Lilac Violet Flower Lace Square Bedspread Crochet Pattern

This bedspread is a field of violets on cream lace. It is made from one hundred and ten squares, each with a layered flower in the middle. The flower starts with a tiny sunny yellow center, then five small deep purple petals, and behind them five bigger lilac petals that fan out like a real violet or pansy. Around the flower, the cream lace grows in rounds of chain loops and graded stitches, turning the round flower into a square with open lace corners. A last round of chain loops gives each square a soft, scalloped frame. The squares link to each other at those loops, so the whole bed becomes one airy piece of lace dotted with purple blooms.

The finished bedspread measures about 102 by 112 inches (259 by 284 cm) including the edge. It is a grid of 10 squares across and 11 squares down, with each square measuring 10 inches after blocking, plus two rounds of cream 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. Every square is the same, so once you have made one, you know them all.

The stitches are chain, slip stitch, single crochet, half double crochet, double crochet and treble crochet. The two petal layers are made by working chain loops behind the petals of the round before, then filling those loops with new petals, so each layer sits a little behind the last. The flower has five petals, and a clever round of eight single crochet in each of five loops gives forty stitches, which divide neatly into four sides. From there, graded stitches at the corners turn the circle into a square.

The best part is the joining. In the final round, each square has ten chain loops along each side and one at each corner. When a square sits next to one you have already made, you simply replace the middle of each loop with a slip stitch into the matching loop of its neighbor. When your last square is done, the bedspread is joined. Two rounds of cream picot loops go around the outside to finish it with a pretty scalloped hem.

In worsted weight cotton the bedspread is light and airy, but it has enough weight to drape beautifully over the sides of the bed. The flowers stand up a little from the lace, so the surface has a soft, three-dimensional texture. Lilac, purple and cream together feel gentle, romantic and fresh, like a cottage garden in spring or a little bunch of violets on a windowsill. The colors suit cream walls, light wood, brass, fresh lilacs and soft floral rugs, and they make a bedroom feel calm and pretty.

I rate this pattern as intermediate. You need to be comfortable working in the round, changing colors and counting carefully in the round that squares off the flower. The join-as-you-go needs a little attention at first, so I suggest joining your first few squares on a table where you can see the layout. It suits a maker who loves flowers and lace and enjoys watching a project bloom one piece at a time. Every round is written out with its stitch count.

Every spring, the violets come up along the path to my front door, and I have always thought of them as a little gift from the garden. This bedspread is my way of keeping them all year round. When I finished the first square and saw the yellow center, the dark purple petals and the lilac ones behind them, it looked just like the violets I pick for my kitchen table. Now there are one hundred and ten of them on my bed, and they never wilt.

I love how the flower comes together in layers. The yellow center is just a few stitches, then the five little purple petals pop up around it. Then you reach behind them to make the loops, and the big lilac petals go on, each one a bit taller in the middle. When the second layer is finished, the flower suddenly looks real and alive. It is the most cheerful part of every square, and it comes right at the start, so it gives me energy for the lace.

I also love that there is no sewing at the end. I have made so many square bedspreads that ended with weeks of joining, and I always dreaded it. With this one, the squares join while I work their last round, so the bedspread grows with every square I finish. I love laying the joined part over my knees as I work and watching the violets spread across it like a meadow.

Here is why this bedspread has a special place in my heart:

• Every square has a little violet that looks like it came from the garden.
• The two shades of purple make the flowers look real.
• The cream lace keeps the whole bedspread light and airy.
• The squares join as you go, with no sewing at the end.
• The picot edge gives it a soft, romantic finish.

This bedspread changed our bedroom completely. We had cream walls, light wood furniture and lilac curtains, and the room was pretty but felt a bit unfinished. Now the violets tie everything together: the curtains, the lilacs in the vase, the floral painting over the bed and the knit throw on the bench. In the morning light, the whole room glows soft purple and cream. It feels like sleeping in a spring garden.

Making it taught me a few useful lessons. I learned to make the flowers in batches, all the yellow centers one evening, all the purple petals the next, which made the color changes much quicker. I learned to count my forty stitches in Round 6 every single time, because that is what keeps the square straight. And I learned to always check which loop I am joining to, since one wrong join can twist a whole row.

Most of all, I love that this is a bedspread to pass on. Cotton lace can last for generations when it is cared for gently, and violets have always meant faithfulness and love. I hope one day this bedspread will be on a granddaughter's bed, and that she will think of the woman who made every little violet for her. That is the most beautiful kind of gift I can imagine.

The easiest change is the flower color. Keep the cream lace and the yellow centers, and choose two shades of one color for the petals, a deep shade inside and a lighter one outside. Navy with cornflower blue makes a forget-me-not, and deep rose with pink looks like a little primrose. Golden yellow with butter makes a cheerful buttercup, and burgundy with dusty rose feels rich and romantic. For a mixed garden, make every flower a different color pair.

You can change the size by changing the number of squares. Each square is 10 inches after blocking, and the edge adds about 1 inch 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 or three squares in each direction.

• Twin: 7 by 9 squares (63), about 72 by 92 inches
• Full: 9 by 10 squares (90), about 92 by 102 inches
• Queen: 10 by 11 squares (110), about 102 by 112 inches
• King: 12 by 11 squares (132), about 122 by 112 inches

A sofa throw is a lovely smaller version. Make 5 by 6 squares, thirty in total, for a throw of about 52 by 62 inches with the edge. It takes about forty hours and uses roughly a quarter of the yarn. It looks beautiful draped over a cream sofa or folded at 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 squares in soft baby cotton, with pale lilac and white petals or soft pink and white, for a pram cover of about 32 by 42 inches. The lace has open loops that can catch tiny fingers, 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.

Matching pillows tie the whole bed together. Four squares joined in a 2 by 2 block make the front of a large sham. Sew it onto a pillow cover in lilac, so the purple shows softly through the lace. A row of three squares makes a lovely lumbar pillow, and one square on its own makes a sweet cushion for a reading chair. Add a round of the picot edge for a pretty finish.

The same square makes lovely small gifts. A single square makes a doily for a dressing table or a mat under a vase of real violets. A row of five squares joined as you go makes a table runner of about 50 by 10 inches for a spring or Easter table. In a fine cotton, a single flower without the lace makes a pretty brooch or a decoration for a gift box.

If you would like a different edge, there are easy options. For a deeper border, add a third round of chain loops and a round of shells before the picots. For a simpler look, work just one round of picot loops. For a plain, tailored finish, work three rounds of single crochet and a round of reverse single crochet. Keeping the edge cream lets the violets stay the stars of the bedspread.

You can also play with the yarn weight. In DK cotton with a 4 mm hook, squares come out at about 8 inches, so you need more of them, but the lace is finer and lighter. In aran cotton with a 5.5 mm hook, squares grow to about 11 inches, and 9 by 10 squares cover a queen bed. Acrylic or a cotton blend works too and is lighter and warmer. Always make one test square in your new yarn and measure it before you buy the rest.