Sunlit Fanfare is a light, airy lace curtain panel. Rows of fans and puffs stack into neat columns, and open chain mesh between them lets the light through. A row of cream picot scallops finishes the bottom edge, and violet tabs slide straight onto a curtain rod.
The palette has six colors: cream, slate blue, berry rose, violet, light gray and mustard. Each lace row is worked in a single color, so the stripes change with every row and the panel looks bright without being busy. It suits a cottage-style window, a sunroom or a kitchen door.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. One finished panel measures 31 in (78.7 cm) wide by 81 in (205.7 cm) long. The tabs add 2.5 in (6.4 cm) on top, so the panel hangs about 83.5 in (212.1 cm) from the top of the rod. The instructions make one panel. Make a second one the same way for a pair.
Construction: each panel is a single rectangle worked from the bottom up in a 10-row lace repeat. Every lace row is worked with the right side facing you, and you fasten off at the end of each row. After the lace comes a solid violet heading, then seven tabs. Last, you add a cream border along the sides and bottom.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished panel size: 31 in (78.7 cm) wide × 81 in (205.7 cm) long, plus 2.5 in (6.4 cm) tabs
- Skill level: Intermediate
- Terminology: US
- Yarn weight: DK (#3), mercerized cotton or cotton blend
- Hook: 4.5 mm (US 7)
- Number of pieces: 2 identical panels, each worked as one piece; the panels are not joined
- Layout: the two panels hang side by side on one rod
- Size before border: 30 in (76.2 cm) × 79.25 in (201.3 cm)
- Border depth: 0.5 in (1.3 cm) on each side; 1.75 in (4.4 cm) at the bottom, including the scallops
Materials
Use a smooth mercerized cotton or a cotton blend. Lace stitches show up best in crisp, low-fuzz yarn, and cotton blocks well and doesn’t stretch much when it hangs. The amounts below assume DK yarn with about 110 m per 50 g.
For one panel:
– Cream: 200 g / 440 m
– Violet: 110 g / 242 m
– Mustard: 80 g / 176 m
– Berry rose: 70 g / 154 m
– Light gray: 60 g / 132 m
– Slate blue: 40 g / 88 m
For the pair, double every amount: cream 400 g / 880 m, violet 220 g / 484 m, mustard 160 g / 352 m, berry rose 140 g / 308 m, light gray 120 g / 264 m, slate blue 80 g / 176 m.
Tools:
– 4.5 mm (US 7) hook
– Tapestry needle
– Locking stitch markers
– Tape measure
– Blocking mats or a clean carpet with a sheet, rust-proof pins, and a spray bottle
All amounts include a margin of about 10% for the swatch and the tails you weave in.
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch: chain
- sl st: slip stitch
- sc: single crochet
- hdc: half double crochet
- dc: double crochet
- sp: space
- st(s): stitch(es)
- RS / WS: right side / wrong side
- rev sc: reverse single crochet (crab stitch)
Puff stitch (puff): (Yarn over, insert hook in the stitch or space, yarn over, pull up a loop to ½ in [1.3 cm]) 3 times. Yarn over and pull through all 7 loops, then ch 1 to close. The closing chain does not count as a stitch.
Picot: Ch 3, then sl st in the 3rd ch from the hook.
Labels used in the lace rows: On a mesh row, each 12-stitch repeat has 5 sc and 4 ch-5 loops, in this order: V (valley sc), L1, S2, L2, C (center sc), L3, S4, L4, then V again. Each V is shared with the neighboring repeat.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 16 sc = 4 in (10.2 cm). One 12-stitch pattern repeat = 3 in (7.6 cm) wide. One 10-row repeat = 7 in (17.8 cm) tall after blocking.
Make a test swatch first. Ch 38. Work Rows 1–2, then one full 10-row repeat (3 pattern repeats across). Block the swatch. It should measure 9.25 in (23.5 cm) wide and 7.75 in (19.7 cm) tall.
Checkpoints:
– After Row 1: 121 sc, about 30 in (76.2 cm) wide. This is 10 repeats of 3 in plus one edge stitch.
– After the first 10-row repeat: 7.75 in (19.7 cm) tall
– After 5 repeats: 35.75 in (90.8 cm)
– After 11 repeats: 77.75 in (197.5 cm)
– After the heading: 79.25 in (201.3 cm)
If your swatch is too big, go down 0.5 mm. If it is too small, go up 0.5 mm. If the height is off but the width is right, keep your hook size and change the number of repeats: each repeat adds 7 in (17.8 cm).
Panel
Note: All lace rows are worked with the RS facing. Join the new color with a sl st in the first stitch, and fasten off at the end of the row. Leave tails of 6 in (15.2 cm). The side border covers the row ends.
Foundation: With cream, ch 122.
Row 1 (cream, RS): Sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and in each ch across. (121 sc)
Row 2 (cream, RS): Do not turn. Fasten off, then rejoin at the start of Row 1. Ch 1, sc in the first st, *ch 5, skip 2 sts, sc in the next st; repeat from * 39 more times. (41 sc, 40 ch-5 loops)
This is the mesh base. Every 10-row repeat starts and ends on this same count.
The 10-Row Repeat
R1 (slate blue), arch row: Sc in the first V. *Ch 4, sc in S2, ch 4, (sc, ch 3, sc) in C, ch 4, sc in S4, ch 4, sc in V; repeat from * across. (51 sc, 40 ch-4 sps, 10 ch-3 peaks)
R2 (berry rose), fan row: Join in the first sc and ch 3 (counts as dc). *Ch 1, puff in the next ch-4 sp, ch 1, puff in the next ch-4 sp, ch 1, 9 dc in the ch-3 peak, ch 1, puff in the next ch-4 sp, ch 1, puff in the next ch-4 sp, ch 1, dc in the V sc; repeat from * across. Skip all the other sc. (10 fans of 9 dc = 90 dc, 40 puffs, 11 valley dc counting the beginning ch-3, 60 ch-1 sps)
R3 (violet), puff crown: Join in the top of the beginning ch-3. Ch 1, sc in the same st. *Ch 4, skip the next 2 puffs and the ch-1 sps, puff in the 1st dc of the fan, (ch 1, skip 1 dc, puff in the next dc) 4 times, ch 4, sc in the next valley dc; repeat from * across. (50 puffs, 11 sc, 20 ch-4 sps, 40 ch-1 sps)
The puffs sit on fan dc 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9, so the crown is centered over each fan.
R4 (cream), mesh: Sc in the first sc. *Ch 5, sc in the 1st ch-1 sp of the crown, ch 5, sc in the top of the 3rd puff, ch 5, sc in the 4th ch-1 sp, ch 5, sc in the next sc; repeat from * across. (41 sc, 40 loops: mesh base)
R5 (light gray), puff row: Sc in the first sc. *Ch 2, puff in the next loop, ch 2, sc in the next sc; repeat from * across. (40 puffs, 41 sc, 80 ch-2 sps)
R6 (cream), mesh: Sc in the first sc. *Ch 5, skip the puff, sc in the next sc; repeat from * across. (41 sc, 40 loops)
R7 (mustard), fan row: Join in the first V and ch 3 (counts as dc). *Ch 2, sc in L1, ch 2, skip S2 and L2, 9 dc in C, ch 2, skip L3 and S4, sc in L4, ch 2, dc in V; repeat from * across. (90 fan dc, 20 sc, 11 valley dc, 40 ch-2 sps)
R8 (mustard), fan cap: Join in the top of the beginning ch-3. Ch 1, sc in the same st. *Ch 4, sc in the 3rd dc of the fan, ch 2, puff in the 5th dc, ch 2, sc in the 7th dc, ch 4, sc in the valley dc; repeat from * across. (31 sc, 10 puffs, 20 ch-4 sps, 20 ch-2 sps)
R9 (cream), mesh: Sc in the first sc. *Ch 5, sc in the next sc, ch 5, sc in the top of the puff, ch 5, sc in the next sc, ch 5, sc in the valley sc; repeat from * across. (41 sc, 40 loops)
R10 (violet), mesh: Sc in the first sc. *Ch 5, sc in the next sc; repeat from * across. (41 sc, 40 loops)
Work the 10-row repeat 11 times in total. The panel should measure 77.75 in (197.5 cm).
Heading
H1 (violet, RS), conversion row: Sc in the first sc. *2 sc in the next loop, sc in the next sc; repeat from * across. (41 sc worked one per sc + 80 sc added in the loops = 121 sc)
H2 (WS): Ch 1, turn. Hdc in each st across. (121 hdc)
H3 (RS): Ch 1, turn. Hdc in each st across. (121 hdc)
H4 (WS): Ch 1, turn. Sc in each st across. (121 sc) Fasten off.
The panel now measures 79.25 in (201.3 cm).
Tabs
With the RS facing and violet, count the 121 heading stitches from the right edge. Place a tab on sts 1–7, 20–26, 39–45, 58–64, 77–83, 96–102 and 115–121. That is 7 tabs of 7 sts, with 12-stitch gaps between them: 49 + 72 = 121.
Each tab: Join in the first st of the tab. Ch 1, sc in the same st and in the next 6 sts. (7 sc) Work 19 more rows of 7 sc, turning each row. The tab measures 5 in (12.7 cm). Fold the tab to the WS and sew the last row to the base of the tab. This makes a loop 2.5 in (6.4 cm) tall.
Make the Second Panel
Repeat everything above for Panel B. A pair takes 22 lace repeats in total, and each color’s row count per panel is the same:
- Slate blue: 11 rows per panel
- Berry rose: 11 rows per panel
- Light gray: 11 rows per panel
- Mustard: 22 rows per panel
- Violet: 22 lace rows + 4 heading rows + 7 tabs per panel
- Cream: 2 foundation rows + 33 mesh rows + border per panel
Layout on the rod:
[ Panel A ][ Panel B ]
7 tabs 7 tabs
Joining
The panels are not joined. To check that they match, lay Panel B on top of Panel A after blocking. They should be within 0.5 in (1.3 cm) of each other in both width and length, and the fans should line up row for row.
Border
Border gauge: 4 sc = 1 in (2.5 cm) along the row ends.
B1 (cream), sides and bottom: With the RS facing, join at the top corner of one long edge. Work 317 sc evenly down the side, ch 1 for the corner, and work 121 sc into the opposite side of the foundation ch. Ch 1 for the second corner, then work 317 sc up the other side. (757 sc + 2 corner ch-1 sps) Fasten off.
To spread the side stitches evenly:
– Rows 1–2: 3 sc
– Each 10-row repeat: 28 sc. Work 2 sc into the row ends of R1 and R10, and 3 sc into each of the other 8 rows.
– Heading: 6 sc
B2 (cream), bottom only: With the RS facing, join in the first bottom sc. Sc in the same st. *Ch 3, skip 2 sts, sc in the next st; repeat from * 39 more times. (41 sc, 40 ch-3 sps)
B3 (cream), scallops: Sc in the first sc. *Sc in the next ch-3 sp, skip the next sc and ch-3 sp, 9 dc in the next sc, skip the next ch-3 sp and sc, sc in the next ch-3 sp, sc in the next sc; repeat from * across. (12 sts per scallop: 1 + 120 = 121 sts, 10 scallops)
B4 (cream), picot edge: Sc in the first sc. *Sc in the next sc, sc in the next dc, (sc in the next dc, picot, sc in the next dc) 4 times, sc in the next 2 sc; repeat from * across. (121 sc, 40 picots) Fasten off.
B5 (cream), sides only: With the RS facing, join at one end of a side edge. Rev sc in each of the 317 sc along that side. Repeat on the other side.
Why the math works:
– The bottom edge has 121 sts = 12 × 10 + 1, so you get exactly one scallop under each column of fans, with one stitch left over to close the edge.
– Each side has 317 sc = 3 + (11 × 28) + 6. At 4 sc per inch, that matches the body height of 79.25 in (201.3 cm).
– The corner ch-1 sps are counted separately and are not part of either side.
Final Blocking
- Weave in all ends along the side border, in the same color, before blocking.
- Soak the panel in cool water for 15 minutes, then press the water out gently. Do not wring.
- Lay it flat on the mats or the sheet.
- Pin the sides straight to 31 in (78.7 cm) apart.
- Pin the length to 81 in (205.7 cm), not counting the tabs.
- Pin the point of each scallop and open the picots.
- Line up the fan columns so they run straight up the panel.
- Leave it to dry completely before you unpin it.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- The panel measures 31 in (78.7 cm) × 81 in (205.7 cm).
- There are 11 full repeats and the color order is the same in every one.
- All fans sit in 10 straight vertical columns.
- There are 10 scallops with 4 picots each.
- There are 7 tabs, evenly spaced and sewn securely.
- No tails show on the RS.
- Panel A and Panel B match within 0.5 in (1.3 cm).
Troubleshooting
- The fans drift sideways: You missed the V or C stitch. Count 5 sc per repeat on every mesh row.
- The edges ripple: You have too many border stitches. Recheck 28 sc per repeat.
- The edges pull in: You have too few border stitches. Add sc evenly, or go up a hook size for B1 only.
- The puffs look flat: Pull each loop up to ½ in (1.3 cm) before closing.
- The panel is too long after hanging: Cotton can drop slightly. Re-block, and dry the panel flat.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with a mild detergent and lay flat to dry. Reshape and pin the scallops if needed. Don’t tumble dry.
Final Notes
Here is the measurement chain from start to finish:
– Your gauge gives a 3 in (7.6 cm) pattern repeat.
– Ten repeats across give a 30 in (76.2 cm) body.
– Eleven 7 in (17.8 cm) row repeats plus the foundation rows and heading give 79.25 in (201.3 cm).
– The border brings the panel to 31 in (78.7 cm) × 81 in (205.7 cm).
Check each stage before moving on, and your pair of panels will hang straight.
Happy crocheting!