its corners become the middle of each new side, and the new blue corners form at the middle of each ivory side.
Join blue in any ivory corner sp. Ch 1, sc in the same sp. Working across the next 16 dc: sc in 2, hdc in 2, dc in 2, tr in 2, ch 3, tr in 2, dc in 2, hdc in 2, sc in 2, sc in the next ivory corner sp. Repeat from * 3 more times, ending the last repeat at *. Join.
Count: 68 sts (17 per side between ch-3 sps), 4 ch-3 corner sps. Each side now reads: 2 tr, 2 dc, 2 hdc, 5 sc, 2 hdc, 2 dc, 2 tr.
Round 6 – Blue Leveling Round
Sl st in each st up to the next ch-3 sp. Ch 3, (dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in that sp. *Dc in the next 5 sts, tr in the next 7 sts, dc in the next 5 sts, (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in the next corner sp. Repeat from * 2 more times, then dc 5, tr 7, dc 5. Join.
Count: 84 sts (21 per side between ch-2 sps). The tall stitches fill the low middle of each side so the edge is level.
Round 7 – Blue Mesh
Sl st in the next dc and into the corner sp. Ch 3 (counts as dc), ch 3, dc in the same sp. *Dc in the next st, [ch 1, sk 1, dc in the next st] 10 times, (dc, ch 3, dc) in the next corner sp. Repeat from * 2 more times, then dc in the next st, [ch 1, sk 1, dc in the next st] 10 times. Join.
Count: 13 dc and 10 ch-1 sps per side between corner sps; 52 dc, 40 ch-1 sps, 4 ch-3 sps total.
Round 8 – Blue Edge
Ch 1. Sc in each dc and each ch-1 sp, with 3 sc in each ch-3 sp. Join, fasten off and weave in the ends.
Count: 104 sc. That is 23 sc between corner groups, so each side has 27 sts including both corner center sts.
Make All Pieces
Make 65 identical squares per panel. Each square uses yellow for Round 1, blue for Rounds 2 and 5–8, and ivory for Rounds 3–4. Lay them out RS up, 5 across and 13 down:
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[S][S][S][S][S]
[S][S][S][S][S]
[S][S][S][S][S]
[S][S][S][S][S]
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[S][S][S][S][S]
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Joining
Join with blue using a flat slip-stitch join.
- Place two squares RS up with their edges touching.
- Insert the hook through the back loop of the matching stitch on each square and work a sl st.
- Work stitch to stitch: corner center to corner center, the 25 sts between, then the next corner centers. That makes 27 sl sts per seam, one for each st on the side.
- Join all horizontal seams first as long continuous lines, then the vertical seams. Where four squares meet, sl st across once without adding chains.
Keep the slip stitches about as long as the sc they join. If the seams pucker, use a hook one size larger for joining only.
Size checkpoint: the joined panel should measure 30 in x 78 in (76.2 cm x 198.1 cm).
Border
Border gauge matches the square edges: about 4.5 sc per inch (2.5 cm).
The starting count for each side is the number of squares on that side x 27. Top and bottom: 5 x 27 = 135 sts. Long sides: 13 x 27 = 351 sts. These counts already include the corner center sts at every seam and at the panel corners. Don’t add any extra stitches at the seams.
Border Round 1 – Blue sc (conversion round)
Join blue along a long side. Sc in each st, including each square’s corner center st at the seams, and work 3 sc in each of the 4 panel corner sts. Join.
Per side, corner center to corner center: top and bottom 135 + 2 = 137; long sides 351 + 2 = 353. Total: 976 sts.
Border Round 2 – Blue Mesh
Sl st to the next panel corner center st. Ch 6 (counts as dc + ch 3), dc in the same st. Along a top or bottom edge, work [ch 1, sk 1, dc in the next st] 67 times, then ch 1, sk 1, (dc, ch 3, dc) in the corner center st. On a long side, do the same but repeat the bracket 175 times. Continue around and join to the 3rd ch of the ch-6.
Per side between ch-3 sps: top and bottom 2 corner dc + 67 dc + 68 ch-1 sps = 137; long sides 2 + 175 + 176 = 353.
Border Round 3 – Blue sc (conversion round)
Ch 1. Sc in each dc and each ch-1 sp, with 3 sc in each ch-3 sp. Join and fasten off.
Per side, corner center to corner center: top and bottom 137 + 4 = 141; long sides 353 + 4 = 357. Total: 992 sts.
Why the math works: after Round 1, both side counts are odd (137 and 353). With an odd count, the mesh lands a dc on both corner sts and the ch-1 sps fall evenly between them. No side needs a fudge stitch.
After the border, the panel measures 31.5 in x 79.5 in (80.0 cm x 201.9 cm).
Top Band and Tabs
Band: With the RS facing, join ivory in the top right corner center st.
- Row 1: Ch 2 (doesn’t count), hdc in each st across to the far corner center st. Turn. (141 hdc)
- Rows 2–4: Ch 2, hdc in each st. Turn. (141 hdc)
The band should be 1.5 in (3.8 cm) deep.
Tabs (make 7): Each tab is 9 sts wide, with 13 sts between tabs: 7 x 9 + 6 x 13 = 63 + 78 = 141.
- Row 1: Working into Row 4 of the band, ch 2, hdc in the next 9 sts. Turn.
- Rows 2–20: Ch 2, hdc BLO in each of the 9 sts. Turn.
Fasten off, leaving a 12 in (30.5 cm) tail. Each tab is about 2 in (5.1 cm) wide and 8 in (20.3 cm) long. Skip 13 sts, rejoin and repeat until you have 7 tabs. The last tab ends at the band edge.
Fold each tab to the WS and whipstitch its last row to Row 1 of the band. This leaves a loop about 3 in (7.6 cm) tall for the rod.
Final Blocking
- Weave in any remaining ends through stitches of the same color.
- Lay the panel RS up on mats, working in sections if needed.
- Pin the corners first, then pin each edge to 31.5 in (80.0 cm) wide.
- Check the length one square row at a time: each row is 6 in (15.2 cm).
- Straighten the blue lattice lines so the diamonds line up.
- Mist the panel until it’s damp but not soaked.
- Let it dry fully, about 24 hours, before unpinning.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Every square is 6 in (15.2 cm) with 27 sts per side.
- Each flower has 8 petals, and each square has 4 blue buds.
- The ivory diamond tips sit at the middle of each square side.
- Every seam is flat and has 27 sl sts.
- After Border Round 3, the sides count 141 and 357.
- The panel is 31.5 in (80.0 cm) wide at both the top and bottom.
- All 7 tabs are evenly spaced and the same length.
- No ends show on the RS.
Troubleshooting
- Square cups: the Round 6 tr sts are too tight. Loosen your tension or use a bigger hook for that round.
- Square ruffles: the corners are overloaded. Work only the listed stitches into each corner sp.
- Diamond is crooked: the Round 5 ch-3 must sit exactly between dc 8 and dc 9 of each ivory side.
- Seams pucker: the slip stitches are too short. Use a larger hook for joining.
- Panel flares at the bottom: re-measure the squares and block again to the stated width.
- Tabs stretch: keep your tension firm on the BLO rows.
Care
Machine wash cool on a gentle cycle inside a laundry bag, or hand wash. Reshape while damp and dry flat. Don’t hang the panel while it’s wet.
Final Notes
Each square is 6 in (15.2 cm) with 27 sts per side. Five squares make 135 sts and 30 in (76.2 cm) across. Thirteen squares make 351 sts and 78 in (198.1 cm) down. The border adds 0.75 in (1.9 cm) per side, for 31.5 in x 79.5 in (80.0 cm x 201.9 cm). The ivory band brings the length to 81 in (205.7 cm). Get the first square right, and the rest of the measurements follow from it.
Happy crocheting!