The Royal Plume Peacock is a single crochet appliqué that shows a peacock with its tail fully spread. Eight teardrop feathers fan out around a small round body disc. Each feather has an open gold “eye” ring, a deep teal frame, and a fine gold picot edge. A separate teal neck-and-head layer is sewn on top, and a small gold crown sits on the head.
The palette has two colors: deep peacock teal and soft antique gold. The look is close to Irish-lace appliqué. It’s crisp and lacy, but the solid frames keep it sturdy enough to sew onto a bag, a pillow, or a jacket.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished motif measures 5 in (12.7 cm) wide and 5 in (12.7 cm) tall, including the crown.
Construction is straightforward. You work the body disc in the round, then work a tall-stitch fan in rows across part of the disc. Next you add gold eye rings, teal feather frames, and a gold picot border. Last, you crochet the neck and head as a small teardrop piece, add a beak and crown, and sew it in place.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 5 in (12.7 cm) wide x 5 in (12.7 cm) tall, including the crown
- Fan only, after border: 5 in (12.7 cm) wide x 4.25 in (10.8 cm) tall
- Skill level: Intermediate
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: Sport weight (#2) mercerized cotton
- Hook: 2.5 mm (US B/1 or C/2, depending on brand)
- Number of pieces: 1 finished motif, made from 2 components (fan base + sewn-on neck layer)
- Layout: Single motif. No joining and no grid.
- Fan size before border: 4.5 in (11.4 cm) wide x 3.75 in (9.5 cm) tall
- Border depth: 0.25 in (0.6 cm) on every outer edge
- Neck-and-head piece: 3.25 in (8.3 cm) long x 1 in (2.5 cm) wide at the body
Materials
Use a smooth, tightly plied mercerized cotton. It gives clean stitch definition, and the eye rings keep their shape after blocking. Avoid fuzzy or splitty yarns, because the picots will disappear.
- Color A, Antique Gold: 8 g / about 24 m (26 yd)
- Color B, Peacock Teal: 12 g / about 36 m (39 yd)
These quantities already include a safety margin of about 20% for swatching and weaving in ends. One standard ball of each color makes several motifs.
Tools:
- 2.5 mm crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- Scissors
- Rust-proof pins
- Blocking mat or folded towel
- Spray bottle
- Ruler or tape measure
- 2 stitch markers
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch: chain
- sl st: slip stitch
- sc: single crochet
- hdc: half double crochet
- dc: double crochet
- tr: treble crochet
- st(s): stitch(es)
- RS: right side
Special stitches:
- Picot: Ch 3, sl st into the front loop and left leg of the sc just made.
- Join-hdc: Work an hdc as usual. Then remove the hook from the loop, insert it from front to back through the matching hdc of the previous feather, pick up the dropped loop, and pull it through. This links neighboring feathers without adding a stitch.
- Crown spike: Ch 5, sl st in 3rd ch from hook (makes a tiny ring), sl st in each of next 2 ch, sl st in the same head stitch.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge matters here, because the feathers need to touch without crowding. Make the disc and fan through Row 2 first and measure before you go on.
- Base gauge: Rnds 1–2 = 1.5 in (3.8 cm) across
- Border gauge: 6 sc = 1 in (2.5 cm) along a gently curved edge
Checkpoints:
- After Rnd 2, the disc measures 1.5 in (3.8 cm) across.
- After Row 2, the distance from the disc center to the fan edge is 1.25 in (3.2 cm).
- After Row 3, each gold ring is about 0.75 in (1.9 cm) long, point to top.
- After Row 4, the fan measures 4.5 in (11.4 cm) wide x 3.75 in (9.5 cm) tall.
- After the border, the fan measures 5 in (12.7 cm) wide x 4.25 in (10.8 cm) tall.
- With the neck and crown added, the motif measures 5 in (12.7 cm) x 5 in (12.7 cm).
If your piece is too big, go down 0.25 mm in hook size, or tighten the chains in the eye loops. If it’s too small, go up 0.25 mm. If the fan cups after Row 1, your tr are too short. Pull up a slightly taller first loop on each tr.
Fan Base
Body Disc (Color B)
Rnd 1: Make a magic ring. Ch 3 (counts as dc), 11 dc in ring. Sl st to top of ch-3 to join. Pull the ring closed. (12 dc)
Rnd 2: Ch 3 (counts as dc), dc in same st, 2 dc in each st around. Sl st to top of ch-3 to join. (24 dc)
Lay the disc flat with the join at the bottom. Place a marker in the 5th st to the right of the join and a second marker in the 4th st to the left of the join. The 8 sts from marker to marker, across the bottom (join included), stay unworked. They become the bottom of the body.
Tail Fan (Color B)
The fan is worked in rows across the other 16 sts of the disc. That covers about two-thirds of the circle, so the lowest feathers sweep slightly below the body, just like a real peacock.
Row 1 (RS): Sl st across to the 1st st after the right-hand marker. Ch 4 (counts as tr), tr in the same st, 2 tr in each of the next 15 sts. (32 tr)
These tall stitches make the radiating spokes of the inner fan.
Row 2: Ch 1, turn. Sc in each tr across, working the last sc into the top of the ch-4. (32 sc) Fasten off B.
Checkpoint: the fan edge is 1.25 in (3.2 cm) from the disc center.
The 32 sc make 8 feather bases of 4 sts each.
Eye Row (Color A)
Row 3: With RS facing, join A with a sl st in the first sc at the right-hand end of Row 2.
- Feather unit: In the next sc work [sc, ch 10, sl st into the sc just made], which makes a ch-10 loop. Work 16 sc into the ch-10 loop. Sl st in each of the next 2 sc.
- Repeat: Sl st in the next sc, then work the feather unit. Repeat until all 8 units are complete.
Your sl st join counts as the first sl st of Unit 1. Each unit uses exactly 4 sts of Row 2: 1 sl st, 1 base sc, and 2 sl sts. 8 units x 4 sts = 32 sts, so you end exactly at the last sc. (8 rings of 16 sc each) Fasten off A.
Each ring is anchored at a single point, so it naturally forms a teardrop that points toward the body and has an open center.
Feather Frame Row (Color B)
Row 4: With RS facing, join B with a sl st in the first sl st of Row 3. Ch 1, sc in the same st.
Work the frame around each gold ring, into its 16 sc:
- hdc in next 3 sc
- dc in next 3 sc
- 2 dc in each of next 4 sc (this is the rounded feather tip)
- dc in next 3 sc
- hdc in next 3 sc
- then sc in the last sl st of that unit
That is 20 frame sts + 1 sc = 21 sts per feather.
For Feathers 2 through 8, make the 3rd hdc of the first side a join-hdc. Link it to the 3rd-from-last hdc of the previous feather.
Count: 1 starting sc + (8 x 21) = 169 sts. Fasten off B.
Checkpoint: 4.5 in (11.4 cm) wide x 3.75 in (9.5 cm) tall. The gold rings should sit inside the teal frames like eyes, with a small teal notch between feathers.
Gold Picot Border (Color A)
Border gauge: 6 sc = 1 in (2.5 cm). The border adds 0.25 in (0.6 cm) on every outer edge.
Border Rnd: With RS facing, join A with a sl st in the first hdc of Feather 1.
Each feather (20 frame sts):
- sc in each of the 3 hdc
- [sc in next st, picot, sc in next st] 7 times, across the 14 dc
- sc in each of the 3 hdc
- = 20 sc + 7 picots
Between feathers, sl st into the Row 4 sc that sits between the two feathers. That makes 7 sl sts total, and they sharpen the scalloped notches.
Left side, from the end of Feather 8 down to the disc:
- 1 sc in the end sc of Rows 3–4
- 1 sc in the end of Row 2
- 2 sc in the end of Row 1
- = 4 sc
Body bottom: 1 sc in each of the 8 unworked disc sts. (8 sc)
Right side, up to Feather 1: Mirror the left side. (4 sc) Sl st to the first sc to join.
Totals:
- 160 sc around the feathers (8 x 20)
- 56 picots (8 x 7)
- 7 sl sts in the notches
- 16 sc along the sides and bottom (4 + 8 + 4)
- = 176 sc in all
Fasten off.
Why the math works:
- The frame row already has its increases at each feather tip. Working 1 sc per frame stitch therefore follows the curve without rippling.
- The picots sit on top of the sc and add no width, so they never crowd the edge.
- Two sc per tr row-end and one per sc row-end is the standard height match, so the sides stay flat.
- The 8 bottom sc land 1-to-1 on the 8 disc sts, so the body stays round.
Checkpoint: 5 in (12.7 cm) wide x 4.25 in (10.8 cm) tall.
Neck and Head (Color B)
This piece lies on top of the fan. Its wide base covers the disc center and the neck rises through the top notch between Feathers 4 and 5.
Foundation: Ch 17.
Rnd 1: The first side runs from head to body. Starting in the 2nd ch from hook:
- sc in next 3 ch
- hdc in next 4 ch
- dc in next 5 ch
- tr in next 3 ch
- 7 tr in last ch (rounded body base)
Rotate the piece and work along the other side of the foundation chain:
- tr in next 3 ch
- dc in next 5 ch
- hdc in next 4 ch
- sc in next 3 ch
- 5 dc in the same ch as the very first sc (head)
Sl st to the first sc to join.
Count: 15 + 7 + 15 + 5 = 42 sts.
Beak: Sl st into the 1st dc of the head. Ch 3, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, sl st in next ch, sl st in the same dc. Fasten off, leaving a 16 in (40.6 cm) tail for sewing.
Checkpoint: 3.25 in (8.3 cm) long x 1 in (2.5 cm) wide at the base.
Crown (Color A)
Join A with a sl st in the 2nd dc of the head. Then work the crown spikes:
- 1 crown spike in the 2nd dc
- sl st into the 3rd dc, then 3 crown spikes in the 3rd dc
- sl st into the 4th dc, then 1 crown spike in the 4th dc
That’s 5 spikes in a small fan. Fasten off and weave in the end.
Attaching the Neck
- Center the body base on the disc, 0.5 in (1.3 cm) below the disc center.
- Lay the neck straight up through the notch between Feathers 4 and 5. The top of the head should rise 0.25 in (0.6 cm) above the fan border. The crown adds another 0.5 in (1.3 cm).
- Pin it in place. With the B tail, whipstitch all around the outer edge using small, even stitches through the back loops. Catch only the top layer of the fan so nothing shows on the back.
Checkpoint: 5 in (12.7 cm) wide x 5 in (12.7 cm) tall.
Final Blocking
- Weave in all ends along same-color stitches. Do not trim them yet.
- Mist the motif evenly until it’s damp, but not dripping.
- Lay it RS up on the mat. Pin the disc center first.
- Pin each feather tip out to a 2.5 in (6.4 cm) radius from the disc center. The fan should measure 5 in (12.7 cm) across.
- Ease each gold ring into a smooth teardrop with a pin through its open center.
- Open every picot with a pin tip. Pin each crown spike straight.
- Let it dry completely, about 6 hours. Trim the ends after unpinning.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- [ ] Disc is flat and round, with 8 bottom sts covered by the border
- [ ] 8 gold rings, each 16 sc with an open center
- [ ] Each feather frame has 20 sts, and Feathers 2–8 are linked by join-hdc
- [ ] 56 picots, 7 per feather
- [ ] Notches between feathers are crisp
- [ ] Neck sits centered, with the beak facing your chosen side
- [ ] 5 crown spikes, standing evenly
- [ ] Final size is 5 in (12.7 cm) x 5 in (12.7 cm)
- [ ] No ends visible from the front
Troubleshooting
Fan cups or curls forward: Your Row 1 tr are too tight. Redo Row 1 with a 0.25 mm larger hook.
Fan ruffles: The tension is too loose, or you added extra tr. Recount to 32.
Rings look round instead of teardrop: The 16 sc are spread unevenly. Push them together toward the anchor point before you work Row 4.
Feathers overlap: Your ch-10 loops are too long. Chain more tightly so each ring stays at 0.75 in (1.9 cm).
Gaps between feathers: You missed a join-hdc. Close the gap with a single B stitch on the back.
Neck puckers the fan: The whipstitches are too tight. Remove them and resew more loosely.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with mild soap. Roll the motif in a towel to remove water, then dry it flat, reshaping the feathers and crown while damp.
Final Notes
Each stage builds on the one before:
- The disc measures 1.5 in (3.8 cm).
- The fan reaches 1.25 in (3.2 cm) from center at Row 2.
- The eye rings are 0.75 in (1.9 cm) long.
- The framed fan measures 4.5 in (11.4 cm) x 3.75 in (9.5 cm).
- The border brings it to 5 in (12.7 cm) x 4.25 in (10.8 cm).
- The neck and crown finish the motif at 5 in (12.7 cm) x 5 in (12.7 cm).
Check each number as you go, and the last stage will fall into place.
One motif makes a striking patch on its own. Once you know the rhythm, you’ll find it quick to repeat.
Happy crocheting!