Cream Lace Clover Flower Motif Bedspread Crochet Pattern

This bedspread is made from ninety cream lace motifs, each with a little green clover flower at its heart. The flower has four round petals, two in a deep forest green and two in a soft sage, sitting around a tiny oatmeal ring. Behind the flower, the cream lace bursts out in long treble crochet spokes, like rays of sunshine around a four-leaf clover. A round of single crochet steadies the circle, a graded round turns it into a square, and two final rounds of chain loops and picot scallops give every motif its lacy, scalloped frame. The motifs link to each other at the picots, so the whole bed becomes one airy sheet of lace dotted with green.

The finished bedspread measures about 102 by 113 inches (259 by 287 cm) including the edge. It is a grid of 9 motifs across and 10 motifs down, with each motif measuring about 11 inches after blocking, plus two rounds of picot loops around the outside. On a queen mattress that gives a drop of about 21 inches on each side and at the foot, so the lace hangs softly toward the floor. Because every motif is identical, there is no chart to follow, and the only thing to remember is to alternate the two greens in each flower.

The stitches are chain, slip stitch, single crochet, half double crochet, double crochet and treble crochet. The petals are worked in two short rows on three stitches of the center ring, so each one comes out round and plump. The spokes are trebles with two chains between, and the graded round steps down from treble at the corners to single crochet at the middle of each side. None of these is difficult, but together they make a motif that looks far more complicated than it really is.

The best part is the joining. In the final round, each scallop has a little ch-3 picot at its tip. When a motif sits next to one you have already made, you simply replace that picot with a chain, a slip stitch into the matching picot of the neighbor, and another chain. By the time you finish your last motif, the bedspread is already joined. A short edge of chain loops and picot shells finishes the outside and makes the soft scalloped hem.

In worsted weight cotton the bedspread has a lovely weight and drape, but the long spokes keep it light and open. The green flowers stand up slightly from the cream lace, so the surface has texture and a gentle play of light and shadow. The colors feel calm and natural, like a spring meadow with clover peeking through the grass. They suit honey wood, white paneling, linen, olive trees and fresh white flowers, and they bring a quiet freshness to any bedroom.

I rate this pattern as intermediate. You need to be comfortable working in the round, turning short rows for the petals and counting carefully in the graded round. The join-as-you-go needs a little attention at first, so I suggest joining your first few motifs on a table where you can see the layout. It suits a maker who loves lace and enjoys a project that grows into something beautiful one piece at a time. Every round is written out with its stitch count, so you can always check your work.

When I was a little girl, I spent whole afternoons in my grandfather's field looking for four-leaf clovers. I never found one, but I never stopped looking either. This bedspread is my way of finally finding ninety of them. Every motif has a little clover at its heart, and every time I finish one, I feel that same small thrill of luck. It is a silly reason to love a pattern, but it makes me smile every single time.

I love the moment the petals go on. You work a tiny oatmeal ring, and then you add the four round petals, two dark and two light, one after another. They puff up a little as you finish them, and the center suddenly looks like a real clover. Then the cream spokes go on behind them, and the flower seems to glow in the middle of a sunburst. It is such a satisfying transformation, and it happens in just a few rounds.

I also love that there is no sewing at the end. For years I dreaded the weeks of joining that came after a big motif project. With this pattern, the motifs join as you work the last round, so when the final motif is done, the bedspread is nearly done too. I can lay the joined part over my lap as I work, and watching it grow across the sofa kept me going through the long winter evenings.

Here is why this bedspread is so special to me:

• Every motif has a cheerful clover at its heart.
• The two greens make each flower look alive.
• The motifs join as you go, with no sewing afterwards.
• The long spokes keep the lace light and airy.
• The scalloped picots make a pretty edge with no extra border to plan.

This bedspread brought our bedroom to life. We had cream walls, beige linen and pale wood, and the room was peaceful but a little sleepy. Now the green clovers pick up the olive tree by the window, the plants on the nightstand and the botanical print above the bed. It feels like the garden has come indoors. In the morning, when the sun comes through the lace, the whole bed seems to sparkle with little points of light.

Making it taught me a few useful lessons too. I learned to keep my treble spokes loose and even, because that is what makes the sunburst lie flat. I learned to always double check which picot I am joining to, since a single wrong join can twist a whole row. And I learned to make the centers in batches, all the rings and petals first, which made each evening's work feel faster and more relaxed.

Most of all, I love that this is a bedspread to keep and pass on. Cotton lace lasts for generations if it is cared for gently, and these soft colors will never feel out of fashion. I like to imagine one of my grandchildren spreading it on their bed one day and counting the clovers, just as I used to count them in my grandfather's field. That would be the luckiest thing of all.

The easiest change is the flower color. Keep the cream lace and choose two shades of one color for the petals, one dark and one light, and the clover will always look lively. Navy and sky blue feel fresh and coastal, while burgundy and rose look rich and romantic. Mustard and butter yellow are sunny and cheerful, and plum with lilac is soft and dreamy. For a playful version, make every flower in a different pair of colors, like a field of wildflowers.

You can change the size by changing the number of motifs. Each motif is about 11 inches after blocking, and the edge adds about 1.5 inches on every side. The sizes below include a drop on the sides and the foot, so the lace reaches toward the floor. For a coverlet that sits only on top of the mattress, take away two motifs in each direction.

• Twin: 6 by 8 motifs (48), about 69 by 91 inches
• Full: 8 by 9 motifs (72), about 91 by 102 inches
• Queen: 9 by 10 motifs (90), about 102 by 113 inches
• King: 11 by 10 motifs (110), about 124 by 113 inches

A sofa throw is a lovely smaller version. Make 4 by 5 motifs, twenty in total, and work the edge around them for a throw of about 47 by 58 inches. It takes around thirty hours and uses less than a quarter of the yarn. It looks beautiful draped over a cream sofa or across the foot of a bed. It is also the perfect way to learn the join-as-you-go method before you begin the full bedspread.

For a baby keepsake, make 3 by 4 motifs in soft baby cotton, with pale mint and white petals or soft lemon and cream, for a pram cover of about 36 by 47 inches. The lace has long open spokes and picots, so I keep this kind of piece for the pram, a christening or a keepsake, used with an adult nearby, rather than as loose bedding in a crib. It makes a precious gift for a new baby in the family.

Matching pillows tie the whole bed together. Four motifs joined in a 2 by 2 block make the front of a large sham, and you can sew it onto a plain cover in sage or cream so the green shows softly through the lace. A row of three motifs joined end to end makes a lovely lumbar pillow. One motif on its own makes a sweet cushion for a reading chair or a window seat.

The motif also makes beautiful table linens. A single motif is a lovely doily under a vase or a lamp. A row of six motifs joined as you go makes a table runner of about 66 by 11 inches, and a 4 by 4 block makes a square tablecloth for a small table. Green clovers on cream lace look especially pretty on a spring or Easter table, and they are a wonderful way to use up leftover yarn.

If you would like a round motif instead, like the one I am holding in my photo, stop after Round 5 and work Rounds 7 and 8 straight into the circle: ch 5, skip 2, sc in next all the way around, then the scallop round. Round motifs joined at four points make a more open, airy bedspread with little diamond gaps between them. You can fill those gaps with tiny cream filler circles if you like.

You can also play with the yarn weight. In DK cotton with a 4 mm hook, motifs come out at about 9 inches, so you need more of them, but the lace is finer and lighter. In aran cotton with a 5.5 mm hook, motifs grow to about 12 inches, and 8 by 9 motifs cover a queen bed. Acrylic or a cotton blend works too and is lighter and warmer. Always make one test motif in your new yarn and measure it before you buy the rest.