Cascading Leaf Curtain Panel Crochet Pattern

This curtain panel is made of overlapping ribbed leaves on an airy chain-loop net. The leaves hang in staggered columns, like scales or a climbing vine. Light comes through the net between the columns, and the leaves add texture and some privacy.

The photo shows the same panel in two colorways: a deep raspberry pink and a soft sage green. Each panel uses one color only, so you can make one panel or a matching pair. The pattern uses US crochet terms.

The finished panel measures 29 in (73.7 cm) wide and 77 in (195.6 cm) long without the tabs, or 80 in (203.2 cm) from the top of the tabs to the bottom edge.

Construction is simple. You work the net in rows, then make the leaves separately and sew them on in a set grid. Two rounds of single crochet border frame the panel, and eight tabs worked off the top edge hold it on the rod.

Finished Size and Construction

• Finished size: 29 in × 77 in (73.7 × 195.6 cm), plus 3 in (7.6 cm) tabs
• Skill level: Intermediate (simple stitches, lots of repetition, careful counting)
• Terminology: US
• Yarn weight: Worsted (#4) cotton
• Hook: 5.0 mm (H-8)
• Pieces per panel: 1 net base plus 161 leaves
• Layout: 7 leaf columns, 23 leaves per column, staggered
• Leaf size: 3 in × 3.5 in (7.6 × 8.9 cm), plus a 1.25 in (3.2 cm) stem
• Size before border: 28 in × 76 in (71.1 × 193.0 cm)
• Border depth: 0.5 in (1.3 cm) on every side

Materials

Use a smooth, mercerized or combed worsted cotton. Cotton hangs straight, shows the leaf ribbing clearly and holds up in sunlight. Avoid fuzzy or very stretchy acrylic, because the net may sag under the weight of the leaves.

Per panel (one color):
– Raspberry pink or sage green: 1,250 g, about 2,375 m (2,597 yd)

Roughly 600 g goes into the net, border and tabs, and about 650 g into the leaves. For two panels as photographed, buy the full amount in each color.

Tools:
– 5.0 mm (H-8) hook
– Tapestry needle
– Stitch markers (at least 20)
– Measuring tape
– Blocking mats or a clean floor area, plus rust-proof pins
– Spray bottle

All quantities include a margin of about 12% for your swatch and differences in tension.

Abbreviations (US Terms)

• ch: chain
• sl st: slip stitch
• sc: single crochet
• dc: double crochet
• BLO: back loop only
• st(s): stitch(es)
• RS: right side
• rep: repeat

Special stitch: ch-5 loop. Chain 5 and skip to the next anchor point. Each ch-5 loop forms one opening of the net.

Gauge and Checkpoints

Net gauge: 4 ch-5 loops and 5 rows = 4 in (10.2 cm). That means each loop is 1 in (2.5 cm) wide and each row is 0.8 in (2.0 cm) tall.

Border gauge: 16 sc and 16 rows = 4 in (10.2 cm).

Test first: Chain 22 and work Rows 1–3 of the net, then repeat Rows 2–3 until you have 10 rows. That gives 5 loops. Lay the swatch flat without stretching it. It should measure 5 in (12.7 cm) wide and 8 in (20.3 cm) tall.

Then make one leaf. It should measure 3 in (7.6 cm) across at its widest point and 3.5 in (8.9 cm) from base to tip.

Checkpoints:
– After Row 1: 28 in (71.1 cm) wide
– After Row 25: about 20 in (50.8 cm) tall
– After Row 95: 76 in (193.0 cm) tall
– Each leaf: 3 in × 3.5 in (7.6 × 8.9 cm)
– After the border: 29 in × 77 in (73.7 × 195.6 cm)

Too big? Go down one hook size. Too small? Go up one hook size. Keep the leaves and the net on the same hook so the proportions stay correct.

Net Base

Ch 114.

Row 1 (RS): Sc in 2nd ch from hook, ch 5, skip 3 ch, sc in next ch; rep from * across. (29 sc, 28 ch-5 loops)*

Check: 1 sc uses 1 ch, and 28 repeats use 4 ch each, for 112 ch. The first ch is the turning chain. 1 + 1 + 112 = 114.

Row 2: Ch 5 (counts as dc + ch 2), turn. Sc in first ch-5 loop, ch 5, sc in next ch-5 loop; rep from * 26 more times. Ch 2, dc in last sc. (28 sc, 27 ch-5 loops, 1 half loop at each end)*

The half loops at the ends keep the side edges straight.

Row 3: Ch 1, turn. Sc in first dc, ch 5, sc in next ch-5 loop; rep from * 26 more times. Ch 5, sc in 3rd ch of the turning ch-5. (29 sc, 28 ch-5 loops)*

Rows 4–95: Rep Rows 2–3. You will have worked Rows 2–3 a total of 47 times and end on a Row 3. Do not fasten off; place a marker in the live loop and set the panel aside.

Every odd row has 29 sc and 28 loops. Every even row has 28 sc, 27 loops and 2 half loops.

Checkpoint: The net measures 28 in × 76 in (71.1 × 193.0 cm) laid flat. Pin it out flat now so you can place the leaves accurately.

Leaf

Make 161 per panel.

Ch 11.

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in next 8 ch, 3 sc in last ch. Working along the opposite side of the foundation chain, sc in next 9 ch. (21 sc)

Row 2: Ch 1, turn. Working in BLO, sc in next 10 sts, 3 sc in center sc of the tip, sc in next 8 sts. Leave the last 2 sts unworked. (10 + 3 + 8 = 21 sc)

Row 3: Ch 1, turn. Working in BLO, sc in next 9 sts, 3 sc in center sc of the tip, sc in next 9 sts. Leave the last 2 sts unworked. (9 + 3 + 9 = 21 sc)

Rows 4–6: Rep Rows 2, 3 and 2 once more. (21 sc in each row)

The stitch count stays at 21 because each row gains 2 stitches at the tip and leaves 2 behind at the base. That is what makes the stepped, pointed almond shape. Working in the back loops leaves a front-loop ridge on both faces, which forms the herringbone ribs and raised center vein.

Stem: Ch 6, sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in next 4 ch (5 sl st), then sl st into the base of the leaf. Fasten off and leave a 12 in (30.5 cm) tail for sewing.

Checkpoint: The leaf measures 3 in (7.6 cm) wide, 3.5 in (8.9 cm) long and has a 1.25 in (3.2 cm) stem.

Make All Pieces

Per panel:
– 1 net base in the main color
– 161 leaves in the same color: 92 for the A columns and 69 for the B columns

The leaves are placed on the sc stitches of odd net rows, with rows numbered from the bottom (Row 1) to the top (Row 95). Number the sc in each odd row 1–29 from the right edge. The leaves sit on 7 columns, one on every 4th sc starting with sc 3:

• C1 = sc 3
• C2 = sc 7
• C3 = sc 11
• C4 = sc 15
• C5 = sc 19
• C6 = sc 23
• C7 = sc 27

Each column is centered on a 4-loop band of the net, so the columns sit 4 in (10.2 cm) apart. A 3 in (7.6 cm) leaf leaves 1 in (2.5 cm) of net showing between columns.

Row   C1  C2  C3  C4  C5  C6  C7
95    L   .   L   .   L   .   L
93    .   L   .   L   .   L   .
91    L   .   L   .   L   .   L
89    .   L   .   L   .   L   .
...   repeat every 4 rows ...
7     L   .   L   .   L   .   L
5     .   L   .   L   .   L   .

• A columns (C1, C3, C5, C7): Rows 95, 91, 87 … 7. That is 23 leaves each, 92 in total.
• B columns (C2, C4, C6): Rows 93, 89, 85 … 5. That is 23 leaves each, 69 in total.

Joining: Sewing the Leaves

Method: Work from the top tier down. For each leaf, thread the stem tail onto the needle and pass it around the target sc twice. Tack the stem flat along that sc so the leaf base sits on the sc and the body hangs downward.

Then make 2 small invisible stitches through the back of the leaf’s center vein, about 0.75 in (1.9 cm) below the base, and into the nearest strand of the net. This stops the leaf from flipping in a breeze. Leave the sides and tip free so the leaves overlap like scales.

Stitch logic: Each tier is 4 rows apart, which is 3.2 in (8.1 cm). Each leaf is 3.5 in (8.9 cm) long, so the tip overlaps the next leaf in the same column by about 0.3 in (0.8 cm). Tiers in neighboring columns are offset by 2 rows, or 1.6 in (4.1 cm), which creates the staggered cascade.

The leaves on Row 5 end about 0.5 in (1.3 cm) above the bottom of the foundation edge.

Tension: Sew snugly, but don’t pinch the net. If the sc you sewed into pulls the loops beside it out of line, loosen the stitch.

Size checkpoint: After every 5 tiers, measure the width across the lowest tier you have sewn. It should still be 28 in (71.1 cm).

Border

Border gauge: 16 sc = 4 in (10.2 cm).

Round 1: With RS facing, rejoin at the live loop at the end of Row 95, at the top corner.

• Top: Working across Row 95, sc in each sc and 3 sc in each ch-5 loop. (29 + 84 = 113 sc)
• First corner and side: Ch 2 for the corner. Working down the side, 3 sc in each row end. (95 × 3 = 285 sc)
• Bottom: Ch 2. Working across the opposite side of the foundation chain, sc in each of the 113 ch, skipping the original turning ch. (113 sc)
• Last corner and side: Ch 2. Work 3 sc in each row end up the second side. (285 sc)
• Ch 2 and sl st to the first sc.

(796 sc and 4 ch-2 corner spaces)

Round 2: Ch 1. Sc in each sc, and work (sc, ch 2, sc) in each corner space. Sl st to the first sc.

• Per side: top and bottom 113 + 2 = 115 sc; each long side 285 + 2 = 287 sc
• Total: 796 + 8 = 804 sc

Why the math works: On the top and bottom, 113 sc over 28 in works out to 4.04 sc per inch, which matches the sc gauge, so those edges lie flat. On the long sides, 285 sc over 76 in is 3.75 sc per inch. That is slightly under gauge on purpose: it holds the long edges taut under the weight of the leaves instead of letting them ripple. Two sc rounds add 0.25 in (0.6 cm) each, which gives 29 in × 77 in (73.7 × 195.6 cm).

Tabs: Across the 115 sc of the top edge, the tabs start on sc 1, 17, 33, 49, 65, 81, 97 and 113. That is 8 tabs of 3 sc each, with 13 sc between tabs.

For each tab:
– Row 1: Join and sc in 3 sts.
– Rows 2–24: Ch 1, turn, sc in 3 sts.

Each tab is 6 in (15.2 cm) long. Fold it to the back and whipstitch the last row to the back of Round 2 to make a 3 in (7.6 cm) loop. The check: 3 sc on 8 tabs is 24 sc, and 7 gaps of 13 is 91 sc, for 115 sc in total.

Final Blocking

1. Weave in all ends. Run each leaf tail back through its stem.
2. Lay the panel face down on mats or a clean sheet.
3. Pin the border to 29 in × 77 in (73.7 × 195.6 cm). Check that the corners are square by measuring both diagonals; they should match.
4. Turn the panel face up. Smooth each leaf so it points straight down and overlaps the leaf below.
5. Mist the panel until it is evenly damp, but not soaked.
6. Pin each leaf tip lightly to sharpen the point.
7. Let it dry completely, which takes 24–48 hours. Hang it on the rod while it is still slightly heavy so the net settles evenly.

Final Quality-Control Checklist

• Net is 28 in × 76 in (71.1 × 193.0 cm) before the border
• Every odd row has 29 sc and 28 loops
• Every leaf has 21 sc per row, a sharp tip and a 5-sl-st stem
• 161 leaves are sewn on: 7 columns of 23
• Neighboring columns are offset by 2 rows
• Border Round 2 has 804 sc, with 115 on the top and bottom and 287 on each side
• 8 tabs are evenly spaced and sewn securely
• Finished size is 29 in × 77 in (73.7 × 195.6 cm)

Troubleshooting

• Net leans into a parallelogram: You probably missed the turning ch-5 at the end of an odd row. Count 29 sc on every odd row.
• Leaves curl: Your tension is too tight. Go up a half hook size for the leaves only, or block them harder.
• Tip is blunt: Make sure the 3 sc go into the center sc of the previous 3-sc group each time.
• Leaf is lopsided: Recount the 2 unworked stitches at the end of every row.
• Long sides ripple: Work 3 sc in each row end and no more. Hold the sides firmly while you work the border.
• Panel stretches long: Hang it for 48 hours, then re-block it. Cotton relaxes once, then holds its shape.

Care

Hand wash cold or machine wash on a gentle cycle in a mesh laundry bag. Dry the panel flat, never on a line, so the leaves keep their points and the net doesn’t stretch under the wet weight.

Final Notes

Here is the full measurement chain:
– 4 loops = 4 in (10.2 cm), so 28 loops = 28 in (71.1 cm)
– 95 rows = 76 in (193.0 cm)
– 161 leaves of 3 in × 3.5 in (7.6 × 8.9 cm), placed every 4 rows on 7 columns
– 2 border rounds add 0.5 in (1.3 cm) per side, for 29 in × 77 in (73.7 × 195.6 cm)
– 3 in (7.6 cm) tabs bring the full hanging length to 80 in (203.2 cm)

Check each link in the chain before you move on, and the panel will hang straight and evenly. Make one panel in berry and one in sage, or both in the same color.

Happy crocheting!