This little flower is warm and simple. It has five rounded peach petals, a bright cream center, and three sage green leaves peeking out from behind. It looks like spring and works up fast.
The style is classic and a bit vintage. The petals have soft, fanned stitches. The leaves have a neat center vein and a pointed tip. The three colors keep it fresh without looking busy.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished flower is 4.5 in (11.4 cm) across. With the leaves attached, the whole motif is about 5.5 in (14.0 cm) wide and 5.75 in (14.6 cm) tall.
You will work the flower in the round, starting with a cream ring of double crochet. Then you switch to peach for a base round, a chain-loop round, and two petal rounds, and finish with a single crochet outline. Next you make three leaves around a foundation chain and sew them to the back of the flower.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: about 5.5 in (14.0 cm) wide x 5.75 in (14.6 cm) tall, leaves included
- Skill level: Easy
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: Worsted (#4), cotton or cotton blend
- Hook: 4.5 mm (US G/7)
- Number of pieces: 1 finished motif (1 flower + 3 leaves sewn together)
- Layout: Flower in the center, one leaf behind the top petal, and one leaf behind each lower side gap
- Piece size: Flower 4.5 in (11.4 cm) across; each leaf 1.75 in (4.4 cm) long x 1 in (2.5 cm) wide
- Size before border: 4.25 in (10.8 cm) across after Round 5
- Border depth: about 0.125 in (0.3 cm) on each side (1 round of sc)
Materials
Choose a smooth worsted cotton or cotton blend. Cotton shows the stitch detail clearly and holds the petal shape well. Try to use the same yarn line in all three colors so the weights match.
- Peach (Color A): 10 g, about 20 m
- Cream (Color B): 2 g, about 4 m
- Sage green (Color C): 6 g, about 12 m
These amounts include a safety margin of about 20% for your gauge swatch, joins, and weaving in ends.
Tools:
- 4.5 mm (US G/7) crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- Scissors
- 2 to 3 stitch markers
- Ruler or tape measure
- Blocking mat and rust-proof pins
- Spray bottle with water
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- hdc – half double crochet
- dc – double crochet
- sk – skip
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- sp – space
- MR – magic ring
- rep – repeat
Special stitch – picot tip: Ch 2, sl st in the 2nd ch from the hook. This makes a small point at the tip of each leaf.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Basic gauge: 16 sc x 18 rows = 4 in (10.2 cm) with a 4.5 mm hook. Exact gauge isn’t critical for a motif, but checking it keeps your yarn amounts and size on target.
Test one piece first. Make the flower through Round 6 and check it against the measurements below before you make the leaves.
Checkpoints:
- After Round 1: cream ring 1.25 in (3.2 cm) across
- After Round 2: 1.75 in (4.4 cm) across
- After Round 3: 2.5 in (6.4 cm) across, measured from loop tip to loop tip
- After Round 4: 3.5 in (8.9 cm) across
- After Round 5: 4.25 in (10.8 cm) across
- After Round 6: 4.5 in (11.4 cm) across
- Each leaf: 1.75 in (4.4 cm) long x 1 in (2.5 cm) wide
If your flower is too big: Go down to a 4 mm (US G/6) hook. Also check that your chain-5 loops in Round 3 aren’t loose.
If your flower is too small: Go up to a 5 mm (US H/8) hook. If the petals cup instead of lying flat, a bigger hook usually fixes it.
Flower
Work every round with the right side facing you, and don’t turn. The beginning ch 3 counts as a dc in Round 1. The beginning ch 1 never counts as a stitch.
Color changes: You only change color once in the flower, from cream to peach. Leave 4 in (10.2 cm) tails at the change and weave them in on the back later. You can also crochet over the tails in Round 2 to save time.
Round 1 (Color B, cream): Make a MR. Ch 3 (counts as dc), then work 14 dc into the ring. Pull the ring snug but leave a small hole in the center, about 0.25 in (0.6 cm) wide. Sl st to the top of the beginning ch 3. (15 dc) Fasten off the cream.
Round 2 (Color A, peach): Join peach in any dc. Ch 1, work 2 sc in each dc around. Sl st to the first sc. (30 sc)
This is a growth round. The 15 stitches of Round 1 double to 30, which gives you 6 stitches for each of the 5 petals.
Round 3 (chain-loop round): Ch 1, sc in the same st as the join, ch 5, sk the next 5 sts, sc in the next st, ch 5, sk the next 5 sts; rep from * 3 more times. Sl st to the first sc. (5 sc and 5 ch-5 loops)
Each repeat uses exactly 6 stitches of Round 2 (1 sc + 5 skipped), and 5 x 6 = 30. The loops line up evenly around the cream center.
Round 4 (first petal layer): Sl st into the first ch-5 loop. In the same loop, work (sc, hdc, 7 dc, hdc, sc), then sl st in the next sc of Round 3. Work from * to * in each of the remaining 4 loops. The last sl st goes into the first sc of Round 3. (11 sts per petal, 55 petal sts total, plus 5 sl sts)
Push the stitches together along the loop as you work so all 11 fit and the petal makes a rounded fan.
Round 5 (second petal layer): Sk the next sc, sc in the hdc, 2 hdc in the first dc, 2 dc in each of the next 5 dc, 2 hdc in the 7th dc, sc in the hdc, sk the sc, sl st in the sl st between petals; rep from * 4 more times. The last sl st lands in the joining sl st of Round 4. (16 sts per petal, 80 petal sts total, plus 5 sl sts)
For each petal, this round works into 9 existing stitches (hdc, 7 dc, hdc) and adds 7 more, so 9 + 7 = 16 stitches per petal. The doubled dc stitches give each petal its wide, fanned top. Skipping the sc at each end keeps a clear dip between petals.
Checkpoint: The flower should now measure 4.25 in (10.8 cm) across and lie flat.
Border
The border is a single crochet outline in peach. It firms up the petal edges and gives each petal a clean, rounded top.
Border gauge: Work 1 sc in each stitch on the sides of each petal, then work 2 sc in each of the 4 center stitches at the top. The border adds about 0.125 in (0.3 cm) on each side.
Round 6 (border, Color A): Continuing from Round 5, sc in each of the next 6 sts, 2 sc in each of the next 4 sts, sc in each of the next 6 sts, sl st in the sl st between petals; rep from * 4 more times. The last sl st joins the round. (20 sc per petal, 100 sc total, plus 5 sl sts) Fasten off and leave a 6 in (15.2 cm) tail.
Per-petal count: 16 stitches worked 1 per existing stitch, plus 4 extra stitches at the top = 20 sc per petal. Over the whole flower, that’s 80 + 20 = 100 sc.
Why the math works: The 6 stitches at each end of a petal sit on the straighter sides, so 1 sc per stitch lies flat. The 4 middle stitches sit at the widest part of the curve, and one extra sc in each lets the outline go around that curve without pulling. The sl sts between petals go into the same sl sts as Round 5, so each dip stays sharp.
Checkpoint: The flower now measures 4.5 in (11.4 cm) across.
Leaves (Make 3)
Each leaf is a single round worked around both sides of a foundation chain. Working into both sides of the chain makes the raised center vein.
Foundation (Color C, sage): Ch 9.
Round 1: Sc in the 2nd ch from the hook, hdc in the next ch, dc in each of the next 3 ch, hdc in the next ch, sc in the next ch. You should now be at the last ch, which is the first chain you made. Work 3 sc in that last ch to round off the base of the leaf.
Now rotate the work and continue along the other side of the foundation chain. Sc in the next ch, hdc in the next ch, dc in each of the next 3 ch, hdc in the next ch, sc in the next ch. (17 sts: 7 + 3 + 7)
Tip: Work the picot tip (ch 2, sl st in the 2nd ch from the hook). Then sl st into the first sc of the round. Fasten off and leave an 8 in (20.3 cm) tail for sewing.
When you work along the second side, insert your hook under the single loop left free on each chain. This keeps the vein raised and the leaf the same on both sides.
Checkpoint: Each leaf is 1.75 in (4.4 cm) long x 1 in (2.5 cm) wide, with a rounded base and a pointed tip.
Attaching the Leaves
Lay the flower face down and decide which petal will be the top.
- Top leaf: Center it behind the top petal with the tip pointing straight up. Overlap the rounded base about 0.5 in (1.3 cm) onto the back of the petal. The leaf should stick out about 1.25 in (3.2 cm) above the flower.
- Lower leaves: Place one behind the gap between each side petal and the bottom petal next to it. Point the tips down and out at about a 45-degree angle. Overlap each base 0.5 in (1.3 cm), the same as the top leaf.
- Pin all three leaves and turn the motif over to check the placement from the front before you sew.
- Using the leaf tail, whipstitch the base of each leaf to the back loops of Rounds 4 and 5. Keep the stitches small so they don’t show on the front.
- Weave in all ends on the back.
Checkpoint: The finished motif measures 5.5 in (14.0 cm) wide x 5.75 in (14.6 cm) tall.
Final Blocking
- Lay the motif face down on a blocking mat.
- Spray it lightly with water until it’s damp but not soaked.
- Turn it face up and shape the cream center into a neat circle.
- Ease each petal out so they all reach the same distance from the center. Pin the top of each petal on a 4.5 in (11.4 cm) circle.
- Pin each leaf tip so the leaf lies straight, and check that the two side leaves sit at matching angles.
- Check the overall size: 5.5 in (14.0 cm) wide x 5.75 in (14.6 cm) tall.
- Let it dry completely before you unpin it.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Round 1 has 15 dc and a small, neat center hole.
- Round 2 has 30 sc.
- Round 3 has 5 evenly spaced ch-5 loops.
- Every petal has 11 sts in Round 4, 16 sts in Round 5, and 20 sc in Round 6.
- All five petals are the same size and shape.
- The dips between petals are clear and even.
- Each leaf has 17 sts plus a picot tip, with the vein running straight down the middle.
- The leaves are sewn on firmly, and the stitching can’t be seen from the front.
- All ends are woven in on the back.
- The motif lies flat and measures 5.5 in (14.0 cm) x 5.75 in (14.6 cm).
Troubleshooting
Petals ruffle: The chain-5 loops are too long or your tension is loose. Make the loops tighter or go down a hook size.
Petals cup or curl up: Your tension is too tight. Go up a hook size, and make sure you’re working 2 sts in every dc in Round 5.
Center hole is too big: Pull the magic ring tighter before you join. Then weave the tail once around the hole to close it.
Uneven petals: Count every petal in Rounds 4 to 6. If a petal is off by even one stitch, it will be a different size.
Leaf twists: Block it flat with a pin at the tip and at the base. Also check that you didn’t skip a chain on either side.
Border pulls at the top: Make sure you worked 2 sc in each of the 4 center stitches. You should have 20 sc per petal, not 16.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with a mild soap and lay flat to dry. Reshape the petals while they’re damp, and don’t wring or tumble dry.
Final Notes
Here is the full measurement chain. The cream ring measures 1.25 in (3.2 cm). Round 2 brings the flower to 1.75 in (4.4 cm), and the loop round takes it to 2.5 in (6.4 cm). The two petal rounds bring it to 3.5 in (8.9 cm) and then 4.25 in (10.8 cm). The border finishes the flower at 4.5 in (11.4 cm).
Each leaf is 1.75 in (4.4 cm) long and overlaps the flower by 0.5 in (1.3 cm), so 1.25 in (3.2 cm) shows. That gives you a finished motif 5.5 in (14.0 cm) wide x 5.75 in (14.6 cm) tall.
If each stage matches its checkpoint, the final size will come out right. Happy crocheting!