Handmade sage green and taupe crocheted pouch with decorative fringe trim and wooden ring handle on beige linen.

Sage Fanlight Teardrop Toilet Paper Holder Crochet Pattern

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The Sage Fanlight is a hanging teardrop basket that holds two standard toilet paper rolls on a bathroom wall. The front is covered in staggered rose shells framed by soft sage rows. The back is a calm, solid sage panel. A short tab wraps around a wooden ring at the top for hanging.

The palette uses only two colors: sage green for the structure and dusty rose for the shells and the solid rounded base. The style is vintage cottage, and the construction is practical.

This pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished holder measures 11.75 in (29.8 cm) wide and 15.75 in (40.0 cm) tall, not counting the tab. The pocket is 3 in (7.6 cm) deep.

You make three pieces: a solid back panel, a shell-patterned upper front triangle, and a lower pocket front with a gusset wall worked off its edge. All three pieces follow the same row map, so their edges match stitch for stitch. One sc round joins everything, and a round of reverse sc finishes the edges.

Finished Size and Construction

  • Finished size: 11.75 in (29.8 cm) wide x 15.75 in (40.0 cm) tall, plus tab
  • Skill level: Intermediate
  • Terminology: US
  • Yarn weight: Worsted (#4) cotton
  • Hook: 4.5 mm (US 7)
  • Number of pieces: 3 (back, upper front, lower pocket with gusset)
  • Layout: upper front over the top of the back, lower pocket over the bottom, open gap between them
  • Back panel size: 10.75 in (27.3 cm) x 14.75 in (37.5 cm)
  • Size before border: 10.75 in (27.3 cm) x 14.75 in (37.5 cm)
  • Border depth: 0.5 in (1.3 cm) per edge

Materials

Use a smooth worsted-weight cotton or cotton blend. Cotton holds its shape under the weight of the rolls and copes with bathroom humidity. Avoid fuzzy yarn, because it hides the shell texture.

  • Color A, sage green: 200 g / about 340 m
  • Color B, dusty rose: 75 g / about 128 m

These amounts assume about 85 m per 50 g and include a margin of roughly 15%.

Tools:

  • 4.5 mm (US 7) crochet hook
  • Wooden ring, 2.5 in (6.4 cm) diameter
  • Tapestry needle
  • 4 locking stitch markers
  • Tape measure, pins, and a spray bottle for blocking

Abbreviations (US Terms)

  • ch – chain
  • sc – single crochet
  • dc – double crochet
  • sk – skip
  • st(s) – stitch(es)
  • sc2tog – single crochet 2 together (−1 st)
  • sc3tog – single crochet 3 together (−2 sts)
  • rev sc – reverse single crochet (crab stitch), worked left to right
  • RS / WS – right side / wrong side

Special stitch – Shell row (worked over a multiple of 6 + 1 sts): Ch 3 (counts as dc), 2 dc in first st (half shell). Sk 2 sts, sc in next st, sk 2 sts, 5 dc in next st (shell). Repeat from * until 6 sts remain. Sk 2, sc in next st, sk 2, 3 dc in last st (half shell). The stitch count stays the same.

Gauge and Checkpoints

Gauge: 16 sc and 16 sc rows = 4 in (10.2 cm). One Shell row or dc row = 0.5 in (1.3 cm) tall. One 4-row block (3 sc rows + 1 Shell row) = 1.25 in (3.2 cm).

Make the upper front first. It is the smallest piece and tests both stitch gauge and row gauge.

Checkpoints:

  • After Row 13: 25 sts = 6.25 in (15.9 cm) wide, 4 in (10.2 cm) tall
  • After Row 25: 43 sts = 10.75 in (27.3 cm) wide, 7.75 in (19.7 cm) tall
  • Finished back: 10.75 in (27.3 cm) x 14.75 in (37.5 cm)

If your piece is too big, go down 0.5 mm. If it is too small, go up 0.5 mm. If the width is right but the height is off, change only how tall you make your dc (pull up less or more). All pieces share one row map, so row height matters.

Crocheted sage-green tote with wood handles showcases delicate lacy openwork and pink embroidered shell flowers.

The Row Map

Every piece follows this map. On the fronts, the tall rows are Shell rows in Color B. On the back, the same rows are plain dc rows in Color A.

  • Increase row: ch 1, 2 sc in first st, sc across to last st, 2 sc in last st (+2).
  • Decrease row: ch 1, sc2tog, sc across to last 2 sts, sc2tog (−2).
  • Base decrease row: ch 1, sc3tog, sc across to last 3 sts, sc3tog (−4).
  • Back dc row: ch 2 (does not count), dc in each st across (count unchanged).

Each increase or decrease block changes the width by 3 sts per side. That shifts the shells by half a repeat, so they stagger in a brick pattern automatically.

Back Panel

With Color A, ch 8.

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. Turn. (7 sts)

Rows 2–25 (6 increase blocks): Work 3 increase rows, then 1 dc row. Repeat 6 times.

  • Rows 2–4: 9, 11, 13 sts; Row 5: 13 sts
  • Rows 6–8: 15, 17, 19 sts; Row 9: 19 sts
  • Rows 10–12: 21, 23, 25 sts; Row 13: 25 sts
  • Rows 14–16: 27, 29, 31 sts; Row 17: 31 sts
  • Rows 18–20: 33, 35, 37 sts; Row 21: 37 sts
  • Rows 22–24: 39, 41, 43 sts; Row 25: 43 sts

Rows 26–33 (2 straight blocks): Rows 26–28: sc in each st (43 sts). Row 29: dc row (43 sts). Rows 30–32: sc in each st (43 sts). Row 33: dc row (43 sts).

Rows 34–45 (3 decrease blocks): Work 3 decrease rows, then 1 dc row. Repeat 3 times.

  • Rows 34–36: 41, 39, 37 sts; Row 37: 37 sts
  • Rows 38–40: 35, 33, 31 sts; Row 41: 31 sts
  • Rows 42–44: 29, 27, 25 sts; Row 45: 25 sts

Rows 46–48: Change to Color B. Work 3 base decrease rows: 21, 17, 13 sts. Fasten off.

The back measures 10.75 in (27.3 cm) wide and 14.75 in (37.5 cm) tall.

Upper Front

Work Rows 1–25 exactly as for the back, with two changes. Work every sc row in Color A. Work Rows 5, 9, 13, 17, 21, and 25 as Shell rows in Color B. The counts on those rows are 13, 19, 25, 31, 37, and 43 sts.

Carry the unused color up the side edge, where the joining round will hide it. Fasten off after Row 25.

The upper front measures 10.75 in (27.3 cm) wide and 7.75 in (19.7 cm) tall. Row 25 becomes the top edge of the opening.

Lower Pocket

Front section. With Color A, ch 44.

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. Turn. (43 sts)

Row 2: With Color B, work a Shell row. (43 sts)

Rows 3–14: Work 3 decrease blocks as for back Rows 34–45, with sc rows in Color A and Shell rows in Color B.

  • Rows 3–5: 41, 39, 37 sts; Row 6: 37 sts
  • Rows 7–9: 35, 33, 31 sts; Row 10: 31 sts
  • Rows 11–13: 29, 27, 25 sts; Row 14: 25 sts

Rows 15–17: With Color B, work 3 base decrease rows: 21, 17, 13 sts. Do not fasten off.

These 17 rows match back Rows 32–48. The front section measures 10.75 in (27.3 cm) wide and 5.25 in (13.3 cm) tall.

Gusset wall. Change to Color A. The wall is worked in rows along the side and bottom edges.

Row W1: Rotate the piece to work down the first side. Work 1 sc in each sc row-end and 2 sc in each Shell row-end: 13 sc rows + 4 Shell rows = 21 sc. Work 1 sc in each of the 13 sts of Row 17. Work 21 sc up the second side the same way. Turn. (55 sts)

Rows W2–W12: Ch 1, sc in each st across. Turn. (55 sts)

Fasten off. The wall is 3 in (7.6 cm) deep and 13.75 in (34.9 cm) long.

Make All Pieces

Colors by piece:

  • Back: Color A for Rows 1–45, Color B for Rows 46–48
  • Upper front: Color A for sc rows, Color B for the 6 Shell rows
  • Lower pocket: Color A for sc rows and the wall, Color B for the 4 Shell rows and Rows 15–17

Layout (all pieces RS facing you, back behind):

        [ tab + ring ]
     /  UPPER FRONT   \    back Rows 1-25
    /  (Rows 1-25)     \
   |   open gap: back   |  back Rows 26-31
   |   Rows 26-31 show  |
   |  LOWER POCKET      |  back Rows 32-48
    \ (wall to back)   /
     \________________/

Joining

The joining round attaches all three pieces and also serves as the first border round.

Place the back WS up. Lay the upper front on top, RS up, with its Row 1 matching back Row 1. Pin the side edges. Stand the lower pocket on the back so the last row of the wall (W12) runs along the back’s edge from Row 32, down around the bottom, and up to Row 32 on the other side. Pin every 2 in (5.1 cm).

Joining Round (Color A, RS): Join at the right top corner of Row 1. Work through both layers where two pieces overlap, and through the back only between them.

  • Top: 7 sc across the foundation chain, working 3 sc in each corner st (the 7 includes both corner sts)
  • Each side, Rows 1–25, through back + upper front: 31 sc (19 sc row-ends x 1 + 6 tall row-ends x 2)
  • Each side, Rows 26–31, back only: 7 sc (5 x 1 + 1 x 2)
  • Lower edge, through back + wall: 21 sc along each side and 13 sc across the bottom, 1 sc per wall stitch

Total: 7 + (31 + 7 + 21) x 2 + 13 = 138 sts, plus 2 extra sts at each top corner = 142 sts. Sl st to first sc.

Keep your tension medium. If the seam ripples, work more tightly. If it cups, loosen up.

Checkpoint: After joining, the holder measures 11.25 in (28.6 cm) x 15.25 in (38.7 cm).

Border

Border gauge: The joining round adds 0.25 in (0.6 cm) per edge, and the rev sc round adds another 0.25 in (0.6 cm), for 0.5 in (1.3 cm) in total.

Round 2 (Color A): Ch 1, rev sc in each st around. (142 sts) Sl st to first st. Fasten off.

The math works because every piece follows the same row map. One sc per sc row-end and two per tall row-end gives exactly 4 sts per inch along the edges, which matches the 16-sc gauge. The wall’s 55 sts equal the back’s lower-edge count of 21 + 13 + 21, so you don’t need to ease anything in.

Opening edgings (Color A, RS):

  • Upper front, along Row 25: rev sc in each st. (43 sts)
  • Pocket rim: Join at the top of the wall on one side. Work 12 sc along the wall’s row-ends, 43 sc along the foundation chain of Row 1, and 12 sc along the other wall end. (67 sts) Fasten off, rejoin at the start, and rev sc in each st. (67 sts)

Hanging tab (Color A): After Round 2, the top edge has 11 sts. Join in the 3rd st and work over the center 7 sts.

Rows 1–16: Ch 1, sc in each of 7 sts. Turn. (7 sts)

The tab is 1.75 in (4.4 cm) wide and 4 in (10.2 cm) long. Slip the ring on, fold the tab to the back, and sew Row 16 to the base of the tab. About 1.5 in (3.8 cm) of tab shows above the point.

Final Blocking

  1. Weave in all ends along stitches of the same color.
  2. Mist the holder until it is evenly damp.
  3. Pin the back flat to 11.75 in (29.8 cm) x 15.75 in (40.0 cm).
  4. Stuff the pocket with a folded towel to set the 3 in (7.6 cm) depth.
  5. Use your fingers to open each shell so the posts fan out evenly.
  6. Let it dry completely before you remove the pins.

Final Quality-Control Checklist

  • The back is 43 sts wide at Rows 25–33
  • The shells stagger in a brick pattern on both fronts
  • The joining round has 142 sts
  • The wall lies flat against the back with no puckers
  • The pocket rim and the upper-front edge are finished in rev sc
  • The tab is sewn securely and holds the ring
  • Two rolls drop in without stretching the rim

Troubleshooting

  • Shells don’t fit at the end of the row: Your count is not a multiple of 6 + 1. Recount the last increase or decrease row.
  • Shells stack instead of staggering: You missed an increase or decrease on one side.
  • Side seams ripple: You worked too many sts into the tall row-ends. Use exactly 2.
  • Pocket sags: Your gauge is loose. Go down a hook size for the wall.
  • Point flares: Work the top-edge sc more tightly.

Care

Hand wash in cool water, press out the moisture in a towel, and dry flat with the pocket stuffed. Do not tumble dry.

Sage and pink crocheted teardrop wall organizer holding toilet paper rolls in a minimalist bathroom.

Final Notes

The measurement chain is simple. 16 sc = 4 in (10.2 cm), each 4-row block = 1.25 in (3.2 cm), and the back reaches 10.75 in (27.3 cm) x 14.75 in (37.5 cm). The 3 in (7.6 cm) wall holds two rolls. The 142-st joining round brings the holder to 11.25 in (28.6 cm) x 15.25 in (38.7 cm), and the rev sc border finishes it at 11.75 in (29.8 cm) x 15.75 in (40.0 cm).

Happy crocheting!

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