The Ivory Bloom is a single six-petal flower motif with a soft, vintage look. It has an open center ring and six fan-shaped petals made of tall radiating stitches. A crisp single-crochet outline finishes each petal, with a tiny round picot at every tip.
The sample uses one color, a warm ivory cotton. Cream shows the stitch texture best, but any smooth, light solid works well. The style sits somewhere between Irish-lace appliqué and a classic doily flower.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished motif measures 5 in (12.7 cm) from petal tip to opposite petal tip, including the picots.
The flower is worked in the round in four rounds plus a starting ring:
- A chain ring with a single-crochet center band
- A round of chain loops
- The petal fans
- A single-crochet outline with picots
You end up with exactly one finished piece, and no joining is needed.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 5 in (12.7 cm) tip to tip, picots included
- Skill level: Easy / Advanced beginner
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: Worsted (#4), cotton
- Hook: US 7 (4.5 mm)
- Number of pieces: 1 motif
- Layout: Single motif, no assembly
- Piece size: 5 in (12.7 cm) tip to tip
- Size before border (after Round 3): 4.5 in (11.4 cm) tip to tip
- Border depth (Round 4): 0.25 in (0.6 cm) added at each tip
Materials
Yarn: Use a smooth, mercerized or combed worsted-weight cotton. Cotton gives the petals clean stitch definition and helps them stay flat after blocking. Acrylic will work, but the petals will look softer and may curl slightly at the tips.
- Ivory / Cream: 15 g, about 26 m (28 yd)
The motif itself uses about 11–12 g. The quantity above includes a margin for testing your gauge and for tails.
If you swap colors, choose a solid or a very subtle heather. Strong variegated yarns hide the radiating posts and make the picots hard to see.
Tools:
- US 7 (4.5 mm) crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- Scissors
- 1 locking stitch marker
- Blocking mat or folded towel
- Rust-proof pins
- Spray bottle with water
- Ruler or tape measure
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)
- dtr: double treble crochet (yarn over 3 times)
- sk: skip
- sp(s): space(s)
- st(s): stitch(es)
Special stitch: Picot. Ch 3, then sl st into the front loop and left leg of the sc just made. This closes the chain into a small, round knot that sits right on the petal tip.
Gauge and Checkpoints
This is a single motif, so your first motif is also your gauge test. Work Rounds 1–3, measure, and change hooks if needed before you add the border.
Checkpoints:
- After Round 1: The center band is 1.25 in (3.2 cm) across. The open hole is about 0.5 in (1.3 cm).
- After Round 2: 2 in (5.1 cm) across, measured from the outer edge of one ch-5 loop to the opposite loop.
- After Round 3: 4.5 in (11.4 cm) from petal tip to opposite petal tip.
- After Round 4: 5 in (12.7 cm) tip to tip, including picots. Each petal is about 1.75 in (4.4 cm) wide at its widest point.
If your motif is too big: Go down to a 4 mm (US G-6) hook and check Round 2 again. Loose tall stitches are the most common cause, so pull each yarn-over snug before you draw up the next loop.
If your motif is too small: Go up to a 5 mm (US H-8) hook. Also make sure you aren’t tightening the dtr posts. Let each loop sit at the full height of the hook.
A difference of 0.25 in (0.6 cm) after Round 3 usually grows to about 0.5 in (1.3 cm) after the border and blocking, so fix it early.
Pattern
Center Ring
Ch 8, then sl st to the first ch to form a ring.
Round 1: Ch 1 (does not count as a st). Work 18 sc into the ring, then sl st to the first sc to join. (18 sc)
Pack the stitches evenly around the ring. The hole should stay open, about 0.5 in (1.3 cm) across. If the sc bunch up, slide them gently around the chain before you join.
Petal Foundation
Round 2: Ch 1, sc in the same st as the join, ch 5, sk the next 2 sts. Sc in the next st, ch 5, sk the next 2 sts. Repeat from * to * 4 more times. Sl st to the first sc to join. (6 sc and 6 ch-5 sps)
Check: 6 repeats × 3 stitches used (1 worked + 2 skipped) = 18, which matches Round 1 exactly. Each ch-5 loop will become one petal.
Petals
Sl st into the first ch-5 sp.
Round 3: Work this group into each ch-5 sp around:
(Sc, hdc, 2 dc, 2 tr, 3 dtr, 2 tr, 2 dc, hdc, sc)
After the sixth petal, sl st to the first sc to join. Don’t work any stitches into the Round 2 sc between loops. The last sc of one petal sits right beside the first sc of the next petal, and that creates the small notch between petals.
Per petal: 1 sc + 1 hdc + 2 dc + 2 tr + 3 dtr + 2 tr + 2 dc + 1 hdc + 1 sc = 15 sts
Round total: 90 sts (6 petals × 15 sts)
Work every stitch over the whole chain into the space, not into individual chains. This lets the fan slide and spread evenly along the loop. Push the finished stitches toward the start of the loop as you go so all 15 fit without crowding.
Place a marker in the center dtr of the first petal, which is the second of the 3 dtr. It marks the petal tip.
The stitches step up in height from sc to dtr and back down again. That makes each fan rounded with a soft point, and all the posts radiate back toward the center ring, which gives the petal its lined, sunburst texture.
Tension note: Tall stitches look best when each pair of loops is pulled through with the same even motion. Avoid yanking the final loop of a tr or dtr. It narrows the top of the post and makes the petal edge wavy. Measure now: 4.5 in (11.4 cm) tip to tip.
Border
Round 4 is the outline border. It gives the petals their clean edge and puts a picot on each tip.
Border gauge: 4 sc = 1 in (2.5 cm) along the petal edge. Each petal outline runs about 4.5 in (11.4 cm) around its curve. The border adds 0.25 in (0.6 cm) at each tip, so the motif measures 5 in (12.7 cm) tip to tip.
Round 4: Ch 1, then work this sequence across each petal:
- Sl st in the first sc
- Sc in the hdc
- Sc in each of the next 2 dc
- 2 sc in each of the next 2 tr
- Sc in the first dtr
- (Sc, picot, sc) in the center dtr
- Sc in the third dtr
- 2 sc in each of the next 2 tr
- Sc in each of the next 2 dc
- Sc in the hdc
- Sl st in the last sc
Go straight on to the next petal. The sl st into its first sc comes right after the sl st into the last sc of the previous petal. After the sixth petal, sl st to the first sl st to join. Fasten off.
Count per petal (conversion round):
Each of the 15 existing stitches is worked once, which gives 2 sl st + 13 sc. Then 5 extra sc are added: one each from the 4 tr increases, and one from the second sc in the center dtr.
- 15 worked one-per-stitch + 5 extra = 20 sts per petal (2 sl st + 18 sc), plus 1 picot
Round total: 6 × 20 = 120 sts (12 sl st + 108 sc), plus 6 picots
Why the math works:
- Straight sides: The sides of each petal are almost straight, so the hdc and dc get 1 sc each and the edge stays flat.
- Curved tip: The curve around the tip is longer than the Round 3 stitches beneath it, so each of the 4 tr takes 2 sc.
- Centered picot: The center dtr takes 2 sc with the picot between them. That leaves exactly 9 sc on each side of the picot, so it sits right on the point.
- Sharp notches: The low sl sts at the petal bases keep the notches sharp and stop the edge from flaring between petals.
Final Blocking
- Weave in both tails along the back of the center band and the petal edges, following the stitch direction. Don’t trim them yet.
- Spray the motif evenly until it is damp but not dripping. Cotton can also be dipped in cool water and rolled in a towel.
- Lay the motif face up on your blocking mat.
- Pin the center first. Put 2–3 pins inside the hole to keep it round at 0.5 in (1.3 cm).
- Pin each petal tip just below the picot, so opposite tips are 5 in (12.7 cm) apart.
- Check that the 6 tips are evenly spaced. Neighboring tips should be about 2.5 in (6.4 cm) apart.
- Pin into each notch between petals to keep the notches crisp.
- Pinch each picot into a round knot with your fingers.
- Let the motif dry completely, which takes about 6–8 hours.
- Unpin the motif and trim the woven tails close.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- The center hole is open and round, about 0.5 in (1.3 cm).
- Round 1 has 18 sc, and Round 2 has 6 evenly spaced ch-5 loops.
- All 6 petals have 15 sts in Round 3.
- Each petal has 9 sc on each side of the picot in Round 4.
- All 6 picots sit centered on the tips.
- The motif measures 5 in (12.7 cm) tip to tip in all three directions.
- The petals lie flat, without cupping or ruffling.
- No tails show from the front.
Troubleshooting
The petals cup upward. Your tall stitches are tight compared with the ch-5 loops. Loosen the dtr, or work Round 2 with ch 6 instead of ch 5.
The petals ruffle. The ch-5 loops are too long for your tension. Try ch 4 in Round 2, or go down half a hook size for Round 3 only.
The picot is off-center. Count that petal’s Round 3 stitches again. If there are 14 or 16, the center dtr has shifted, so rework that petal.
The picot is floppy. Make sure you sl st into the sc you just made, not into the next stitch. Pinch the picot into shape when you block.
The center hole closes up. Start with ch 10 instead of ch 8, and keep the same 18 sc.
The 18 sc won’t fit in the ring. Your sc are bulky. Push the stitches tighter together, or start with ch 9.
The notches look gappy. Keep the sl sts at the petal bases snug, and pull the yarn firmly as you move from one petal to the next.
The join shows as a bump. Join into the top loops only, and hide the tail under the first petal when you weave it in.
The motif is uneven. Block it again while it is damp, and measure each tip-to-tip line separately.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with a mild detergent, press the water out in a towel, and dry flat while you reshape the petals. Don’t use a dryer, because it can distort the petal tips and picots.
Final Notes
The Ivory Bloom has a short measurement chain that is easy to check:
| Stage | Size | Stitch count |
|---|---|---|
| Round 1 | 1.25 in (3.2 cm) | 18 sc |
| Round 2 | 2 in (5.1 cm) | 6 sc and 6 ch-5 loops |
| Round 3 | 4.5 in (11.4 cm) | 90 sts |
| Round 4, blocked | 5 in (12.7 cm) tip to tip | 120 sts plus 6 picots |
If every checkpoint matches, your flower will look like the sample: an open center, six radiating fan petals, clean outlines, and one round picot on every tip. Make one, block it well, and use it as an appliqué, a coaster, or a small gift topper.
Happy crocheting!