The Cornflower Cascade is a crocheted doorway curtain: a wavy filet-mesh header in deep royal blue, with eleven beaded cords hanging from it. Each cord carries six puffy eight-petal flowers with pearl centers, small green leaves, groups of glass beads, and a three-drop bead tassel at the tip.
The palette is cool and fresh: royal blue, light sky blue, and white flowers in a diagonal rotation, with leaf green between them. Turquoise, royal, and pearl beads catch the light as the strands move.
The pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished curtain is 36 in (91.4 cm) wide. The longest strands reach 71 in (180.3 cm) from the top edge of the header, so it hangs well in a standard 80 in (203.2 cm) doorway.
Construction is simple to follow. You work the header flat in rows of mesh, shaping the wave with different stitch heights. Next you crochet each beaded cord straight down from the header’s lower edge, add the top edge and hanging tabs, and sew the flowers and leaves onto the cords.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 36 in (91.4 cm) wide x 71 in (180.3 cm) long at the longest strand
- Skill level: Intermediate
- Terminology: US
- Yarn weight: DK / light worsted cotton (weight 3)
- Hook: 4.0 mm (US G-6)
- Number of pieces: 1 header, 11 cords (worked onto the header), 66 flowers, 66 leaves
- Layout: 11 strands x 6 flowers, spaced 3 in (7.6 cm) apart
- Piece sizes: flower 2.5 in (6.4 cm) across; leaf 1.5 in (3.8 cm) long; cord 64 in (162.6 cm) plus a 2 in (5.1 cm) tassel
- Header before border: 36 in (91.4 cm) wide, 2.8 in (7.1 cm) deep at the peaks, 4.8 in (12.2 cm) deep at the valleys
- Border depth: 0.2 in (0.5 cm) top edge, plus tab loops that stand 1.4 in (3.6 cm) above it
Materials
Choose a smooth, mercerized cotton or cotton blend. It holds the mesh shape, stays crisp in the flowers, and won’t stretch much under the weight of the beads. Before you buy, check that your yarn fits through your beads.
- Royal blue (header, cords, flowers): 200 g / 500 m
- Light blue (flowers): 75 g / 188 m
- White (flowers): 75 g / 188 m
- Leaf green (leaves): 50 g / 125 m
All quantities include a margin of about 15–20% for swatching and tension differences.
Beads (per curtain, with spares):
– 6 mm pearl beads: 120 (110 needed)
– 8 mm royal blue glass beads: 200 (187 needed)
– 6 mm turquoise glass beads: 85 (77 needed)
– 10 mm pearl beads for flower centers: 70 (66 needed)
All strung beads need holes of at least 2 mm.
Tools: 4.0 mm hook, big-eye beading needle, tapestry needle, white sewing thread and a sharp needle (for the center pearls), stitch markers, measuring tape, rustproof pins, a blocking board, and a wooden rod up to 0.75 in (1.9 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 (yarn over twice)
- sp – space
- sk – skip
- RS / WS – right side / wrong side
Special technique – slide bead (SB): Push the next pre-strung bead up close to the hook, then make the next chain around it. The bead stays locked on the front of that chain.
Mesh post: Any vertical stitch (hdc, dc, or tr) between two ch-2 spaces.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Mesh gauge: 5 mesh spaces = 3 in (7.6 cm) wide; 1 dc mesh row = 0.6 in (1.5 cm) tall.
Cord gauge: 10 ch = 2 in (5.1 cm), measured after the slip-stitch return pass.
Test one piece first. Chain 35 and work Row 1 of the header over 10 spaces. It should measure 6 in (15.2 cm). Then make one flower and one leaf.
Checkpoints:
1. Header Row 1: 36 in (91.4 cm) wide.
2. After Row 6: 2.6 in (6.6 cm) deep at the peaks and 4.6 in (11.7 cm) at the valleys.
3. After Row 7: 2.8 in (7.1 cm) at the peaks and 4.8 in (12.2 cm) at the valleys.
4. Flower: 2.5 in (6.4 cm) across. Leaf: 1.5 in (3.8 cm) long.
5. One cord segment (50 ch): 10 in (25.4 cm).
Too big? Go down 0.5 mm. Too small? Go up 0.5 mm. If only the cord is off, change your hook just for the cords.
Header
With royal blue, ch 185.
Row 1 (RS): Dc in 8th ch from hook. The skipped 7 ch count as the first post plus a ch-2 sp. *Ch 2, sk 2 ch, dc in next ch; repeat from * 58 more times. Turn. (61 posts, 60 ch-2 sp)
The wave repeat covers 10 spaces, or 6 in (15.2 cm). Posts in each repeat are numbered 0 to 10. Post 10 of one repeat is post 0 of the next, so the posts run hdc, hdc, dc, tr, tr, tr, tr, tr, dc, hdc, hdc. The hdc posts form the peaks, and the center tr posts form the valleys.
Row 2: Ch 4 (counts as hdc and ch 2). Hdc in next post, ch 2, dc in next post, [ch 2, tr in next post] 5 times, ch 2, dc in next post, ch 2, hdc in next post, ch 2, hdc in next post. *Ch 2, hdc in next post, ch 2, dc in next post, [ch 2, tr in next post] 5 times, ch 2, dc in next post, ch 2, hdc in next post, ch 2, hdc in next post; repeat from * 4 more times. Work the last hdc into the top of the beginning chain. Turn. (61 posts, 60 ch-2 sp)
Rows 3–6: Repeat Row 2. Every post sits on top of a post of the same height, so the wave gets deeper with each row. (61 posts, 60 ch-2 sp in each row)
Row 7 (trim): Ch 1, sc in each post and 2 sc in each ch-2 sp. Count: 61 sc (1 per post) + 120 sc (2 per space) = 181 sc. Fasten off.
Post i (counting from 0) sits under sc number 3i + 1. Valley centers fall at sc 16, 46, 76, 106, 136, and 166. Inner peaks fall at sc 31, 61, 91, 121, and 151. Place a marker in each of these 11 sc. They are the cord positions.
Flower (make 66)
Rnd 1: Make a magic ring. Ch 3 (counts as dc), 15 dc in ring, then sl st to the top of the beginning ch. Pull the ring closed. (16 dc)
Rnd 2: Ch 1, sc in the same st, ch 3, sk 1. *Sc in next st, ch 3, sk 1; repeat from * 6 more times. Sl st to the first sc. (8 sc, 8 ch-3 sp)
Rnd 3: In each ch-3 sp, work (sc, hdc, 3 dc, hdc, sc). Sl st to the first sc. (8 petals, 56 sts) Fasten off and leave a 12 in (30.5 cm) tail.
Use sewing thread to sew a 10 mm pearl into the center ring. Weave in the starting tail and keep the long tail for attaching.
Leaf (make 66)
With green, ch 7.
Rnd 1: Working in the ch from 2nd ch from hook: sc, hdc, dc, dc, hdc, sc. Ch 2 for the tip. Then work along the other side of the foundation: sc, hdc, dc, dc, hdc, sc. Sl st to the first sc. (12 sts + ch-2 tip) Fasten off and leave an 8 in (20.3 cm) tail.
Make All Pieces
Make 22 flowers in each color: royal blue (R), light blue (L), and white (W). Make all 66 leaves in green.
The flower colors rotate diagonally across the strands. Position 1 is the top flower.
Strand: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Pos 1: W L R W L R W L R W L
Pos 2: L R W L R W L R W L R
Pos 3: R W L R W L R W L R W
Pos 4: W L R W L R W L R W L
Pos 5: L R W L R W L R W L R
Pos 6: R W L R W L R W L R W
Each row of the grid uses 11 flowers. Each three-row block uses 11 of each color, so the full grid uses 22 of each.
Joining: Cords to Header, Flowers and Leaves to Cords
String the beads. Each cord uses 34 beads. String them in reverse order of use, because the last bead strung is the first one you’ll use:
- Tassel beads first: [6 mm pearl, 8 mm royal] 3 times.
- Then 7 bead groups. String each group as 8 mm royal, 6 mm turquoise, 8 mm royal, 6 mm pearl.
When you work them, each group comes off the yarn top to bottom as pearl, royal, turquoise, royal.
Cord. With RS of the header facing, sl st into a marked sc of Row 7.
Segment (50 ch): Ch 6. [SB, ch 2] 4 times (8 ch). Ch 12; place a marker in the 6th ch of these 12 for the leaf. Ch 14; place a marker in the 7th ch for the flower center. Ch 10.
Work the segment 6 times (300 ch). Then [SB, ch 2] 4 times and ch 12 to end the cord (20 ch). The cord now has 320 ch, or 64 in (162.6 cm).
Tassel: Ch 9, SB twice (royal, then pearl), and ch 1 tightly to lock them. Sl st in the back bump of each of the 9 ch. Repeat twice more for 3 drops.
Return pass: Sl st in the back bump of each of the 320 cord ch, all the way back up to the header. Sl st into the same marked sc, then fasten off.
The slip-stitch pass does three things. It locks each bead, keeps the cord at its full chain length, and makes the cord look like a twisted cord. Don’t pull the return pass tight. If you do, the cord shortens and the beads crowd together.
Repeat for all 11 marked sc.
Size checkpoint: Every cord should measure 64 in (162.6 cm) from the header to the base of the tassel. Strands at the valleys hang 2 in (5.1 cm) lower than strands at the peaks, which echoes the wave.
Attach flowers. Following the layout grid, center each flower over its flower marker. Whipstitch the back of the center ring to the cord with the long tail, catching 3 cord stitches. Also tack the top and bottom petal tips to the cord so the flower can’t twist.
Attach leaves. At each leaf marker, sew the base of the leaf to the side of the cord so the tip points up and outward. Alternate left and right down each strand.
Border
The border goes along the top edge of the header. It gives the header a firm edge and adds the hanging tabs.
Border gauge: 5 sc = 1 in (2.5 cm).
Border Row 1: With RS facing, join royal blue at the top right corner. Working into the underside of the foundation chain, sc in the base of each post and 2 sc in each ch-2 sp. Count: 61 sc (1 per post) + 120 sc (2 per space) = 181 sc. Do not fasten off.
Border Row 2 (tabs): There are 13 tabs, one above post 0, then every 5 posts up to post 60. Each tab is 5 sc wide.
- Tab 1 uses sc 1–5.
- The inner tabs are centered on posts 5, 10, 15, …, 55. Each one is centered on sc 3i + 1, with 2 sc on each side, so the first inner tab uses sc 14–18.
- Tab 13 uses sc 177–181.
To work each tab: join at its first sc, then sc in 5 sc and turn. Work 15 more rows of 5 sc, for 16 rows total (3.2 in / 8.1 cm). Fasten off with a 12 in (30.5 cm) tail.
Why the math works: The tabs use 13 x 5 = 65 sc. The two end gaps are 8 sc each (16), and the ten inner gaps are 10 sc each (100). That adds up to 65 + 16 + 100 = 181. Each tab sits directly above a cord or a header corner, so the tabs take the weight evenly.
Fold each tab to the WS and sew its last row along the base of the tab on Row 1. This leaves a loop about 1.4 in (3.6 cm) tall that fits a rod up to 0.75 in (1.9 cm) thick.
Final Blocking
- Wet-block the header only. Soak it, then gently press out the water in a towel.
- Pin it flat to 36 in (91.4 cm) wide. Pin the peaks 2.8 in (7.1 cm) and the valleys 4.8 in (12.2 cm) below the top edge.
- Square each mesh opening with your fingers and let it dry completely.
- Steam the flowers lightly from the back to open the petals. Don’t flatten the dc centers.
- Hang the curtain on its rod for 24 hours so the cords can relax to their final length.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Header is 36 in (91.4 cm) wide, with 6 even waves
- Rows 2–6 have 61 posts each, and Row 7 and Border Row 1 have 181 sc each
- 13 tabs are evenly placed and securely sewn
- All 11 cords are 64 in (162.6 cm), with 7 bead groups and 3 tassel drops
- Flowers are 2.5 in (6.4 cm) across, with secure pearls and the grid’s color order
- Leaves alternate sides
- All ends are woven in at least 1.5 in (3.8 cm)
Troubleshooting
Header ruffles or cups: Your chain-2 spaces are too loose. Tighten them, or go down a hook size for the mesh.
Wave looks shallow: Make your tr posts full height, with both yarn-overs pulled through cleanly.
Cords too short: You pulled the return pass too tight. Loosen it or go up a hook size.
Beads slide around: Make the chain after each SB snug.
Flowers twist forward: Add another tack stitch at the bottom petal.
Petals look flat: Pack the 3 dc tightly into each ch-3 sp.
Care
Hand wash in cool water and lay the curtain flat to dry, with the cords straightened. Dust it by shaking gently, and never machine wash, because the beads and strands can tangle.
Final Notes
Each measurement builds on the one before it. Five mesh spaces measure 3 in (7.6 cm), so 60 spaces make the header 36 in (91.4 cm) wide. Six rows plus the trim build waves 2.8 in (7.1 cm) to 4.8 in (12.2 cm) deep. Eleven cords of 320 ch hang 64 in (162.6 cm), and the tassels take the longest strands to 71 in (180.3 cm). If your gauge and the checkpoints match, the finished curtain will too.
Happy crocheting!