These lace curtains are made from round sunburst motifs. Each motif has an open center, a ring of slim pointed petals, and a solid circular outline. Joined in a simple grid, the circles let light through the star-shaped gaps between them while still giving some privacy.
The sample uses a single warm coral cotton. One color keeps the lace looking calm, so the eye goes to the texture rather than to color changes. The style sits somewhere between vintage doily and modern boho, and it suits a living room, bedroom, or sunny kitchen.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. One finished panel measures 37.5 in x 85.5 in (95.3 cm x 217.2 cm) after blocking. Make two panels for a pair, as shown.
Each motif is worked in 5 rounds. Rounds 1 to 4 build the circle, and Round 5 adds the chain loops you join with. You join motifs as you go on Round 5, at one loop per side, into a grid 6 motifs wide and 14 motifs tall. A 3-round border runs around the panel, smooths the dips along the edges, and gives you a firm top edge for clip rings.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished panel size: 37.5 in x 85.5 in (95.3 cm x 217.2 cm)
- Skill level: Intermediate
- Terminology: US
- Yarn weight: DK (#3), cotton or cotton blend
- Hook: 4.0 mm (G-6)
- Number of pieces: 84 motifs per panel, 168 for a pair
- Layout: 6 motifs wide x 14 motifs tall per panel
- Motif size: 6 in (15.2 cm) across, from loop tip to loop tip
- Size before border: 36 in x 84 in (91.4 cm x 213.4 cm)
- Border depth: about 0.75 in (1.9 cm) on each edge
Materials
Yarn: Use a smooth mercerized or combed cotton in DK weight. Cotton holds the lace shape well, blocks crisply, and doesn’t stretch much when it hangs. Avoid fuzzy or very stretchy yarns. Long panels of lace pull downward, and stretchy yarn will drop.
- Coral: 700 g / 1,680 m per panel (fourteen 50 g balls of about 120 m each)
- For a pair: 1,400 g / 3,360 m (twenty-eight 50 g balls)
These quantities include a margin of about 10%. Each motif uses about 7 g (16.8 m), and the border uses about 35 g (84 m) per panel. Buy all your yarn from one dye lot.
Tools:
- 4.0 mm (G-6) crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- Stitch markers
- Measuring tape
- Blocking mats or a large towel-covered surface, plus rust-proof pins
- Spray bottle
- 11 clip rings per panel, for hanging
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)
- sk – skip
- rep – repeat
- JAYG – join-as-you-go
Special stitches
- Beginning cluster (beg-cl): Ch 4. *Yo twice, insert hook in st, pull up a loop, [yo, pull through 2 loops] twice; rep from * once more in the same st. Yo and pull through all 3 loops on hook.
- Cluster (cl): *Yo twice, insert hook in st, pull up a loop, [yo, pull through 2 loops] twice; rep from * 2 more times in the same st. Yo and pull through all 4 loops on hook.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Before you start the panel, make one complete motif and block it. Gauge matters a lot here, because 14 motifs stacked up will multiply any error by 14.
Basic gauge: 20 sc = 4 in (10.2 cm) in DK cotton with a 4.0 mm hook.
Motif checkpoints (measured flat, lightly pressed):
- After Round 1: 1.25 in (3.2 cm) across
- After Round 2: 3 in (7.6 cm) across, petal tip to petal tip
- After Round 3: 4 in (10.2 cm) across
- After Round 4: 4.5 in (11.4 cm) across
- After Round 5: 6 in (15.2 cm) across, loop tip to loop tip
If your motif is too big (over 6.25 in / 15.9 cm), go down to a 3.75 mm hook. If it’s too small (under 5.75 in / 14.6 cm), go up to a 4.5 mm hook. Being 0.25 in (0.6 cm) off per motif changes the panel height by 3.5 in (8.9 cm), so it’s worth getting this right.
Motif Pattern
Round 1: Ch 8 and sl st to the first ch to form a ring. Ch 1, then work 16 sc into the ring. Join with a sl st to the first sc. (16 sc)
This leaves the open center hole.
Round 2: Work a beg-cl in the same st as the join, then ch 3. [Cl in next sc, ch 3] 15 times. Join with a sl st to the top of the beg-cl. (16 clusters, 16 ch-3 sps)
These are the 16 pointed petals.
Round 3: Sl st into the first ch-3 sp. Ch 1, sc in the same sp, ch 5. [Sc in next ch-3 sp, ch 5] 15 times. Join with a sl st to the first sc. (16 sc, 16 ch-5 loops)
Each sc sits between two petals, and each ch-5 loop arches over one petal tip.
Round 4: Sl st into the first ch-5 loop. Ch 1. [4 sc in next ch-5 loop, 5 sc in next ch-5 loop] 8 times. Join with a sl st to the first sc. (72 sc)
Alternating 4 sc and 5 sc keeps the ring flat. This solid round is what gives the motif its clear circular outline.
Round 5 (first motif only): Ch 1, sc in the same st, ch 6, sk 5 sc. [Sc in next sc, ch 6, sk 5 sc] 11 times. Join with a sl st to the first sc. Fasten off. (12 sc, 12 ch-6 loops)
Check: each repeat covers 6 sts (1 sc + 5 skipped), and 12 x 6 = 72. That matches Round 4.
Naming the loops: Turn the motif so that one loop points straight up. Count the loops 1 to 12 in the direction you worked, starting with the top loop. Loops 1, 4, 7, and 10 are the join loops: top, side, bottom, and the other side. Each of these has 2 free loops between it and the next join loop. Each side of a motif is one join loop plus the loop on either side of it, so 3 loops per side. All 12 loops belong to exactly one side.
Make All Pieces
Make 84 motifs per panel, all in Coral. That’s 168 motifs for a pair. The first motif uses the plain Round 5 above. Every other motif is joined on Round 5 as it’s made.
Layout per panel (O = one motif, 6 across x 14 down):
Row 1: O O O O O O
Row 2: O O O O O O
Row 3: O O O O O O
... (rows 4–13 the same)
Row 14: O O O O O O
Work across Row 1 from left to right, then start Row 2 under the first motif, and so on.
Joining
Joining uses the JAYG method on Round 5. Work Rounds 1 to 4 of a new motif as usual, then work Round 5 the usual way, except at each join loop that touches a finished motif.
Join loop: Ch 3, insert your hook from the front under the matching join loop of the finished motif, and sl st. Ch 3, then carry on with the next sc as usual.
The two ch-3 sections plus the sl st take the place of the ch-6, so the stitch count of the motif doesn’t change.
- Row 1: Join each new motif’s left join loop to the right join loop of the motif before it. That’s 1 join per motif.
- Rows 2 to 14: Join the top join loop to the bottom join loop of the motif above. Then, from the second motif in the row onward, join the left join loop to the right join loop of the motif on the left. That’s 1 or 2 joins per motif.
Each panel ends up with 70 side-to-side joins (5 per row x 14 rows) and 78 top-to-bottom joins (6 per column x 13 rows). Wherever four motifs meet, the 8 free loops around the gap leave the open star-shaped spaces.
Tension: Keep the ch-3 sections the same tension as your ch-6 loops. If your joins are tight, the circles will pucker. If they’re loose, the grid will sag.
Size checkpoint: Two joined motifs should measure 12 in (30.5 cm) from outer loop tip to outer loop tip. The finished grid should measure 36 in x 84 in (91.4 cm x 213.4 cm).
Border
Border gauge: 20 sc = 4 in (10.2 cm). Along each outer side of a motif you’ll work 7 sc into each ch-6 loop.
Round 1 (contour round): Join yarn in the first loop of the top side of the top-left motif. Work around the whole panel like this:
- Each side of the panel: [7 sc in each of the 3 loops on that side of the motif (21 sc), ch 9 to bridge the dip to the next motif] across, ending with 21 sc on the last motif (no bridge after it).
- Each corner: Ch 3, then go straight on to the first loop of the next side of the same corner motif.
The bridge chains skip the dip loops (the ones next to the joins) on both motifs.
Side counts for Round 1 (these don’t include the corner chains):
- Top and bottom: (6 motifs x 21 sc) + (5 bridges x 9 ch) = 126 + 45 = 171 sts each
- Left and right: (14 motifs x 21 sc) + (13 bridges x 9 ch) = 294 + 117 = 411 sts each
Join with a sl st to the first sc. The bridges are the only stitches added between motifs, and they’re counted above.
Round 2 (leveling round): Sl st into the next st, then ch 1.
- Over each group of 21 sc: sc in each st.
- Over each 9-ch bridge: hdc, 2 dc, 3 tr, 2 dc, hdc (9 sts). The taller stitches fill the dip.
- In each corner ch-3 sp: (sc, ch 2, sc).
Side counts stay 171 sts (top/bottom) and 411 sts (left/right), plus 2 corner sc at each corner. Join with a sl st.
Round 3 (finishing round): Ch 1. Sc in each st along each side. In each corner ch-2 sp, work (sc, ch 2, sc). Join with a sl st and fasten off.
Each side now has its 1-per-stitch sc plus the Round 2 corner sc at each end:
- Top and bottom: 171 + 2 = 173 sc each
- Left and right: 411 + 2 = 413 sc each
Plus 2 corner sc at each corner.
Why the math works: Each group of 3 outer loops follows about 4.2 in (10.7 cm) of curve, which is 21 sc at the gauge. Each dip between two circles is about 1.8 in (4.6 cm) wide, which is 9 ch at the gauge. Along the top, that’s 6 curves and 5 dips, a path of about 34 in (86.4 cm). This fits inside the 36 in (91.4 cm) width because the border starts and ends partway around the curve of each corner motif. Round 2 keeps the same count and just changes stitch heights, so the edge levels out without ruffling or pulling in. The border adds about 0.75 in (1.9 cm) per edge, giving 36 + 1.5 = 37.5 in (95.3 cm) by 84 + 1.5 = 85.5 in (217.2 cm).
Final Blocking
- Weave in all ends securely along the solid sc rings, where they won’t show through the lace.
- Soak the panel in cool water for 15 minutes. Squeeze out the water gently, without wringing, then roll it in towels.
- Lay it flat on mats. Pin the outer border first, to 37.5 in x 85.5 in (95.3 cm x 217.2 cm).
- Pin the top edge perfectly straight, since that’s where the clips go.
- Shape each motif into a circle and open up the petals and the gaps by hand. Pin any loops that lift.
- Let it dry completely, which takes 24 to 48 hours.
- Unpin. Clip 11 rings along the top: one at the center of each motif top and one at the middle of each bridge.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Every motif has 16 petals, 72 sc in Round 4, and 12 loops.
- Every interior join loop is connected, with no missed joins.
- The grid is 6 x 14, with all motifs facing the same way.
- The border has 173 sc on the top and bottom and 413 sc on each side.
- All four corners lie flat.
- The blocked size is 37.5 in x 85.5 in (95.3 cm x 217.2 cm).
- The ends are hidden and trimmed.
- The second panel matches the first to within 0.5 in (1.3 cm).
Troubleshooting
- Motif cups: Round 4 is too tight. Go up a hook size for Round 4 only, or check that you’re alternating 4 sc and 5 sc.
- Motif ruffles: Your clusters are too tall or your ch-5 loops too long. Pull your yo loops snug, or change hooks.
- Gaps look lopsided: A join went into the wrong loop. Count 2 free loops between each pair of join loops.
- Top edge dips between clips: Add a clip at each bridge, or work Round 2’s bridge stitches a little taller.
- Panel grows longer while hanging: That’s normal for lace. Re-block it and hang it with clips spaced evenly.
- Border ruffles: Use 6 sc per loop instead of 7, and do the same on every motif.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with mild detergent, or machine wash in a mesh bag on a delicate cycle. Then reshape and dry the panel flat. Don’t tumble dry, because heat can shrink cotton unevenly.
Final Notes
The measurements build on each other. The 20 sc gauge sets the 6 in (15.2 cm) motif. Six motifs across and fourteen down give 36 in x 84 in (91.4 cm x 213.4 cm). The border adds 0.75 in (1.9 cm) per edge, for a finished panel of 37.5 in x 85.5 in (95.3 cm x 217.2 cm). Check your first motif carefully, then trust the math for the rest of the panel.
Happy crocheting!