Berry Rose Filet Heart Bed Cover Crochet Pattern

This bed cover is a romantic piece made in one rich berry rose color. The center is a large panel of open filet mesh, row after row of little square windows. Right in the middle sits a big heart, about 39 inches across, edged with a solid outline and a ring of round fans tipped with tiny picots. Around the mesh runs a lacy band of V-stitches, and the whole cover finishes with a deep scalloped edge. It is simple in color but full of texture, and the heart gives the whole bed a warm, loving focus.

The center panel is worked in rows of classic filet mesh: a double crochet, a chain, another double crochet, again and again. Each square of mesh is about half an inch, and the panel grows quickly because there is no counting of motifs, no color changes and no joining. I love it as a project to pick up whenever I have a quiet hour, because every row is the same and the work never needs much thought. The first and last rows are solid double crochet to give the panel firm, straight ends.

The heart is made separately, also in filet mesh. It starts with a single mesh at the bottom point and grows one mesh on each side of every row, until it is 69 mesh wide. After some straight rows, it splits into two lobes that shrink row by row into the rounded top. Then a round of single crochet outlines the heart, a round of fans makes the scallops, and a final round adds a picot to the top of each fan. You sew the heart onto the center of the panel along its single crochet outline, so the fans stay free and stand up a little from the mesh.

Because the heart is a second layer of mesh lying on top of the panel, it looks slightly raised, like a doily laid on the bed. That little bit of depth is what makes it catch the light so beautifully. It also means the heart can be placed exactly where you want it once the panel is finished. I put mine centered side to side, with the tops of the lobes about 14 inches from the head end, so the heart sits right on top of the mattress.

The finished panel measures about 76 by 86 inches. The border adds about 2.5 inches on every side, so the whole cover finishes at about 81 by 91 inches. The border has six rounds: single crochet, two rounds of V-stitches, single crochet again, a round of large scallops and a final round of picots. I worked out the stitch counts carefully so the scallops fall evenly along every side, with a fuller scallop turning each corner.

The stitches are chain, slip stitch, single crochet, double crochet and double treble crochet, used only for the increases at the end of the heart rows. What makes this pattern intermediate is shaping the heart with increases and decreases, and keeping the long border rounds counted correctly. If you have made filet crochet before, you will find it very relaxing. If you have not, the center panel is a wonderful way to learn.

The finished cover is light, lacy and drapes softly over the bed. In worsted cotton, the open mesh breathes in summer, and in winter it looks lovely over a warm blanket in a matching tone. Berry rose is deep and warm, a little vintage and very romantic, and it suits a cottage bedroom, a guest room with antique furniture or a newlywed's first home. It is also a beautiful anniversary or wedding gift.

I love that this whole cover is made in one color. There are no balls of yarn tangling, no colors to plan and almost no ends to weave in. I simply pick up the berry rose, work my rows and watch the mesh grow. That quiet simplicity lets the texture speak: the little windows of the mesh, the round fans around the heart and the lacy band all show beautifully because nothing else distracts the eye. It is elegant in a calm, gentle way.

The filet mesh is my favorite kind of relaxing crochet. A double crochet, a chain, another double crochet. It has a steady, peaceful rhythm, almost like breathing, and I can work it while listening to an audiobook or chatting at the kitchen table. Each row takes me about twenty-five minutes. Some evenings I make three or four rows, some evenings only one, and the panel keeps growing either way, inch by inch, toward the size of a whole bed.

The heart is where the fun is. After all those straight rows, shaping the heart feels like a little adventure. You start with one tiny square at the point and add a mesh on each side of every row, and the heart blooms open in your hands. Then the two lobes appear, and you round them off. When I added the fans and picots and laid the heart on the panel for the first time, I actually had tears in my eyes. It looked like a love letter.

Here are the habits that made this project easy for me:

• Count the mesh on every tenth row of the panel and mark it with a stitch marker.
• Keep a small notebook and tick off each heart row as you finish it.
• Block the panel and the heart before sewing them together.
• Pin the heart in place and look at it from across the room before you sew.

I love the color too. Berry rose sits between a deep pink and a soft red wine. It is warm and grown up, never sugary, and it feels romantic without being loud. Against cream walls, antique white furniture and fresh roses on the nightstand, it makes the bedroom glow, especially in the late afternoon sun. It is the kind of color that makes a room feel loved.

I also love how meaningful this cover can be. A heart in the center of a bed is such a simple, honest symbol. I made my first one as an anniversary gift, and I have made smaller versions as wedding gifts, each with the couple's initials stitched into a corner. You could make it for a daughter's first home, for a parent, or simply for yourself, as a reminder that the work of your hands is a kind of love.

Finally, I love that it is so practical for such a pretty piece. There are no squares to join, so there are no seams to come loose. The cover is one strong piece of mesh with a firm border, and it washes and wears beautifully. It is the kind of cover you can use every day, not just for special occasions, and it will still look lovely years from now.

Choose another color. One-color filet looks beautiful in almost any shade. Ivory or ecru gives a classic heirloom look, soft blush pink feels sweet and light, and sage green or dusty blue looks calm and fresh. For a striking bedroom, try a deep forest green or a navy. Choose a smooth, solid color rather than a variegated yarn, because color changes would hide the square windows and the shape of the heart.

Make it for any bed. The panel is easy to resize, because it is only mesh and rows. For the border to divide evenly, keep an odd number of mesh across and an even number of rows. These panel sizes work, and each finishes about 5 inches larger with the border:

• Twin: 99 mesh by 172 rows, about 57 by 86 inches
• Full: 119 mesh by 172 rows, about 68 by 86 inches
• Queen: 133 mesh by 172 rows, about 76 by 86 inches
• King: 167 mesh by 172 rows, about 95 by 86 inches

For more length on any size, add rows in multiples of 2. The heart stays the same size and sits in the center of any of these panels.

Make a sofa throw. A panel of 85 mesh by 110 rows is about 49 by 55 inches before the border. Make the heart smaller by stopping the increases at Row 25, so it is 49 mesh wide, then work Rows 26 to 34 straight and split for the lobes, decreasing 1 mesh each side every row until each lobe has 6 mesh. It drapes beautifully over a sofa and makes a lovely Valentine or anniversary gift.

Make a baby blanket. A panel of 61 mesh by 76 rows is about 35 by 38 inches before the border. Use a soft, washable cotton blend, and make the heart small, stopping the increases at Row 15. For a baby, sew the heart down all around its outline and around the base of every fan, so nothing can catch little fingers. Soft pink, cream or pale blue all look sweet in a nursery.

Make small hearts for pillows. A heart stopped at Row 12, worked straight for 4 rows and split into lobes that decrease to 3 mesh, is about 8 inches across, the size of the heart in my hands in the video. Edge it with the same three rounds and sew it to the center of a square of filet mesh for a sham front, or use it on its own as a doily or a sachet for a drawer. Two or three of these hearts make a sweet set with the bed cover.

Add solid blocks to the mesh. Filet crochet lets you fill any square of mesh by working a double crochet in the chain space instead of a chain. You can fill a few blocks to spell initials and a wedding date below the heart, or fill a row of small blocks across each end of the panel as a simple stripe. Chart your design on squared paper first, one square for each mesh.

Change the edge. The scalloped picot edge is soft and romantic, but you can choose another finish. Stop after Border Rnd 4 for a tidy rectangular cover, or add a third V-stitch round for a wider lace band. You could also work Border Rnd 5 with smaller fans of 5 dc over a 4-stitch repeat for a daintier edge, as long as you recount the sides to fit the repeat.

Change the yarn weight. In DK or sport cotton with a 4 mm hook, the mesh is smaller and the cover looks finer and lacier, but you need more mesh and rows, about 165 by 214 for a queen. In bulky yarn with a 6.5 mm hook, the mesh is bigger and the cover grows very fast, about 105 by 136 for a queen. Always swatch 20 mesh by 20 rows first, measure it, and keep an odd mesh count and an even row count for the border.