Denim Checkerboard Patchwork Bed Cover Crochet Pattern
You need basic single crochet and a little patience with counting.
Every square is small, so you can work a few at a time.
Old jeans and soft cotton squares take turns in a cozy checkerboard.
About This Denim Checkerboard Patchwork Bed Cover Crochet Pattern Pattern
This bed cover mixes two kinds of squares in a checkerboard. Half are old jeans, cut to 6 inches, punched along the edge and framed in four rounds of light blue and cream. The other half are crochet nested squares worked from the center out in light blue and cream.
The squares are joined with slip stitches, which makes a thin cream lattice, and the cover ends with a picot edge. The finished size is about 72 by 86 inches, made of 120 squares in a 10 by 12 grid. It suits crocheters who like portable projects and anyone with a pile of jeans they cannot throw away.
Why You'll Love This Denim Checkerboard Patchwork Bed Cover Crochet Pattern Pattern
I love that this cover gives me two kinds of work. On a quiet evening I punch holes in denim, and on a busy day I crochet a nested square that needs no thinking. Every square is small, so the cover grows without ever feeling like a mountain.
It is also a lovely way to keep a favorite pair of jeans close. The copper rivets and the orange stitching tell a story, and the soft crochet squares make the bedroom feel warm.
Switch Things Up
Try dark indigo denim with rust and cream squares, or work the nested squares in three shades of blue for an ombre look. For a baby blanket, make 6 squares across and 7 down for about 43 by 50 inches. For a sofa throw, make 6 across and 8 down. You can also make one nested square into a matching pillow cover, or swap the picot edge for a plain single crochet border.
Materials Needed
— Main Fabric
— Tools Required
The Free Pattern
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— Prepare the Denim Squares (Make 60, faded denim) :
— Framed Denim Square (Make 60, 54 plain and 6 with rivets, light blue and cream) :
— Nested Crochet Square (Make 60, light blue and cream) :
— Layout :
— Join the Squares (Make 218 seams, cream) :
— Border (cream and light blue) :
Assembly Instructions
- Wash, dry and cut the jeans, then cut the 60 denim squares and stitch a narrow zigzag along each raw edge.
- Punch the 92 holes in each denim square, then crochet the four framing rounds around every square.
- Crochet the 60 nested squares in 15 rounds each, so every square ends with 124 stitches.
- Lay out all 120 squares in a checkerboard of 10 across and 12 down and photograph your layout.
- Join the squares into 12 strips of 10 squares with slip stitch seams in the back loops, then join the 12 strips together and close every four-square intersection with one sc.
- Work the border rounds around the whole cover, then finish with the light blue picot round.
- Weave in all ends, wet block the cover flat and pin it to size, and let it dry completely.
Common Mistakes & How to Fix Them
Punching holes too close to the denim edge makes the fabric pull and fray, so keep every hole 1/4 inch in and zigzag the raw edge first.
Losing the corner marker on the nested squares makes the corners drift. Move the marker up every round and count 12, 20, 28 and so on up to 124.
Joining squares in the wrong order breaks the checkerboard, so photograph your grid and number the strips.
Working the seams too tightly makes the cover pucker. Use a hook one size larger for the joins if the seam feels stiff.
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Important Notes
One framed denim square and one nested square should both measure about 7 inches (18 cm). Make one of each before you cut all the jeans, because sizes and yarn amounts are estimated from the photo.
Block the finished cover flat. Buy a little extra of each yarn color, since a heavy denim cover uses more yarn than it looks.
Wash on a cold gentle cycle with a color catcher, since dark denim can bleed onto the cream yarn, and dry flat.
I hope this pattern helps you turn a pile of old jeans and a few balls of cotton into a cover you will reach for every night. Send me a note when you finish your first square.
Crochet Abbreviations
You Ask, We Answer
What is the finished size?
About 72 by 86 inches (183 by 218 cm) with the border, made of 120 squares in a 10 by 12 grid.
Can I use another yarn weight or fabric?
Yes. Worsted cotton works with a 4.0 mm hook, but the stitch counts and finished size will change, so make a test square first. Flannel, shirting or quilting cotton also work for the fabric squares.
How do I wash and care for it?
Wash on a cold gentle cycle with a color catcher, then lay it flat to dry. Wash the jeans several times before cutting so the dye does not bleed onto the cream yarn.
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Abbreviations
- ch — chain
- sc — single crochet
- sl st — slip stitch
- st(s) — stitch(es)
- rep — repeat
- picot — ch 3, sl st in the first ch