The Blush Meadow Café Curtain is a short, tab-top window valance. It’s made from soft pink eight-petal flowers with cream centers, joined petal to petal and linked by small green leaf crosses. Light shines through the open spaces between the flowers, so the curtain feels airy and cottage-style rather than heavy.
The palette is simple. Dusty blush pink is used for the petals, header and tabs, creamy white for the flower centers, and soft sage green for the leaves. The look is vintage and garden-inspired, and it suits a kitchen window above the sink or a small bathroom window.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished curtain is 49.5 in (125.7 cm) wide at the widest petal tips. It is 14.75 in (37.5 cm) tall from the bottom petal tips to the top of the header, not counting the hanging tab loops.
The curtain is built from small pieces:
– You make 33 flower motifs and join them as you go in the last round, forming a grid of 3 rows by 11 flowers.
– You then work 20 green leaf crosses into the diamond-shaped gaps between the flowers.
– Finally, you crochet a pink header band across the top row of flowers and add 12 hanging tabs.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 49.5 in (125.7 cm) wide x 14.75 in (37.5 cm) tall, plus tab loops
- Skill level: Intermediate
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: DK / light worsted (#3) cotton or cotton blend
- Hook: 3.5 mm (E-4)
- Number of pieces: 33 flower motifs + 20 leaf crosses, all joined into one curtain
- Layout: 11 flowers across x 3 flowers down
- Piece size: each flower is 4.5 in (11.4 cm) from one petal tip to the opposite tip
- Size before border: 49.5 in (125.7 cm) x 13.5 in (34.3 cm)
- Border depth: the header band adds 1.25 in (3.2 cm), at the top only. The tabs add loops about 2 in (5.1 cm) high.
Materials
Choose a smooth mercerized or matte cotton in DK weight. Cotton holds the petal shapes crisply, survives washing and doesn’t stretch much on the rod. The amounts below assume a yarn of about 50 g / 115 m per ball.
- Color A, blush pink: 150 g (345 m) for the petals, header and tabs
- Color B, cream: 25 g (57 m) for the flower centers
- Color C, sage green: 30 g (69 m) for the leaf crosses
All amounts include about 15–20% extra for testing your gauge, yarn tails and small differences in tension.
Tools:
- 3.5 mm (E-4) crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- Stitch markers (at least 2)
- Scissors
- Measuring tape
- Blocking mats and rust-proof pins
- Spray bottle
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- hdc – half double crochet
- dc – double crochet
- tr – treble crochet
- sp – space
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- RS / WS – right side / wrong side
Special stitch – Tip join: Use this in place of the ch 3 at a petal tip. Ch 1, sl st into the ch-3 tip space of the neighboring flower, then ch 1. The joined tip ends up the same length as an unjoined ch-3 tip.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Make one complete flower first and measure it before starting the rest. Gauge for this curtain is measured on the flower, not on a separate swatch.
- After Round 2 (cream center): 1.4 in (3.6 cm) across
- After Round 3: about 2 in (5.1 cm) across the ch-4 loops
- After Round 4: about 4 in (10.2 cm) across the petals
- After Round 5: 4.5 in (11.4 cm) from one petal tip to the opposite tip
Header gauge: 20 sc = 4.5 in (11.4 cm), and 20 sc rows = 4.5 in (11.4 cm).
If your flower is larger than 4.5 in (11.4 cm), go down a half size in hook. If it is smaller, go up a half size. A difference of only 0.25 in (0.6 cm) per flower adds up to 2.75 in (7.0 cm) across 11 flowers, so it’s worth checking.
Flower Motif (Make 33)
The flower has 8 petals. Put a marker in the tip of the first petal you complete in Round 5 and treat it as the North petal. Going clockwise, the tips are North, NE, East, SE, South, SW, West and NW.
Round 1 (Color B): Make a magic ring. Ch 1, work 8 sc into the ring, then sl st to the first sc. (8 sc)
Round 2: Ch 3 (counts as dc) and dc in the same st. Work 2 dc in each remaining st around, then sl st to the top of the ch-3. (16 dc) Fasten off Color B.
Round 3 (Color A): Join Color A with a sc in any dc. Ch 4 and skip the next dc. Sc in the next dc, ch 4, skip the next dc. Repeat from * 6 more times, then sl st to the first sc. (8 sc, 8 ch-4 spaces)
Round 4 (petals): Sl st into the first ch-4 space. In the ch-4 space, work (sc, hdc, dc, tr, ch 2, tr, dc, hdc, sc). Repeat in each ch-4 space around, then sl st to the first sc. (8 petals. Each petal has 8 sts + 1 ch-2 space, for 64 sts total.)
Round 5 (edging and tips): Sl st into the first hdc. Then work each petal as follows: Sc in the hdc, sc in the dc, 2 sc in the tr, (sc, ch 3, sc) in the ch-2 space, 2 sc in the tr, sc in the dc, sc in the hdc. Skip the sc, sl st in the space between this petal and the next, and skip the next sc. Repeat from * around and finish with a sl st in the first sc. Fasten off. (8 petals. Each petal has 10 sc + 1 ch-3 tip, for 80 sc and 8 ch-3 tips total.)
Count check for each petal in Round 5: 1 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 1 + 2 + 1 + 1 = 10 sc, plus the ch-3 tip.
Make the first flower completely. Every other flower is joined to its neighbors during Round 5 using the Tip join.
Make All Pieces
- Color B: 33 flower centers (Rounds 1–2)
- Color A: 33 petal sections (Rounds 3–5)
- Color C: 20 leaf crosses
Layout grid (F = flower, X = leaf cross; Row 1 is the top row, under the header):
Row 1: F F F F F F F F F F F
X X X X X X X X X X
Row 2: F F F F F F F F F F F
X X X X X X X X X X
Row 3: F F F F F F F F F F F
Each X sits in the diamond-shaped gap where four flowers meet.
Joining
Method: Join as you go in Round 5, tip to tip. Make the flowers from left to right across Row 1, then Row 2, then Row 3.
Horizontal joins: Join the West tip of each new flower to the East tip of the flower to its left. That is one Tip join per neighbor.
Vertical joins: In Rows 2 and 3, also join the North tip of each new flower to the South tip of the flower above it.
For example, a flower in the middle of Row 2 uses two Tip joins: its West tip joins the East tip on its left, and its North tip joins the South tip above. No stitches are added at any seam, because each Tip join replaces one ch 3 exactly.
Before you start Round 5, turn each new flower so its marked North petal points up. The four diagonal tips (NE, SE, SW and NW) stay free. You’ll use them later for the leaf crosses and the header.
Totals: 10 horizontal joins per row x 3 rows = 30. Add 11 vertical joins x 2 = 22. That gives 52 Tip joins.
Tension: Keep the ch 1 on each side of the joining sl st relaxed. A tight join pulls the petal tips into sharp points and makes the grid bunch up.
Size checkpoint: After Row 1, lay the strip flat. It should measure 49.5 in (125.7 cm). After all three rows, the grid should measure 49.5 in (125.7 cm) x 13.5 in (34.3 cm).
Leaf Cross (Make 20)
Each cross is made of two short bars that form an X. Each bar carries two leaves. Each leaf is worked on both sides of its chain, which gives it a center vein.
Bar 1: With Color C, join with a sl st in the SE tip of the upper-left flower. Ch 13, then sl st in the NW tip of the lower-right flower.
Pass 1 (back toward the start): Work into the chains: sc in the next ch, hdc in the next ch, dc in each of the next 2 ch, hdc in the next ch, sc in the next ch. Sl st in the center ch (the 7th ch). Over the next 6 ch, work sc, hdc, 2 dc, hdc, sc. Sl st in the starting tip. (12 leaf sts + 1 center sl st)
Pass 2: Turn the work and work into the other side of the same chains. Over 6 ch, work sc, hdc, 2 dc, hdc, sc. Sl st in the center ch. Over the next 6 ch, work sc, hdc, 2 dc, hdc, sc. Sl st in the NW tip of the lower-right flower and fasten off. (12 leaf sts + 1 center sl st)
Bar 2: Join Color C with a sl st in the SW tip of the upper-right flower. Ch 6, sl st in the center ch of Bar 1, ch 6, then sl st in the NE tip of the lower-left flower. Work Pass 1 and Pass 2 exactly as for Bar 1, using the shared center sl st in place of the 7th ch. Fasten off.
Each cross has 4 two-sided leaves of 12 sts each (6 per side), for 48 leaf sts. Each leaf arm is about 0.9 in (2.3 cm) long, which matches the distance from a diagonal petal tip to the center of the gap.
Border: Header Band and Hanging Tabs
The curtain has a border on the top edge only. The sides and bottom are left as petal scallops.
Border gauge: 20 sc = 4.5 in (11.4 cm), which is exactly one flower width. So each flower in the top row gets 20 header sts.
Row 1 (RS, Color A): Join with a sl st in the NW tip of the first flower in Row 1, then ch 4 (counts as tr). Ch 5, sc in the North tip, ch 5, tr in the NE tip, ch 7, tr in the NW tip of the next flower. Repeat from * across. On the 11th flower, stop after the tr in the NE tip.
Each flower takes 20 sts: tr (1) + ch 5 + sc (1) + ch 5 + tr (1) + ch 7. The last flower has no ch 7 after it, so it takes 13 sts. Total: (10 x 20) + 13 = 213 sts.
The tr sts sit on the lower diagonal tips and the sc sits on the higher North tip, so the top of Row 1 comes out level. The ch 7 bridges the dip between flowers.
Row 2: Ch 1 and turn. Sc in each st and in each ch, working into the chains rather than around them. (213 sc)
Row 3: Ch 2 (does not count) and turn. Hdc in each st across. (213 hdc)
Row 4: Ch 1 and turn. Sc in each st across. (213 sc)
Header checkpoint: 213 sts ÷ 20 x 4.5 in = 47.9 in (121.7 cm). The West and East side petals reach about 0.8 in (2.0 cm) past each end of the header, which is correct. The header is 1.25 in (3.2 cm) deep above the North tips.
Tabs (make 12): Each tab is worked over 4 sts of Row 4, with 15 sts skipped between tabs.
12 tabs x 4 sts = 48, and 11 gaps x 15 sts = 165. Together that is 48 + 165 = 213, which matches Row 4 exactly. Tab 1 uses sts 1–4, Tab 2 uses sts 20–23, and so on, until Tab 12 uses sts 210–213.
For each tab:
– Row 1: Join Color A, ch 1, then sc in each of the next 4 sts. (4 sc)
– Rows 2–18: Ch 1, turn, then sc in each sc. (4 sc)
– Fasten off, leaving a 10 in (25.4 cm) tail.
Each tab is about 4 in (10.2 cm) long and 0.9 in (2.3 cm) wide. The tabs are 4.3 in (10.9 cm) apart, center to center.
Fold each tab to the WS and whipstitch its last row to the back of header Row 2. This makes a loop about 2 in (5.1 cm) high that fits a rod up to 1 in (2.5 cm) in diameter.
Final Blocking
- Weave in all ends, running each tail through stitches of its own color.
- Lay the curtain RS up on the blocking mats.
- Pin the header straight so it measures 47.9 in (121.7 cm) across.
- Pin the South tips of the bottom row in a straight line 13.5 in (34.3 cm) below the North tips of the top row.
- Pin out every diagonal petal tip and leaf tip so the leaf crosses sit flat and centered.
- Mist lightly until damp and let it dry completely, for at least 12 hours.
- Unpin and hang, then let the curtain settle for a day.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- 33 flowers, each 4.5 in (11.4 cm) across, with every North petal pointing up
- 52 Tip joins and 20 leaf crosses, with no free diagonal tips inside the grid
- 213 sts in each of header Rows 2–4
- 12 evenly spaced tabs, each 18 rows long
- Overall size of 49.5 in (125.7 cm) x 14.75 in (37.5 cm), not counting the tab loops
- All ends woven in and invisible from the RS
Troubleshooting
Petals cup or ruffle: Round 5 is too loose or too tight. Change hook size for Round 5 only.
The grid leans or bunches: Check that every flower was turned correctly before joining. Undo and redo any join made on the wrong tip.
Leaf crosses pucker: The 13-ch bar is too short for your tension. Add 1 ch to each half of the bar, plus 1 extra leaf st per side.
Header ripples: You worked around the chains in Row 2 instead of into them, or you skipped sts. Recount to 213.
Tabs are too tight on the rod: Add 2–4 rows to each tab before sewing it down.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with mild soap, press the water out in a towel, and dry flat. Re-pin the petal tips while damp if needed.
Final Notes
The measurements in this curtain build on each other:
– Each flower is 4.5 in (11.4 cm), so 11 flowers make 49.5 in (125.7 cm) across and 3 rows make 13.5 in (34.3 cm) down.
– The header uses 20 sts per flower, for 213 sts. It adds 1.25 in (3.2 cm), bringing the height to 14.75 in (37.5 cm).
– Twelve 4-st tabs and eleven 15-st gaps use up the 213 sts exactly.
If your first flower matches the gauge, everything after it will fit.
Happy crocheting!