Navy and White Starburst Square Bed Cover Crochet Pattern

This bed cover is made from one crisp square repeated across the whole bed. Each square is a deep navy blue with a bright white starburst in the center, a round little burst with sixteen points that reaches out into the navy like a snowflake or a sparkler. When the squares are joined with navy, the bed fills with neat rows of white bursts on a dark background, bold and clean like a summer sky full of stars. It looks striking from across the room, yet there is only one square to learn, and it works up quickly.

Each square is worked in the round from a magic ring. The starburst takes three white rounds: a ring of sixteen double crochet, a round of two double crochet in every stitch, and a round of sixteen little points made with a double crochet, a chain and another double crochet. Then you switch to navy. The first navy round squares off the circle with treble crochet at the corners, double crochet beside them and half double crochet in the middle of each side, so the round edge becomes straight without any puckering. The navy fills in around the points, which makes the white burst look sharp and sparkly.

Two more rounds of navy double crochet and a final round of single crochet complete the square. These solid rounds make the fabric dense, warm and smooth, with a fine diagonal line of tiny holes at each corner. Each square ends on 116 single crochet with four corner spaces, and the finished, blocked square measures about 8 inches. The starburst itself is about 4 inches across, so it fills the middle of the square nicely.

The queen size uses 132 squares in a grid of 11 squares across and 12 squares down. The joined center measures about 88 by 96 inches. A border of navy, two white rounds and a navy shell round adds about 1.5 inches on every side, for a finished size of roughly 91 by 99 inches. That covers a queen mattress and drapes well down the sides of the bed.

The squares are joined with a navy slip stitch seam through the back loops of the last round. Because the seam matches the squares, the bed cover looks almost like one dark piece of fabric, and the white bursts seem to float on it. A crisp band of white in the border picks up the color of the bursts, and the navy shells finish the edge with a soft scallop.

The finished bed cover is warm, sturdy and very easy to live with. Navy is a forgiving color that hides everyday wear, and the white bursts keep it bright and fresh. I would call this an intermediate project, mostly because of its size and the squaring round. The stitches are friendly for a confident beginner, but 132 squares ask for steady tension and patience over many weeks. If you can make one granny square and you love a classic color pair, you can make this whole bed cover one burst at a time.

I love navy and white together. It is the most classic pair I know, like a sailor's stripe, a blue and white china plate or a summer cottage by the sea. It never goes out of style, and it suits almost any room: white walls, gray headboards, warm wood or painted furniture. In a bright bedroom like the one in the photo, this bed cover looks fresh and calm, and in a cozy room with lamps on it feels warm and grounded. It is the kind of blanket that can stay on the bed all year.

The starburst center is my favorite part. There is something so satisfying about the moment the white points pop out after the third round, like a little firework in your hands. Then the navy comes in and wraps around the points, and suddenly the burst looks sharp and bright. I still hold up every finished square to the window to admire it. The squaring round felt tricky the first time, but after two or three squares my hands knew the rhythm.

I also love that the squares are small and quick. One square takes me about forty five minutes, so I can finish one or two in an evening with a cup of tea. A square and two little balls of yarn fit in my handbag, and I take them everywhere: to the doctor's office, to my grandson's baseball games, out on the porch in the morning. Every finished square goes into a basket, and watching that basket fill up with white bursts is the best motivation I know.

Here are a few more reasons this one stays close to my heart:

• There is only one square to learn, so your hands soon know it by heart.
• Only two colors, so there is very little to plan.
• Navy hides small tension changes and everyday wear.
• It makes a handsome gift for a son, a grandson or a couple's first home.

Each of these makes a big project feel calm and doable, even on busy weeks.

A handmade bed cover changes a room like nothing else. When I make the bed in the morning and smooth this cover over the pillows, the rows of bursts line up so neatly that the whole room looks finished and crisp. Men often love this one too, because it feels bold and simple rather than frilly. My husband says it looks like a night sky full of stars, and he is the one who asked for it on our own bed.

This project taught me to enjoy the slow middle part. On a big bed cover there is always a stretch where the basket seems to stop filling up. I learned to stop counting and just enjoy each square for itself, the soft yarn, the rhythm of the hook, the little white burst appearing in my hands. When I worked the last shell and spread the cover across the bed, I was almost sad to be finished. That is how I know a pattern is a good one.

Try a new color pair. The starburst looks lovely in any dark color with a light center. Forest green with cream feels cozy and outdoorsy, and deep red with white is cheerful for the holidays. Charcoal gray with white is calm and modern, and plum with soft pink is romantic and warm. Keep the burst light and the square dark so the points stand out sharply.

Make it for a different bed. Every square is about 8 inches, so changing the size is just a matter of changing the grid. Add or remove a column to change the width, and add or remove a row to change the length. Here is a quick guide with the border included:

• Twin: 8 across by 12 down, 96 squares, about 67 by 99 inches
• Full: 10 across by 12 down, 120 squares, about 83 by 99 inches
• Queen: 11 across by 12 down, 132 squares, about 91 by 99 inches
• King: 13 across by 12 down, 156 squares, about 107 by 99 inches

For a taller bed or a longer drape, add one more row to the length.

Make a sofa throw. A grid of 6 squares across by 8 squares down uses 48 squares and makes a throw of about 51 by 67 inches with the border. It is a lovely size for the back of a couch or the foot of the bed, and it uses just over a third of the yarn of the queen size. It is also a good way to try the pattern before you commit to the full bed. If you love it, just keep going and turn it into a bed cover later.

Make a baby blanket. A grid of 4 squares across by 5 squares down makes a blanket of about 35 by 43 inches. The bursts are worked right into the squares, so there are no sewn-on parts to worry about. Use a soft, washable baby yarn. Light blue with white, soft gray with white or pale yellow with white all look sweet and fresh in a nursery.

Make matching pillow shams. Six squares joined 3 across by 2 down make a sham front of about 24 by 16 inches, which fits a standard pillow snugly. Use starburst squares on the front and plain navy squares on the back. Join front and back on three sides with navy single crochet, slip the pillow in, and close the last side. A single square also makes a handsome little 8 inch accent pillow for a chair.

Change the edge. For a simple, tailored look, skip the shells and finish with one more round of navy single crochet. For a deeper scallop, work 7 double crochet in each shell instead of 5 and keep the same spacing. You could also work the shells in white so the edge matches the bursts. Each small change gives the cover a new mood, from crisp and nautical to soft and old-fashioned.

Use a different yarn weight. In DK yarn with a 4.0 mm hook, each square comes out at about 6.5 inches, so a queen needs a grid of about 14 across by 15 down. In bulky yarn with a 6.5 mm hook, each square grows to about 10 inches, and a queen needs about 9 across by 10 down. Always make and block one square first, measure it, and plan your grid from that. Weigh your first square too, so you can work out your yarn amounts.

Mix in plain squares. For fewer bursts to make, alternate starburst squares with plain navy squares in a checkerboard. You still get plenty of sparkle, with less color changing. You could also make a few bursts in light blue or soft gold and scatter them across the bed like stars of different sizes. Each burst uses only about 8 grams of yarn, so this is a happy way to use up leftovers.