Skill Level: Intermediate

Size: 18 x 18”

Gauge: Motif measures 17/8” blocked; 14 sts and 13 rows = 4” [10 cm] in hdc after wet blocking.

Materials

Yarn:

 Scheepjes Bloom (100% Cotton; 87 yards [80 meters]/50grams): 423 Daisy (A), 10 skeins; 414 Sun Flower (B), 2 skeins; 425 Honesty (C), 1 skein; 415 Tiger Lily (D), 1 skein; 402 French Lavender (E), 1 skein.

Hook: US size 7 (4.5 mm); H/8 (5.0 mm)

Notions: Safety pins; tapestry needle; six 7/8” buttons (sample used La Petite Style 7 in white); white sewing thread; sewing needle; 18” pillow form.

Special Stitches

Standing sc: With slip knot on hook, insert hook into designated st, yo, pull loop through, yo, pull through both loops on hook completing the Standing sc st.

Pattern

Motif

With smaller hook, make magic ring.

Rnd 1: Ch 3 (counts as first dc), work 3 dc in ring, ch 2, *4 dc in ring, ch 2; rep from * twice more, sl st in top of first dc. Pull tail end of magic ring tight. Gently pull corners to shape if necessary.

Rnd 2: Ch 1, sc in same st as join, sc in next 3 dc, (sc ch 2, sc) in corner sp, *sc in next 4 dc, (sc ch 2, sc) in corner sp; rep from * twice more, sl st in first sc. Fasten off. Gently pull corners into shape. Pull tail end of magic ring tight again if necessary. Weave in loose ends.

Number of motifs for each color

A- 51

B- 28

C- 11

D- 5

E- 5

Front of pillow

Assemble front of pillow as shown in diagram by whip stitching motifs RS tog through both loops of each motif (8 sts total including 1 ch from each corner sp). Do not sew too tight. When deciding which color to use for seams, try to choose the lighter color of the two motifs being joined. Most of the time it will be A or B but a few motifs will be seamed tog with C. Darker colors D and E will never be used.

Block 18” square.

Back

Panel A

With larger hook and A, ch 64.

Row 1 (WS): Change to smaller hook, sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across, turn – 63 sc.

Note: It is optional but recommended to sc through the raised bump in the back of each chain to make it easier to complete the back-section’s finishing rnd.

Row 2: Ch 2, hdc in first sc and next 62 sc, turn – 63 hdc.

Row 3: Ch 2, hdc in sp between first and 2nd hdc and every other sp between 2 hdc across, ending with hdc in last sp between hdc and ch 2 of previous row, turn – 63 hdc.

Rows 4-37: Repeat Row 3 until Panel A measures approx. 11” from start.

Row 38: Sl st across.

Fasten off. Weave in loose ends.

Block 11 x 18”

Panel B (Buttonhole Panel)

Repeat instructions for Panel A until panel measures 9” (approx. Row 29).

Row 30 (RS) (Buttonhole Row): Ch 2, hdc in first sp, hdc in next 7 sps between 2 hdcs (8 sts total), *ch 2, sk next 2 sps, hdc in next 7 sps; rep from * 5 more times, ending with 1 hdc in last sp between 2 hdc, turn – 6 buttonholes made.

Row 31: Ch 2, hdc in first sp between hdc and next 7 sps, *3 hdc in ch-2 sp, hdc in the next 6 sps; rep from * 5 more times, ending with 1 hdc in last sp between 2 hdc, turn – 63 hdc.

Rows 32-33: Rep Row 3 of Panel A, turn – 63 hdc.

Row 34 (RS) Sl st in first sp between 2 hdc and across all remaining sps between 2 hdc.

Fasten off. Weave in loose ends.

Block 10 x 18”

Finishing

Place Panel B (RS) over Panel A (RS) so that Back Panels meas 18” across. Mark button placement with safety pins (buttons are at exact center of pillow so should be 9” from each side). Sew on buttons with sewing thread. Button closed. With A, whipstitch tog (on both ends) where panels overlap to hold in place. Weave in loose ends.

Finishing Rnd (RS Facing): With smaller hook and A, join with Standing sc in first st near corner, sc across rem 62 sc – 63 sc.

Ch 2 and evenly space 63 sc across next side (use safety pins to divide up areas so sts are evenly spaced). (Ch 2 and work 63 sc across next side) twice, ending with ch 2, sl st in first sc of round.

Fasten off. Weave in loose ends.

Notes (On Finishing Rnd): After blocking, the Back sections might relax a little so they won’t be exactly 18” wide. This final Finishing Rnd helps make the Back section match the Front section’s dimensions as well as making it easier to crochet the Front and Back sides together at the end. When working sc in side of hdc, make sure there are 2 loops above hook when inserting hook. This creates a tighter st that doesn’t leave an unsightly gap.

With WS tog, pin Front and Back together at the center and edge of each motif. This helps to keep things in place when crocheting together since the Front and Back do not have the exact same number of sts (Front is approx. 80 sts wide and Back is 63 sts).

Final Rnd: With Front side facing and A, join with Standing sc in any corner and sc evenly across. Ease Front to Back so that each side has approx. 63 scs across (not including corner scs). Work (sc, ch 2, sc) in each corner, ending with sl st in first sc of rnd.

Fasten off. Weave in loose ends.

Insert pillow form and button closed.