The Rose Garden Fan Valance is a soft, cottage-style window topper. Six lace fans sit side by side under a light mesh heading, and a row of flowers and tassels sways below. Seven chunky puff stitches open like petals on each fan, set around a crisp green hub.
The palette is two colors: a deep forest green for structure and a dusty rose pink for the puffs, mesh, flowers and half of the tassels. On a sunny window the green frames the light and the pink glows.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished valance measures 54 in (137.2 cm) wide. The body is 7 in (17.8 cm) deep, and with the drops the total length is 17 in (43.2 cm).
You make six rectangular fan blocks, each a fan worked in rows from a small ring, then squared off and edged. Next you join the blocks in a row, add a mesh heading across the top and a shell edging across the bottom, and attach 13 drops made of a cord, a flower and a tassel.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 54 in × 7 in (137.2 cm × 17.8 cm) body; 17 in (43.2 cm) total length with drops
- Skill level: Intermediate
- Terminology: US
- Yarn weight: Worsted (#4) cotton
- Hook: 5.0 mm (H-8)
- Number of pieces: 6 fan blocks, plus 13 cords, 13 flowers and 13 tassels
- Layout: 6 blocks in one row
- Block size: 9 in × 4.5 in (22.9 cm × 11.4 cm)
- Size before border: 54 in × 4.5 in (137.2 cm × 11.4 cm)
- Border depth: heading 2 in (5.1 cm); bottom shell edging 0.5 in (1.3 cm)
Materials
Use a smooth mercerized or combed cotton for crisp puffs and good shape in sunlight. Cotton blends work too. Avoid fuzzy acrylics, because they hide the puff texture.
- Color A, forest green: 150 g / 255 m
- Color B, dusty rose pink: 140 g / 238 m
These quantities include a margin of about 20% for gauge differences and tassel trimming.
Tools:
– 5.0 mm (H-8) crochet hook
– Tapestry needle
– Scissors
– A piece of stiff card cut 3.5 in (8.9 cm) tall, for the tassels
– Blocking mats and rust-proof pins
– Spray bottle
– Measuring tape
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- hdc – half double crochet
- dc – double crochet
- tr – treble crochet (yo twice)
- dtr – double treble crochet (yo 3 times)
- trtr – triple treble crochet (yo 4 times)
- sp – space
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- yo – yarn over
- RS – right side
Special stitch – Puff: (Yo, insert hook in the space, yo and pull up a loop to about 3/4 in (1.9 cm)) 6 times. Yo and pull through all 13 loops on the hook, then ch 1 to close. The ch 1 does not count as a stitch.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Make one complete block before anything else and measure it. Gauge here means meeting the block measurements, because the whole valance follows from them.
Edge gauge: 31 sc along the top of a finished block = 9 in (22.9 cm), or about 3.5 sts per inch.
Checkpoints (measure flat, without stretching):
– After Row 2: hub is 3 in (7.6 cm) across the straight edge.
– After Row 3: 4 in (10.2 cm) across.
– After Row 4: 6 in (15.2 cm) across.
– After Row 6: fan is 8 in (20.3 cm) wide and 4 in (10.2 cm) tall.
– After Round 8: block is 9 in × 4.5 in (22.9 cm × 11.4 cm).
If the block is more than 0.25 in (0.6 cm) too big, go down one hook size. If it is too small, go up one size. If only the puffs look too big or too small, adjust the loop height inside the puff and keep the hook the same.
Fan Block (Make 6)
Rows 1–7 are worked across a half circle. Round 8 goes all the way around the block.
Row 1 (A): Ch 5, sl st to the first ch to form a ring. Ch 3 (counts as dc), 6 dc in ring. Turn. (7 dc)
The dc stitches fill only the top half of the ring. The bottom half is worked later in Round 8.
Row 2 (A): Ch 3 (counts as dc), dc in same st, 2 dc in each of next 5 sts, 3 dc in last st. Turn. (15 dc)
Row 3 (A): Ch 1, sc in first dc, [ch 4, skip 1 dc, sc in next dc] 7 times. (8 sc, 7 ch-4 loops) Fasten off.
The skipped dc stitches show as the green spokes of the hub, and the ch-4 loops form the first green arches.
Row 4 (B): With RS facing, join B with sl st in first sc. Ch 3, [puff in next ch-4 loop, ch 3] 7 times, sl st in last sc. (7 puffs, 8 ch-3 sps) Fasten off.
Row 5 (A): With RS facing, join A in first ch-3 sp. Ch 1, sc in same sp, [ch 6, sc in next ch-3 sp] 7 times. (8 sc, 7 ch-6 loops) Fasten off.
Each ch-6 loop arches over one puff to make the green scallop outline.
Row 6 (B): With RS facing, join B in first sc. Ch 1, sc in same sc, [7 sc in next ch-6 loop, sc in next sc] 7 times. (57 sc) Fasten off.
This is the pink arched edge over the puffs.
Row 7 (A, squaring row): With RS facing, join A with a standing sc in first sc. Number the Row 6 stitches 1–57. Work:
– sc in sts 2–3; hdc in sts 4–6; dc in sts 7–9; tr in sts 10–12; dtr in sts 13–14
– (trtr, ch 3, trtr) in st 15 for the corner
– dtr in sts 16–17; tr in sts 18–20; dc in sts 21–23; hdc in sts 24–26; sc in sts 27–31
– hdc in sts 32–34; dc in sts 35–37; tr in sts 38–40; dtr in sts 41–42
– (trtr, ch 3, trtr) in st 43 for the corner
– dtr in sts 44–45; tr in sts 46–48; dc in sts 49–51; hdc in sts 52–54; sc in sts 55–57
(59 sts and 2 corner ch-3 sps. That is 55 stitches worked one per existing stitch, plus 2 extra trtr at the corners.)
The tall stitches fill the space between the arch and the square corners. The stitches get shorter toward the top center and toward the bottom ends, where the arch is already close to the edge.
Round 8 (A, edge round): Don’t fasten off. Ch 1, rotate, and work along the straight bottom edge:
– 10 sc across the row ends of Rows 6–1 (1 in Row 6, 1 in Row 5, 3 in Row 4, 1 in Row 3, 2 in Row 2, 2 in Row 1)
– 9 sc in the empty lower half of the ring
– 10 sc across the row ends of Rows 1–6 (same distribution)
– (sc, ch 2, sc) in st 1 of Row 7
– sc in next 13 sts, sc in trtr
– (sc, ch 2, sc) in corner ch-3 sp
– sc in trtr, sc in next 27 sts, sc in trtr
– (sc, ch 2, sc) in corner ch-3 sp
– sc in trtr, sc in next 13 sts
– (sc, ch 2, sc) in last st of Row 7
– Sl st to first sc. Fasten off.
(94 sc and 4 ch-2 corner sps)
Per-side counts, each including its end sc beside the corner spaces:
– Top: 1 + 1 + 27 + 1 + 1 = 31
– Bottom: 1 + 29 + 1 = 31
– Each side: 1 + 13 + 1 + 1 = 16
Check: 31 + 31 + 16 + 16 = 94. ✓
Block the first block gently and check it against the 9 in × 4.5 in (22.9 cm × 11.4 cm) checkpoint before you make the rest.
Make All Pieces
- Fan blocks: 6, each using A for Rows 1–3, 5, 7 and 8, and B for Rows 4 and 6.
- Flowers: 13 (A center, B petals).
- Cords: 13 (A).
- Tassels: 6 in B with A necks, and 7 in A.
Layout (one row; D = seam/end drop, C = center drop):
[ Fan 1 ][ Fan 2 ][ Fan 3 ][ Fan 4 ][ Fan 5 ][ Fan 6 ]
D C D C D C D C D C D C D
Flower:
– Round 1 (A): Magic ring, ch 1, 5 sc in ring, sl st to first sc. (5 sc) Fasten off.
– Round 2 (B): Join in any sc. (Sl st, ch 2, 2 dc, ch 2, sl st) in each sc around. (5 petals) Fasten off.
The flower is about 1.25 in (3.2 cm) across.
Cord: With A, ch 34. Sl st in 2nd ch from hook and in the back bump of each ch across. (33 sl st) Leave a 10 in (25.4 cm) tail. The cord is 6.5 in (16.5 cm) long.
Tassel:
1. Wrap yarn 30 times around the 3.5 in (8.9 cm) card.
2. Tie the top with the cord’s bottom tail and cut the bottom loops.
3. Wrap A tightly 6 times around the tassel 0.5 in (1.3 cm) below the top, tie off, and bury the ends inside the tassel.
4. Trim the tassel to 3.5 in (8.9 cm).
Joining
Lay the blocks in a row with RS up. Hold two blocks with their RS together, matching the 16-stitch sides. With A, whipstitch through the back loops only, stitch to stitch, so 16 sts meet 16 sts. Catch the corner ch-2 spaces at the top and bottom of each seam together.
Keep the tension even, about as firm as your sc. Tight seams pucker the fans, and loose seams gap.
Repeat for all 5 seams.
Checkpoint: The joined strip measures 54 in × 4.5 in (137.2 cm × 11.4 cm), which is 6 blocks × 9 in (22.9 cm).
Border
The border has two parts: a mesh heading across the top and a shell edging across the bottom. The short side ends are left as the Round 8 edges.
Border gauge: 191 sc across the top = 54 in (137.2 cm), the same edge gauge of about 3.5 sts per inch.
Heading (Top Edge)
H1 (A): Join A in the first sc of Fan 1’s top edge. Ch 1, sc in each of the 31 top sts of each block. Skip the outer corner spaces, and work 1 sc through the joined ch-2 spaces at each of the 5 seams. Turn. (186 sts worked one per existing stitch + 5 seam sc = 191 sc)
H2 (B): Join B. Ch 4 (counts as dc + ch 1), skip next st, dc in next st, [ch 1, skip next st, dc in next st] across. Turn. (96 dc and 95 ch-1 sps = 191 sts)
H3 (B): Ch 4 (counts as dc + ch 1), dc in next dc, [ch 1, dc in next dc] across. Turn. (96 dc, 95 ch-1 sps)
H4 (B): Ch 1, sc in each dc and in each ch-1 sp across. Turn. (96 + 95 = 191 sc) Fasten off.
H5 (A): Join A. Ch 1, sc in each sc across. (191 sc) Fasten off.
Why the math works: Each block gives exactly 31 top stitches, so 6 × 31 = 186. The 5 seam sc fill the seam gaps and make an odd total of 191. An odd total is what the dc, ch 1 mesh needs: 96 posts and 95 spaces, with a dc at both ends. At 3.5 sts per inch, 191 sts lie flat across 54 in (137.2 cm).
Bottom Shell Edging
B1 (A): With RS facing, join A in the first bottom sc of Fan 1. For each block, work: sc in first st, [skip 2 sts, 5 dc in next st, skip 2 sts, sc in next st] 5 times. Skip the seam corner spaces.
(Per block: 6 sc + 5 shells = 31 sts used. Across the valance: 36 sc and 30 shells.)
Why the math works: 31 = 1 + (5 × 6), so each block ends on a sc at its seam. The 3rd shell of each block lands on st 16, directly under the hub.
Attaching the Drops
- Center drops (6): sew a cord to the 3rd dc of each block’s center shell, with a pink tassel at the end.
- Seam and end drops (7): sew a cord between the two seam sc at each of the 5 seams and to the first and last sc of the edging, with a green tassel at the end.
- Sew one flower to each cord, 2 in (5.1 cm) below the edging.
The drops alternate seven green and six pink, starting and ending with green.
Final Blocking
- Weave in all ends along same-color stitches.
- Pin the valance RS up to 54 in × 7 in (137.2 cm × 17.8 cm).
- Pin each fan arch so the puffs fan out evenly. Pin the heading in a straight line.
- Spray the piece until it is damp, but not soaked.
- Shape each shell scallop and flower with your fingers.
- Let it dry fully, about 24 hours.
- Unpin, let the drops hang, and trim the tassels even if needed.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Each block has 7 puffs, 94 Round 8 sc and 4 corners.
- Every block measures 9 in × 4.5 in (22.9 cm × 11.4 cm).
- Seams match 16 sts to 16 sts with no puckering.
- H1 and H4 each have 191 sc, and H2 and H3 each have 96 dc.
- B1 has 30 shells, with one centered under each hub.
- There are 13 drops alternating green and pink, with the flowers at the same height.
- All tassels are 3.5 in (8.9 cm) long.
- Total size is 54 in × 17 in (137.2 cm × 43.2 cm).
Troubleshooting
- Puffs look flat: Pull the loops up higher and keep each loop the same height.
- Fan cups: Your Row 6 sc are too tight. Loosen them or go up a hook size for Row 6 only.
- Block corners curl: Check that both corners have (trtr, ch 3, trtr), then block firmly.
- Heading ripples: Recount H1. Extra stitches cause waves.
- Seams pucker: Rework the seam more loosely through the back loops.
- Tassels splay: Wrap the neck tighter and steam the strands straight.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with mild soap, roll it in a towel, and dry it flat, pinned to shape. Keep it out of the dryer, because the puffs and tassels will tangle.
Final Notes
The measurement chain is simple. Each block is 9 in × 4.5 in (22.9 cm × 11.4 cm) with 31 stitches per long side. Six blocks make 54 in × 4.5 in (137.2 cm × 11.4 cm). The 2 in (5.1 cm) heading and 0.5 in (1.3 cm) shell edging bring the body to 7 in (17.8 cm), and the 10 in (25.4 cm) drops bring the total length to 17 in (43.2 cm). If your first block matches its measurements, everything after it will fit.
Happy crocheting!