The Violet Ribbon Bow Bedspread is an openwork lace coverlet in deep purple, with plump white bows standing out from the surface. The bows sit in a checkerboard. Plain lace motifs fill the spaces between them and show up as small purple rosettes, so the whole piece reads as a soft, airy net.
Only two colors are used: a rich violet for the lace and a bright white for the bows. Bulky yarn keeps the lace bold and quick to work, and it gives the bows real height.
This pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished bedspread measures 60 x 92 in (152.4 x 233.7 cm) after blocking, including the border.
You crochet 77 square lace motifs, joining them as you go on the final round. Then you sew a three-part bow onto 39 of them: two ring loops, two tails and a domed knot. A three-round scalloped picot border finishes the edge.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 60 x 92 in (152.4 x 233.7 cm)
- Skill level: Intermediate
- Terminology: US crochet terms
- Yarn weight: Bulky (#5)
- Hook: 6.0 mm (US J-10)
- Number of pieces: 77 lace motifs plus 39 bow appliqués
- Layout: 7 motifs wide x 11 motifs long, with bows in a checkerboard
- Motif size: 8 x 8 in (20.3 x 20.3 cm)
- Size before border: 56 x 88 in (142.2 x 223.5 cm)
- Border depth: 2 in (5.1 cm) per side
Materials
Choose a smooth, round, plied bulky yarn so the lace loops and bow textures show clearly. Acrylic or an acrylic-wool blend is a good choice for a bedspread. The amounts below assume about 140 m (153 yd) per 100 g skein.
- Violet (lace motifs and border): 1,500 g / 2,100 m
- White (bows): 450 g / 630 m
These amounts include roughly a 12–15% margin for gauge differences and swatching.
Tools:
– 6.0 mm (US J-10) crochet hook
– Tapestry needle with a large eye
– Stitch markers
– Scissors
– Measuring tape
– 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
- sk – skip
- sp – space
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- rep – repeat
Special stitches:
– Corner shell: (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in the same space.
– Picot: (sc, ch 3, sc) in the same stitch or space.
– Standing sc: start with a slip knot on the hook, insert the hook into the stitch, and complete a sc.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Before you start the full bedspread, make one motif with a bow and block it. Every later measurement depends on this test piece.
Motif checkpoints (measured flat):
– After Round 1: 3 in (7.6 cm) across
– After Round 3: 6.5 in (16.5 cm) across
– After Round 4: 7 in (17.8 cm) per side
– After Round 5: 8 in (20.3 cm) per side, measured from corner loop to corner loop
Bow checkpoints:
– One ring loop: about 3 x 2.25 in (7.6 x 5.7 cm)
– One tail: about 4.5 in (11.4 cm) long
– Finished bow: about 6.5 in (16.5 cm) wide
Border gauge: 19 sc = 8 in (20.3 cm) along the edge.
If your motif is bigger than 8 in (20.3 cm), go down half a millimeter, to a 5.5 mm hook. If it is smaller, go up to a 6.5 mm hook. A difference of only 0.25 in (0.6 cm) per motif adds up to 2.75 in (7.0 cm) over the 11-motif length, so match the gauge before you continue.
Lace Motif (Make 77, Violet)
Round 1: Make a magic ring. Ch 3 (counts as dc), work 15 dc into the ring, and join with a sl st to the top of the ch-3. (16 dc)
Round 2: Ch 1. Sc in the same st, ch 5, sk 1. Sc in next st, ch 5, sk 1. Rep from * 6 more times. Join to the first sc. (8 sc, 8 ch-5 loops)
Round 3: Sl st into the first ch-5 loop. Ch 1, sc in the same loop, ch 6. Sc in next loop, ch 6. Rep from * 6 more times. Join to the first sc. (8 sc, 8 ch-6 loops)
Round 4 (squaring round): Sl st in the next 3 ch so you are in the center of the loop. Ch 3 (counts as dc), then work (2 dc, ch 3, 3 dc) in the same loop for the first corner. Ch 3, sc in next loop, ch 3. (3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc) in next loop, ch 3, sc in next loop, ch 3. Rep from * 2 more times. Join to the top of the ch-3.
Count after Round 4: 24 dc, 4 sc, 4 corner ch-3 sps and 8 side ch-3 sps.
Round 5 (loop round): Sl st in the next 2 dc, then sl st into the corner sp. Ch 1, then work (sc, ch 5, sc) in the corner sp. Ch 4, sc in next ch-3 sp, ch 4, sc in next ch-3 sp, ch 4, (sc, ch 5, sc) in corner sp. Rep from * 2 more times, omitting the last corner. To finish the round, ch 4, sc in next ch-3 sp, ch 4, sc in next ch-3 sp, ch 4, and join to the first sc. Fasten off.
Count after Round 5: 16 sc, 4 ch-5 corner loops and 12 ch-4 loops. Each side has 3 ch-4 loops between two corner loops.
This open loop edge is what makes a single motif look rounded and scalloped in your hand.
Bow Appliqué (Make 39, White)
Ring Loops (Make 2 per bow)
Round 1: Ch 12 and join with a sl st to form a ring. Ch 1, work 20 sc into the ring over the chain, and join to the first sc. (20 sc)
Round 2: Ch 1. Sc in the next 5 sts, hdc in the next 2, 2 dc in each of the next 6, hdc in the next 2, sc in the next 5. Join. (5 + 2 + 12 + 2 + 5 = 26 sts)
The 12 dc form the rounded outer end of the loop. The sc section becomes the narrow end that gets pinched at the center. Fasten off, leaving a 12 in (30.5 cm) tail.
Tails (Make 2 per bow)
Ch 4.
Row 1: Sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and in the next 2 ch. Turn. (3 sc)
Rows 2–8: Ch 1, sc in each st across. Turn. (3 sc)
Row 9: Ch 1. 2 sc in the first st, sc in the next, 2 sc in the last. Turn. (5 sc)
Rows 10–12: Ch 1, sc in each st across. Turn. (5 sc)
Row 13 (slanted tip): For the left tail, work sl st, sc, hdc, dc, tr, one in each of the 5 sts. For the right tail, work tr, dc, hdc, sc, sl st, one in each st. Each version has 5 sts and gives a mirrored slant. Fasten off, leaving a 12 in (30.5 cm) tail.
Knot (Make 1 per bow)
Round 1: Make a magic ring and work 6 sc into it. (6 sc)
Round 2: 2 sc in each st around. (12 sc)
Round 3: Sc in each st around. (12 sc)
This makes a small dome about 1.5 in (3.8 cm) across. Fasten off, leaving a long tail.
Assembly and Stacking
Do this on a plain lace motif, so the bow is centered over Rounds 1–3.
- Sew the Row 1 ends of both tails at the motif center, angled into a V that opens downward.
- Lay the two ring loops on top, with their narrow sc ends meeting over the top of the tails. Pinch each loop slightly and stitch it down through the center.
- Place the knot dome over the pinch point and whipstitch around its edge.
- Tack the outer ends of the loops lightly at 2 points each, and leave the hollow centers raised.
Make All Pieces
- Violet lace motifs: 77
- White bows: 39, sewn onto 39 of the motifs
That leaves 38 plain lace motifs.
Sew each bow on before you join that motif. The joined bedspread is much harder to handle. Place the motifs as B (bow) and P (plain):
ROW 1: B P B P B P B
ROW 2: P B P B P B P
ROW 3: B P B P B P B
ROW 4: P B P B P B P
ROW 5: B P B P B P B
ROW 6: P B P B P B P
ROW 7: B P B P B P B
ROW 8: P B P B P B P
ROW 9: B P B P B P B
ROW 10: P B P B P B P
ROW 11: B P B P B P B
The six odd rows have 4 bows each (24), and the five even rows have 3 each (15), for 39 bows.
Joining (Join-As-You-Go on Round 5)
Work Rounds 1–4 of each new motif as usual. On Round 5, join it to its finished neighbors as you go:
- On a joining side, replace each ch-4 loop with: ch 2, sl st into the matching ch-4 loop of the neighbor, ch 2.
- Replace each joined corner ch-5 loop with: ch 2, sl st into the neighbor’s corner loop, ch 2.
- At a 4-way corner: sl st into the existing joining sl st, not into a third loop, so the corner stays flat.
Each joined side links stitch to stitch in 5 places: 3 side loops and 2 corner loops. Outer edges stay as plain ch-4 and ch-5 loops.
Keep the joining sl sts at the same tension as the chains. If they are tight, the seams pucker. If they are loose, gaps open at the corners.
Size checkpoint: After the first full row of 7 motifs, measure the width. It should be 56 in (142.2 cm). After 11 rows, the length should be 88 in (223.5 cm).
Border (Violet)
Border gauge: 19 sc = 8 in (20.3 cm).
Each motif side gives exactly 19 sc. That is 2 sc in the first corner loop, 5 sc in each of the 3 ch-4 loops (15) and 2 sc in the last corner loop: 2 + 15 + 2 = 19. Those 2 corner-loop sc at each end are already part of the 19. Where two motifs meet on the outer edge, each motif’s own corner loop takes its own 2 sc. No extra stitches are added at seams.
Round 1: Join with a standing sc in the top-right corner loop of the bedspread. Then work 1 more sc, ch 2, 2 sc in the same loop. Work 19 sc across each motif side as described. In each of the other three bedspread corner loops, work (2 sc, ch 2, 2 sc). Join to the first sc.
- Short sides: 7 x 19 = 133 sc each
- Long sides: 11 x 19 = 209 sc each
- Corners: 4 ch-2 sps, which are not counted in the sides
- Total: 684 sc
The first 2 sc you worked belong to the last long side.
Round 2 (scallops): Sl st into the corner ch-2 sp. Ch 3 (counts as dc), then work (2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in the same sp. Along each side: sc in the first st, sk 1, 5 dc in next st, sk 1, sc in next st. Rep from * to the end of the side, so the last sc lands in the last st. Work a corner shell in each corner sp. Join to the top of the ch-3.
- Short sides: 33 shells and 34 sc
- Long sides: 52 shells and 53 sc
- Plus 4 corner shells
Round 3 (picot edge): Sl st in each dc to the first corner ch-2 sp. Ch 1, then work a picot in the corner sp. Then work around:
- Sc in each of the next 3 dc of the corner shell.
- Sl st in each sc between shells.
- On each side shell: sc in the first 2 dc, a picot in the center dc, sc in the last 2 dc.
- At each corner shell: sc in each of the 3 dc, a picot in the ch-2 sp, sc in each of the 3 dc.
Join and fasten off.
- Short sides: 33 picots
- Long sides: 52 picots
- Plus 4 corner picots, for a total of 174
Why the math works: The 4-stitch repeat (sc, sk 1, shell, sk 1) plus one closing sc needs a side count of 4n + 1. For the short sides, 133 = 4 x 33 + 1. For the long sides, 209 = 4 x 52 + 1. Every side starts and ends with a sc, so the scallops come out symmetrical at every corner.
The border adds 2 in (5.1 cm) per side. Width: 56 + 4 = 60 in (152.4 cm). Length: 88 + 4 = 92 in (233.7 cm).
Final Blocking
- Weave in all ends and secure the bow seams.
- Lay the bedspread flat on mats or a clean sheet, right side up.
- Mist the violet lace until damp. Mist the bows only lightly.
- Pin the outer edge to 60 x 92 in (152.4 x 233.7 cm), starting at the four corners.
- Pin the tip of each picot so the scallops point outward.
- Gently open the lace loops with your fingers. Don’t press the bows flat.
- Let it dry completely, usually 24–48 hours, before unpinning.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- All 77 motifs measure 8 in (20.3 cm) per side.
- All 39 bows are in the checkerboard positions and point the same way.
- The bow loops stay hollow and raised, and the knots sit centered.
- All 4-way corners lie flat with no holes.
- Border Round 1 has 133 sc on each short side and 209 sc on each long side.
- There are 33 or 52 scallops per side, and every side starts and ends with a sc.
- The finished size is 60 x 92 in (152.4 x 233.7 cm).
- All ends are woven in securely.
Troubleshooting
- Motif cups in the middle: Your Round 1 dc are too tight. Loosen up, or use a 6.5 mm hook for Round 1 only.
- Motif ruffles: Your ch-5 or ch-6 loops are too long. Chain more firmly.
- Bow loops fold flat: Use a firmer tension for the ring loops, and tack the outer end in two places.
- Tails curl: Steam-block the tails flat before you sew them on.
- Border ripples: Check that you have 5 sc per ch-4 loop, not 6, and recount each side.
- Border pulls in: Your sc are too tight. Use a 6.5 mm hook for Round 1.
- Scallops don’t land on a sc at the corner: Recount Round 1. Each side must be 4n + 1.
Care
Hand wash cool or machine wash on a gentle cycle in a laundry bag, then lay flat to dry and reshape the bows while damp. Don’t hang it to dry, because the weight stretches the lace.
Final Notes
The measurement chain is simple. One motif is 8 in (20.3 cm) per side, with 19 border sc per side. Seven motifs make 56 in (142.2 cm) and 133 sc. Eleven motifs make 88 in (223.5 cm) and 209 sc. A 2 in (5.1 cm) scalloped border brings the bedspread to 60 x 92 in (152.4 x 233.7 cm).
Check your first motif carefully, and the rest of the bedspread follows from it. Happy crocheting!