This airy curtain panel is made of five tall lace strips, and each strip is a column of stacked fan shells. Soft sage-teal fans alternate with cream fans. A cream arch caps every fan, and a solid cream frame runs down both sides of each strip. When the panel hangs in a window, light comes through the open spaces beside each fan, and the panel looks like a column of little seashells.
The palette is two colors: cream for the structure and sage-teal for every other fan. The style is calm and coastal. It suits a cottage window, a cupboard, or a doorway.
All instructions use US crochet terms. The finished panel measures 18.5 in x 81 in (47.0 cm x 205.7 cm) after blocking.
Here is how it’s built. You crochet each strip from the bottom up in short turned rows, then add two frame rounds around it. Next, you slip-stitch the five strips together along their long edges. Two rounds of single crochet border finish the panel.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 18.5 in x 81 in (47.0 cm x 205.7 cm)
- Skill level: Intermediate
- Terminology: US
- Yarn weight: DK (#3) cotton
- Hook: 4.0 mm (G-6), plus 4.5 mm (7) for seams
- Number of pieces: 5 strips
- Layout: 5 strips side by side, 1 row
- Strip size (framed): 3.5 in x 80 in (8.9 cm x 203.2 cm)
- Size before border: 17.5 in x 80 in (44.5 cm x 203.2 cm)
- Border depth: 0.5 in (1.3 cm) per side
Materials
Use a smooth mercerized or combed cotton DK. Cotton gives the fans crisp edges and doesn’t sag much as the curtain hangs. Avoid fuzzy yarns, because they blur the spokes.
- Color A, Cream: 450 g / 945 m (strip bases, arches, bridges, cream fans, frames, seams, border)
- Color B, Sage-Teal: 100 g / 210 m (26 fans per strip)
These quantities include a margin of roughly 20% for swatching and tails.
Tools:
– 4.0 mm (G-6) crochet hook
– 4.5 mm (7) crochet hook for joining
– Tapestry needle
– Stitch markers
– Rust-proof pins and blocking mats or a clean carpet with a sheet
– Measuring tape
– 10 curtain clip rings for hanging
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- dc – double crochet
- sp(s) – space(s)
- tch – turning chain
- RS / WS – right side / wrong side
Special stitch: Fan. Work 9 dc into the same stitch. In this pattern, the fan always goes into the center stitch of the row below.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Before you commit to five strips, make one short test strip. Work Row 1, then 4 fan units, then the Top Row and both frame rounds.
Gauge:
– Center column: 11 sc = 2 in (5.1 cm) wide
– 1 fan unit (4 rows) = 1.5 in (3.8 cm) tall
– Frame: 8 frame stitches per fan unit along the long edges
– Border: 27 sc = 5 in (12.7 cm)
Checkpoints for the test strip:
– After Row 1: 2 in (5.1 cm) wide
– After 4 units: 6.25 in (15.9 cm) tall
– After the Top Row: 6.5 in (16.5 cm) tall
– After both frame rounds: 3.5 in (8.9 cm) wide x 8 in (20.3 cm) tall
If your strip is too big, switch to a 3.75 mm hook. If it’s too small, switch to a 4.5 mm hook. Fan height matters most. If your units are taller than 1.5 in (3.8 cm), the curtain will grow about 2.6 in (6.6 cm) for every 0.05 in (0.1 cm) of extra height per unit. You can also adjust the length by working fewer units.
Strip (Make 5)
The center column is worked in turned rows. The fans alternate colors: units 1, 3, 5, and so on are Sage-Teal, and units 2, 4, 6, and so on are Cream. Arches and bridges are always Cream.
Carry the unused color loosely up the edge where you start each row. The frame will cover it, so you don’t need to fasten off between units.
Foundation: With Cream, ch 12.
Row 1 (RS): Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. Turn. (11 sc)
Fan Unit (Rows 2–5)
Row 2 (fan row, fan color): Ch 3 (counts as dc here and throughout), ch 3, skip next 4 sc, Fan in next sc (the center, 6th st), ch 3, skip next 4 sc, dc in last sc. Turn.
(11 dc counting tch: 2 edge dc + 9 fan dc; 2 ch-3 sps)
On every later unit, work this row into the bridge row instead. Ch 3, ch 3, skip ch-5 sp, Fan in center sc, ch 3, skip ch-5 sp, dc in last sc. The stitch count stays the same.
Row 3 (spoke row, fan color): Ch 3, ch 2, dc in first fan dc, (ch 1, dc in next fan dc) 8 times, ch 2, dc in top of tch. Turn.
(11 dc, 8 ch-1 sps, 2 ch-2 sps)
The ch-1 spaces spread the 9 dc into the spoke-like dome. If you’re working a Sage-Teal unit, drop Sage-Teal at the end of this row.
Row 4 (arch row, Cream): Ch 1, sc in first dc, 2 sc in ch-2 sp, sc in next dc, (sc in ch-1 sp, sc in next dc) 8 times, 2 sc in ch-2 sp, sc in top of tch. Turn.
(23 sc: 1 + 2 + 1 + 16 + 2 + 1)
The 12th sc is the center of the arch. Place a marker in it.
Row 5 (bridge row, Cream): Ch 1, sc in first sc, ch 5, skip next 10 sc, sc in marked 12th sc, ch 5, skip next 10 sc, sc in last sc. Turn.
(3 sc, 2 ch-5 sps)
The two ch-5 bridges pull the sides of the arch in, so the fan cups into a dome. The center sc becomes the short stem that the next fan sits on.
Work Rows 2–5 a total of 52 times, which makes 26 Sage-Teal units and 26 Cream units. Unit 52 is a Cream unit.
Length checkpoints, including Row 1:
– After 10 units: 15.25 in (38.7 cm)
– After 26 units: 39.25 in (99.7 cm)
– After 52 units: 78.25 in (198.8 cm)
Top Row (Cream): Ch 1, sc in first sc, 4 sc in ch-5 sp, sc in center sc, 4 sc in ch-5 sp, sc in last sc. Do not turn. (11 sc)
The center column now measures 2 in x 78.5 in (5.1 cm x 199.4 cm).
Frame
Frame Round 1 (Cream, continuing): Ch 2 for the corner. Rotate the strip to work down the long side. Work sc into the row ends:
- 1 sc in the Top Row end
- For each unit, 1 sc in the Row 5 end, 1 sc in the Row 4 end, 3 sc in the Row 3 end, and 3 sc in the Row 2 end (8 sc per unit)
- 1 sc in the Row 1 end
Then ch 2 for the corner. Sc in the remaining loop of each of the 11 foundation chains, then ch 2. Work up the second long side the same way, in reverse order. Ch 2, sc in each of the 11 Top Row sc, and join with a sl st to the first sc. The carried yarn stays inside these stitches.
Count per long side: 1 + (52 × 8) + 1 = 418 sc. Count per short side: 11 sc. Total: 858 sc and 4 ch-2 corner sps.
Frame Round 2 (Cream): Sl st into the next ch-2 corner sp. Ch 3 (counts as dc), then work (dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in the same sp. Dc in each sc to the next corner. In each remaining corner sp, work (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc). Join with a sl st to the top of ch-3. Fasten off.
Count per side, between the corner ch-2 sps (the ch-2 sps are not counted as stitches):
– Long sides: 2 + 418 + 2 = 422 dc
– Short sides: 2 + 11 + 2 = 15 dc
– Total: 874 dc
Strip checkpoint: 3.5 in x 80 in (8.9 cm x 203.2 cm). Weave in the ends, then make 4 more strips.
Make All Pieces
- 5 strips in total, each with 26 Sage-Teal fans and 26 Cream fans
- That’s 130 Sage-Teal fans and 130 Cream fans across the curtain
Layout (top edge at the top, T = Sage-Teal fan, C = Cream fan):
Strip: 1 2 3 4 5
Top: C C C C C
T T T T T
C C C C C
... (alternating) ...
C C C C C
Bottom: T T T T T
Hang all the strips the same way up, so that the colors line up across the panel.
Joining
Method: Flat slip-stitch seam in Cream, using the 4.5 mm hook.
- Lay Strip 1 and Strip 2 side by side, wrong sides together, with their bottom edges matched.
- Join Cream in both lower corner ch-2 sps at once. Sl st through those two sps together.
- Sl st through the back loop of each pair of dc, matching stitch to stitch. Each long side has 422 dc, so you’ll work exactly 422 sl sts with no skips and no doubles.
- Sl st through the top corner sps together. Fasten off.
Repeat to join Strip 3 to Strip 2, Strip 4 to Strip 3, and Strip 5 to Strip 4, for 4 seams in total.
Tension: The seam must stretch as much as the strip does. The larger hook helps with this. Check every 50 stitches that both strips lie flat with no puckering. Place markers every 10 fan units on both strips so the fans stay level across the seam.
Size checkpoint: 17.5 in x 80 in (44.5 cm x 203.2 cm).
Border
Border gauge: 27 sc = 5 in (12.7 cm), using the 4.0 mm hook.
Border Round 1 (Cream): Join in the top-right outer corner sp. Work (2 sc, ch 2, 2 sc) in that corner sp.
Along the top, work across each strip like this:
– 2 sc in the strip’s first corner sp, unless that sp is the outer corner you just worked
– sc in each of its 15 dc
– 2 sc in its last corner sp
At each seam, the two corner sps that are held together each receive their own 2 sc. Work (2 sc, ch 2, 2 sc) in the next outer corner sp, then sc in each of the 422 dc down the long side. Continue around the panel the same way and join with a sl st.
Count per side, between the corner ch-2 sps:
– Top and bottom: 5 strips × 19 (2 + 15 + 2) = 95 sc
– Long sides: 2 + 422 + 2 = 426 sc
– Total: 1,042 sc
Border Round 2: Ch 1. Sc in each sc, and work (sc, ch 2, sc) in each corner ch-2 sp. Join and fasten off.
Count per side: top and bottom 97 sc, long sides 428 sc. Total: 1,050 sc.
Why the math works:
– Top and bottom: At 27 sc per 5 in (12.7 cm), 95 sc measure 17.6 in (44.7 cm), which matches the joined width of 17.5 in (44.5 cm).
– Long sides: 426 sc measure about 78.9 in (200.4 cm), about 1.1 in (2.8 cm) less than the 80 in (203.2 cm) edge. That small amount of ease keeps the long edges from rippling. Once you block the panel and hang it, the cotton relaxes to full length.
– Total size: Two rounds add 0.5 in (1.3 cm) per side, for a final size of 18.5 in x 81 in (47.0 cm x 205.7 cm).
Final Blocking
- Soak the panel in cool water with a little wool wash for 15 minutes.
- Press out the water gently, then roll the panel in towels. Don’t wring it.
- Lay it flat on mats or on a sheet over carpet. You’ll probably need to block it in two halves.
- Pin the outer edges to 18.5 in x 81 in (47.0 cm x 205.7 cm).
- Pin every seam straight and the same distance apart, 3.5 in (8.9 cm).
- Shape each fan into a smooth dome. Pull the ch-5 bridges level and open the side spaces.
- Let it dry completely. If you’re blocking in halves, unpin, shift the panel, and repeat for the second half.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Every strip has 52 units, and they alternate Sage-Teal and Cream, starting with Sage-Teal at the bottom
- Every fan has 9 spokes and 8 ch-1 sps
- Every arch row has 23 sc
- Frame long sides have 422 dc, and frame short sides have 15 dc
- All 4 seams are straight, with fans level across them
- Border Round 2 counts are 97 / 428 / 97 / 428
- Carried strands don’t show through the frame
- The panel measures 18.5 in x 81 in (47.0 cm x 205.7 cm)
Troubleshooting
- Fans flare or ruffle: Your dc are too loose. Go down a hook size for Rows 2–3 only.
- Arches look flat instead of domed: Your ch-5 bridges are too long. Chain more tightly, or use ch 4.
- Strip curves sideways: You skipped a sc in Row 4. Recount it to 23.
- Frame waves: Check that you worked 8 sc per unit. Too many stitches in the Row 2 and Row 3 ends causes waves.
- Seam puckers: Rework it with the larger hook and looser slip stitches.
- Carried yarn shows: Pull the carried strand snug against the edge before you work Frame Round 1, and keep it inside the sc.
Care
Hand wash cool or machine wash on a gentle cycle in a mesh bag. Reshape the panel and dry it flat, and never tumble dry it, because the length can grow.
Final Notes
The measurement chain is simple:
– 11 sc = 2 in (5.1 cm) wide
– 1 fan unit = 1.5 in (3.8 cm) tall
– 52 units make a 78.5 in (199.4 cm) center column
– The frame brings each strip to 3.5 in x 80 in (8.9 cm x 203.2 cm)
– Five strips join to 17.5 in x 80 in (44.5 cm x 203.2 cm)
– The border brings the panel to 18.5 in x 81 in (47.0 cm x 205.7 cm)
If your test strip hits its checkpoints, the full curtain will too. Clip two rings to the top border of each strip, slide them onto the rod, and let the light come through.
Happy crocheting!