This café-style valance makes a window look like a summer garden. Bright golden sunflowers with chocolate-brown centers sit in a lacy lattice of deep green chains and pointed leaves. The bottom edge is a row of soft scallops, and green tabs across the top slide straight onto a curtain rod.
The palette has three colors: sunflower yellow, chocolate brown and forest green. The style is cottage and farmhouse. The lattice is open enough to let light through, and the flowers still stand out from across a room. The whole pattern uses US crochet terms.
The finished valance measures 42 in (106.7 cm) wide by 11.75 in (29.8 cm) tall from the top edge to the scallop points. The tab loops add about 2 in (5.1 cm) above that.
You build it from squares. You make 9 Sunflower Squares and 9 Leaf Squares, and both have the same green lattice frame. You join them in a checkerboard of 9 columns by 2 rows, so the flowers alternate between the rows. Then you add a two-round border, a scalloped hem and 9 tabs.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 42 in (106.7 cm) wide x 11.75 in (29.8 cm) tall, plus 2 in (5.1 cm) tab loops
- Skill level: Intermediate
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: Worsted (#4)
- Hook: 5.0 mm (H-8)
- Number of pieces: 18 squares (9 Sunflower, 9 Leaf)
- Layout: 9 columns x 2 rows, checkerboard
- Square size: 4.5 in (11.4 cm) square
- Size before border: 40.5 in (102.9 cm) x 9 in (22.9 cm)
- Border depth: 0.75 in (1.9 cm) on all sides, plus a 1.25 in (3.2 cm) scallop hem at the bottom
Materials
Use a smooth worsted-weight cotton or cotton blend so the stitches look crisp. Cotton blocks well and doesn’t stretch much when it hangs. The amounts below assume about 180 m per 100 g.
- Forest green: 220 g (396 m) for the lattice, joining, border and tabs
- Sunflower yellow: 60 g (108 m) for the petals
- Chocolate brown: 40 g (72 m) for the flower centers
All quantities include a margin of about 15 percent to cover gauge swatches and differences in tension.
Tools:
- 5.0 mm (H-8) crochet hook
- Tapestry needle
- Stitch markers (at least 10)
- Scissors
- Tape measure
- Blocking mats and rust-proof pins
- Spray bottle
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)
- sp – space
- FLO / BLO – front loop only / back loop only
- RS / WS – right side / wrong side
Special stitch – Leaf: Ch 7. Sl st in the 2nd ch from the hook, then work 1 st in each of the next 5 ch in this order: sc, hdc, dc, hdc, sc. You now have a pointed leaf of 6 sts, and your hook is back at its base. The skipped ch at the top is the leaf tip.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge: 17 sc and 19 rows = 4 in (10.2 cm) in sc worked in rows.
Before you make all 18 squares, make one Sunflower Square and block it. Use these checkpoints to compare:
- Sunflower after Rnd 2: brown disc about 1.75 in (4.4 cm) across
- Sunflower after Rnd 3: about 4.25 in (10.8 cm) from petal tip to petal tip
- Leaf Square after Rnd 1: green ring about 1.75 in (4.4 cm) across
- Finished square (either type): 4.5 in (11.4 cm) on each side after blocking
If your square is bigger than 4.5 in (11.4 cm), switch to a 4.5 mm hook. If it’s smaller, switch to a 5.5 mm hook. Small errors add up: 0.25 in (0.6 cm) per square becomes 2.25 in (5.7 cm) across the full width. Fix your gauge before you go on.
Sunflower Square (make 9)
Rnd 1 (brown): Magic ring, ch 3 (counts as dc), 11 dc in ring. Sl st to the top of the ch-3. (12 dc)
Rnd 2 (brown): Ch 1, 2 sc in each st around. Sl st to the first sc. (24 sc) Fasten off.
Rnd 3 (yellow, petals, FLO): Join yellow in the front loop of any sc. Sl st in the FLO of the next st, ch 6, sc in the 2nd ch from hook, hdc in next ch, dc in each of next 2 ch, tr in last ch, sl st in the FLO of the next st. Repeat from * 12 times in total. (12 petals over 24 front loops) Fasten off.
Each petal sits on 2 sts. It’s widest at the tr base and narrows to an sc point. The back loops of Rnd 2 stay free for the green frame.
Rnd 4 (green, lattice, BLO of Rnd 2): Fold the petals forward. Join green with a sl st in any free back loop of Rnd 2, then ch 1. Sc in the next back loop (the first time, use the loop you joined in), ch 5, skip 2 back loops, sc in next back loop, ch 4, make 1 Leaf, ch 4, skip 2 back loops. Repeat from * 4 times in total. Sl st to the first sc. (8 sc, 4 ch-5 sp, 8 ch-4 sp, 4 Leaves)
Each repeat uses 6 back loops, and 4 x 6 = 24. The ch-5 loops form the sides of the square. The leaves point diagonally out toward the 4 corners.
Rnd 5 (green, edge): Ch 1. Sc in the next sc (the first time, use the sc at the base of the ch-1), 7 sc in ch-5 sp, sc in next sc, 4 sc in ch-4 sp, (sc, ch 2, sc) in the leaf tip, 4 sc in the next ch-4 sp. Repeat from * 4 times in total. Sl st to the first sc. Fasten off, leaving an 8 in (20.3 cm) tail.
Count: Each repeat is 1 + 7 + 1 + 4 + 2 + 4 = 19 sc, so the round has 76 sc and 4 corner ch-2 sp. Each side, from one corner ch-2 sp to the next, has 1 + 4 + 1 + 7 + 1 + 4 + 1 = 19 sc, including the 2 corner sc.
Leaf Square (make 9)
Rnd 1 (green): Ch 10, sl st to the first ch to form a ring. Ch 1, 24 sc in the ring. Sl st to the first sc. (24 sc)
The center stays open like the rest of the lattice.
Rnd 2 (green, lattice): Ch 1. Sc in next st (the first time, use the st at the base of the ch-1), ch 5, skip 2 sts, sc in next st, ch 4, make 1 Leaf, ch 4, skip 2 sts. Repeat from * 4 times in total. Sl st to the first sc. (8 sc, 4 ch-5 sp, 8 ch-4 sp, 4 Leaves)
Rnd 3 (green, edge): Work exactly like Rnd 5 of the Sunflower Square. (76 sc and 4 corner ch-2 sp; 19 sc per side including corners) Fasten off, leaving an 8 in (20.3 cm) tail.
Both square types finish with the same edge round. Every side has the same count, so you join them one stitch to one stitch.
Make All Pieces
- Sunflower Squares: 9 (brown Rnds 1–2, yellow Rnd 3, green Rnds 4–5)
- Leaf Squares: 9 (all green)
- Total: 18 squares
Lay the squares out face up in a checkerboard (S = Sunflower, L = Leaf):
Row 1 (top): S L S L S L S L S
Row 2 (bottom): L S L S L S L S L
This puts 5 flowers in the top row and 4 in the bottom row, offset from each other. The Leaf Squares fill the spaces between the flowers with green lattice.
Weave in all ends except the green tails, which you can use for joining. Block every square to 4.5 in (11.4 cm) before you join them.
Joining
Method: Flat slip stitch join in green, worked from the RS.
- Lay two neighboring squares side by side, RS up, with their edges touching.
- Sl st through the matching corner ch-2 spaces of both squares.
- Sl st through the inner loops of each pair of matching sts, 19 pairs in all.
- Finish with a sl st through the next pair of corner ch-2 spaces.
Each square has 19 sts per side, so the sts pair up 19 to 19 with none left over.
Order: Join the 9 squares of Row 1 into a strip with 8 short seams. Do the same with Row 2. Then join the two strips with one long seam. For each square along that seam, join the corner sp, then the 19 sts, then the next corner sp.
Tension: Keep your slip stitches as loose as your sc. If the seams pull in, use a hook one size larger for the joining only.
Size checkpoint: The joined panel should measure 40.5 in (102.9 cm) x 9 in (22.9 cm), which is 9 x 4.5 in by 2 x 4.5 in.
Border
Border gauge: An sc round adds about 0.25 in (0.6 cm) and a dc round adds about 0.5 in (1.3 cm). Together they add 0.75 in (1.9 cm) on each side.
Rnd 1 (green, sc): With the RS facing, join in the first sc after any outer corner ch-2 sp. Ch 1. Sc in each sc across. At each outer corner, ch 2 over the corner sp. At each seam, don’t work into the joined corner spaces. Go straight from the last sc of one square to the first sc of the next. Sl st to the first sc.
- Long sides: 9 x 19 = 171 sc each
- Short sides: 2 x 19 = 38 sc each
- Total: 418 sc and 4 corner ch-2 sp
No stitches are added at the seams. Each side’s count is simply the number of squares along it times 19.
Rnd 2 (dc): Sl st into the corner sp. Ch 3 (counts as dc), then work (dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in the same sp. Dc in each sc across, and work (2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc) in each corner sp. Sl st to the top of the ch-3.
- Long sides: (171 dc, 1 per st) + (2 + 2 corner dc) = 175 dc each
- Short sides: (38 dc, 1 per st) + (2 + 2 corner dc) = 42 dc each
- Total: 434 dc and 4 corner ch-2 sp
Fasten off. The side edges are now finished.
Scalloped Hem (bottom edge only)
Row A: With the RS facing, join green in the first dc of the bottom edge, just after the corner sp. Ch 1, sc in the same dc. Ch 7, skip 5 dc, sc in next dc. Repeat from * 29 times in total. (30 sc, 29 ch-7 arches)
Check: 1 + (29 x 6) = 175. This uses every dc along the bottom and ends in the last dc before the corner.
Row B: Turn, ch 1. Work (sc, hdc, 5 dc, hdc, sc) in each ch-7 arch. (29 scallops, 261 sts) Fasten off.
The scallops hang about 1.25 in (3.2 cm) below the border.
Rod Tabs (top edge, make 9)
On the top edge, each square has 19 dc above it. The 2 corner dc at each end belong to the border, not to a square. Place a marker in the 10th dc of each square, which is its center stitch. Each tab is worked over that marked dc plus 3 dc on each side.
Row 1: With the RS facing, join green in the 3rd dc before the marker. Ch 1, sc in the same dc and in each of the next 6 dc. (7 sc)
Rows 2–19: Ch 1, turn, sc in each sc across. (7 sc) The strip should be about 4 in (10.2 cm) long.
Fasten off, leaving a 12 in (30.5 cm) tail. Fold the tab to the WS and whipstitch its last row along the base of Row 1 on the back of Rnd 2. Repeat for all 9 tabs. Each loop is about 2 in (5.1 cm) tall and fits a rod up to 1.25 in (3.2 cm) thick.
Final Blocking
- Weave in the remaining ends, each one through stitches of its own color.
- Soak the valance in cool water for 10 minutes. Roll it in a towel to press the water out, without wringing.
- Pin it to the mats at 42 in (106.7 cm) x 10.5 in (26.7 cm), measured to the outer edge of the border, not the scallops.
- Pin each scallop point 1.25 in (3.2 cm) below the border, so the total height is 11.75 in (29.8 cm).
- Open up the lattice by pinning each leaf tip toward its corner, and spread the petals evenly.
- Leave the tabs unpinned. Flatten them by hand and let everything dry completely.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Every square measures 4.5 in (11.4 cm) and has 19 sc per side
- The checkerboard is right: 5 flowers on top and 4 on the bottom
- On every square, all 4 leaves point to the corners
- Border Rnd 1 has 171 sc on each long side and 38 on each short side
- Border Rnd 2 has 175 dc on each long side and 42 on each short side
- There are 29 even scallops with no leftover stitches at either end
- There are 9 tabs, each centered over a square
- The valance measures 42 in (106.7 cm) x 11.75 in (29.8 cm)
Troubleshooting
Petals curl forward: Pin the petals flat when you block. On your next squares, work the tr at the base of each petal a little looser.
Leaves twist: Before you work the corner (sc, ch 2, sc) into a leaf tip, turn the leaf so its front faces you.
Square cups or ruffles: If it cups, the lattice chains are too tight. If it ruffles, they’re too loose. Fix this by adjusting your chain tension, not your hook size.
Border count is off: Make sure you skipped the seam corner spaces in Rnd 1. Working into them adds 2 sts at each seam.
Scallops don’t come out even: The bottom edge of Rnd 2 isn’t exactly 175 dc. Count again before you start Row A.
Valance sags between tabs: Starch the top border lightly, or push the tabs closer together on the rod.
Care
Hand wash in cool water with a mild detergent and lay flat to dry, pinning it back to size if needed. Cotton can also go through a delicate machine cycle in a mesh bag.
Final Notes
The size of this valance depends on a chain of measurements, each one building on the last. A gauge of 17 sc = 4 in (10.2 cm) gives a 4.5 in (11.4 cm) square with 19 sc per side. Eighteen squares joined 9 x 2 make a panel of 40.5 in (102.9 cm) x 9 in (22.9 cm). The 0.75 in (1.9 cm) border brings the width to 42 in (106.7 cm), and the scallop hem brings the height to 11.75 in (29.8 cm). Check each measurement as you go, and the valance will hang straight and even.
Happy crocheting!