Now that it is May it will be Mother’s Day soon – do you have an idea of which gift you will give your mom? Flowers and chocolate seem to be traditional gifts for mom – Flowers are beautiful and chocolate is, oh, so yummy but neither last very long. Maybe this year you can make a Mother’s Day gift for your mom that reminds her of spring flowers and will last for years to come.
A Mother’s Day Gift Idea for You:
Here is the “Spring Blossoms Necklace” – This pattern was originally made available on the Crochet Guild of America’s website in March in honor of National Crochet Month. It was part of their first “Mega Crochet-a-Long” – you can read more about it here.
Now I am offering it here for FREE! With each step of the project there is a video tutorial to help you be successful when making the flower motifs, stiffening each piece or using the basic jewelry techniques to put it all together. You’ll also see that you can create different versions of the necklace by arranging the elements in different ways.
A Few Words about Crochet Cotton Thread
I crocheted this project with Aunt Lydia’s Fashion 3 cotton crochet thread – This yarn comes in so many pretty colors! I chose Plum and Warm Teal for the projects shown here.
Have you ever used crochet thread before? I realize that it can be intimidating for some but don’t let that stop you from trying it out. First of all, the “Fashion 3” thread is not as thin as you might think (if you are thinking of the pretty doilies your great grandmother might have crocheted). Most antique doilies were created with very thin crochet thread (Size 10 or smaller) and some with thread that is as thin or thinner than sewing thread!
Secondly, you can see by the image above that the Size 3 (sometimes called, “Fashion 3”) thread is a good amount thicker than the Size 10 and is therefore, much easier to work with. Lastly, you can always complete the large and small motifs first using acrylic medium weight yarn as a way to practice the stiches and pattern. Then make them again with the thread once you’ve gotten the hang of it. 🙂
So, now that you aren’t afraid to try something new, let’s get started on our special gift for Mother’s Day!
Skill Level: Confident Beginner
Measurements:
Large motif – 3” diameter
Small motif – 1 ¾” diameter
Supplies
Aunt Lydia’s Fashion 3 Crochet Thread – Plum (182-871) & Warm Teal (182-65)
2.75mm hook
5 eye pins
5 glass bicone beads
10 glass seed beads
Necklace chain with clasp
Jewelry pliers
4 gems and gem glue
Fabric stiffener or white glue
Artist brush
Plastic wrap
Small square of cardboard
Rust-proof pins
(If you are not sure what all these jewelry supplies are, no need to worry! Scroll down to the last video below – I show you each supply and give an explanation for them right in the beginning of the video)
Instructions
Large Flower:
(Both motifs start with an adjustable ring – here is a video showing how to do that technique. Below Round 1 there is also an alternative you can use if you would rather not do the adjustable ring.)
Round 1: Work 6 sc in an adjustable ring; Do not join with a sl st.
(Optional alternative Round 1: Ch 2, work 6 sc in 2nd ch from hook; Do not join with a sl st.)
Round 2: Work 2 sc in each st around.(12 sc)
Round 3: Sl st in next st, (ch 6, sl st in next st) around ending with ch-3, dc in 1st sl st. (12 ch-6 loops)
Round 4: Ch 1, sc in same sp; (ch 5, sc in next sp) around ending with a sl st in 1st sc. (12 ch-5 loops)
Round 5: *(Sl st, ch 2, 3 dc, ch 2, sl st, ch 1) all in next sp; sk next sc;* Repeat from * to * around. Fasten off. (12 petals)
Small Flower – Make 3:
Round 1: Work 5 sc in an adjustable ring; Do not join with a sl st.
(Optional Round 1: Ch 2, work 5 sc in second ch from hook; Do not join with a sl st.)
Round 2: Sc in next st, (ch 6, sc in next st) around ending with sl st in 1st sc. (5 ch-6 loops)
Round 3: *(Sl st, ch 1, sc, hdc, dc, hdc, sc, sl st) in each ch-5 sp around. Fasten off. (5 petals)
Finishing:
Steam block all flowers; Pin in place and let dry completely.
[Paint Wrong Sides with fabric stiffener and lay on clean plastic wrap Wrong Side down; Pin in place and let dry completely] 2 times.
Jewelry Finishing:
Thread beads onto eye pins in this order:
Seed bead, bicone bead, seed bead
Using jewelry pliers create loop at end of beads and trim off excess
Open eye pin loops and secure bead pieces to flowers using photo as a guide – Lay on work surface to aid in placement
Open necklace chain at center point and attach eye pins extending from small flowers
Glue on gems to center of flowers and let dry overnight
You can use the elements of this pattern to create other combinations:
And there you have it – a beautiful and lasting Mother’s Day gift that works up quickly. Choose your mom’s favorite color or make the motifs to match her favorite dress. A homemade gift will warm her heart and every time she wears it, she will remember that she is appreciated and loved.
If you make this project, I’d love to see your work – please send along a photo or post to this pattern’s Ravelry page here. And I would love to hear how your mom reacts when she receives it!
Jennifer
PS – If you are looking for an idea for a handcrafted Mother’s Day card – I have a project for you using special colored pencils and watercolor paper. Check out my guest blog post on “Mom Life Happy Life” for all the instructions and the video tutorial!
Use this image to add to Pinterest:
Copyright 2018 – Jennifer E Ryan, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher but please do link to this page to share this pattern with others.
If you wish to make items for sale from this pattern, please see our About page for details.
