A cream lace runner with pointed ends and a deep scalloped border, with three raised sunflowers, a curving stem, big green leaves and scattered small flowers sewn on top.
It is two separate projects that meet at the end. The lace ground is a straightforward filet mesh with shaped points, and the sunflowers are worked separately and appliquéd on. Because the flowers sit on top rather than being worked in, they stand well proud of the surface, which is what gives the runner its depth.
The one thing that decides whether this looks good or homemade is the layout of the appliqué, and there is a section on that below.
What you’ll need
DK cotton in cream for the ground, golden yellow and a burnt orange for the sunflowers, dark brown and a mid brown for the centres, two greens for the leaves and stem, and small amounts of rust, cream and mustard for the little flowers.
A 3.5 mm hook for the ground and a 3 mm for the appliqué, which keeps the flowers dense and stops them looking floppy against the lace.
You’ll also want a blocking mat or a folded towel, rustproof pins, and a tapestry needle.
Finished size is about 90 cm long and 32 cm wide including the border.
Abbreviations are US terms. ch is chain, sl st is slip stitch, sc is single crochet, hdc is half double crochet, dc is double crochet, tr is treble crochet, inc is two stitches in one, MR is magic ring, sp is space.
Part 1. The filet ground
In cream with the 3.5 mm hook, ch 62.
Row 1. Dc in the sixth ch from the hook, then ch 1, skip one ch, dc in the next, repeated across (29 spaces).
Row 2 onwards. Ch 4, turn, then dc into each dc with ch 1 between, all the way across.
Repeat that row until the straight section measures about 60 cm.
Keep checking that the open squares are stacking directly above each other. Your dc has to land on the dc below, not in the ch space beside it. A filet panel that drifts by one stitch every ten rows looks fine while you work it and obviously wrong once it is on a table.
Part 2. The pointed ends
Both ends are shaped the same way, one worked before the straight section and one after.
Starting from the full width, work in pattern but stop two spaces short at each end of every row. Continue until only three spaces remain, then fasten off.
That gives you a shallow point rather than a sharp one, which is what you want. A steep point pulls the border out of shape and makes the runner look like an arrow.
Work the second point at the opposite end the same way, joining cream to the foundation edge and shaping outwards.
Part 3. The scalloped border
Worked in one continuous round all the way around the outside, in cream.
Round 1. Sc evenly around the entire outline, working 3 sc into each of the two points and keeping the corners of the shaping smooth. Join.
Round 2. Ch 5, skip two stitches, dc into the next, then ch 2 and skip two, dc into the next, repeated all the way around. Join.
Round 3. Into each ch 2 space work 5 dc, then sc into the next dc, repeated around. Join.
Round 4. Work sl st, ch 3, sl st into the same stitch, into the centre stitch of each shell, with 3 sl st between shells. Fasten off.
Four rounds is what gives the border its depth. Two would leave the lace looking unfinished, and this is the part that frames everything else.
Part 4. The sunflowers, make three
Two golden and one burnt orange, so the middle one differs. Use the 3 mm hook.
Centre. In dark brown, 8 sc in MR (8), inc eight times (16), sc and inc repeated eight times (24), then sc twice and inc repeated eight times (32). Change to mid brown for one more round of sc, which gives the centre its ring. Fasten off.
Back petals. Join your petal colour into the back loops of the last brown round. Into every second back loop work a petal of sc, 2 hdc, 3 dc, 2 hdc, sc, with a sl st between each. Fasten off.
Front petals. Rejoin into the front loops of the same round, positioned halfway between two back petals. Work the same petal into every second front loop.
Two offset layers is what makes a sunflower rather than a daisy. Line them up and it goes flat.
Part 5. Leaves and stem
Large leaves, make eight in the darker green. Ch 16. Working back along the chain, sl st in the second ch from the hook, sc in the next 3, hdc in the next 3, dc in the next 4, hdc in the next 2, sc in the next, then 3 sc into the last chain. Work back along the other side in reverse and join.
Then work a surface slip stitch vein straight down the centre from base to tip, and two shorter angled veins branching off it. Three veins rather than one is worth the extra two minutes on leaves this size.
Small leaves, make four in the lighter green, using the same method over a chain of 10.
Stem. Ch 90 in the darker green, then sl st back along the whole chain to make a firm cord. Make two more shorter cords of about 30 chains for the side branches.
Part 6. Small flowers and buds
Small flowers, make six. Three in rust, two in cream and one in mustard. 5 sc in MR (5), then into each stitch work sl st, ch 2, 3 dc, ch 2, sl st, for five petals. Add a contrasting French knot cluster in the centre.
Buds, make about ten. In mustard, 4 sc in MR, inc four times (8), sc around, dec four times, close with a pinch of stuffing. Group them in threes on short green chain stems.
Part 7. Laying it out
Block the lace ground first and let it dry fully. Pin the flowers and leaves flat separately.
Now lay everything on the blocked ground and pin it before you sew a single stitch. Expect to spend twenty minutes moving things around. This is the part that decides the whole piece.
Lay the long stem first, curving it down the runner from top to bottom in a lazy S rather than straight. A straight stem makes the runner look like a diagram.
Put the three sunflowers along that curve, one near each end and one in the middle, and turn each one to face slightly differently. Three flowers all facing directly up looks printed.
Then the large leaves, coming off the stem on alternating sides at natural angles, with a few overlapping the border so they break the outline.
Then the small flowers and bud clusters, filling the empty lace between the big elements. These are the pieces that stop the ground looking bare, so place them last when you can see where the gaps actually are.
Stand back and look at the whole thing before sewing. Then sew the stem down first, then the leaves along their bases only, then the flowers through their centres and at four points around the petals.
Leave the petal tips and leaf tips unsewn. They should lift slightly off the lace, and that lift is the entire reason for appliquéing rather than working the design in.
Notes and variations
A spring version with cream and pink roses on the same ground works beautifully.
Make a single point ended half length version as a dresser scarf.
Work the ground in a deep colour with cream flowers for a much more dramatic piece.
The sunflower on its own makes a good coaster, a brooch or a cushion appliqué.
Questions I get asked
Why is my filet drifting? Your dc is landing in the ch space rather than on the dc below. Check every fifth row rather than at the end.
Why do my sunflowers look flat? The two petal layers are lined up. Offset the front layer halfway between the back petals.
Why does my border ripple? Too many stitches in round 1. Work sc evenly rather than into every single stitch, and skip a stitch here and there along the straight edges.
Can I use acrylic? Not for this one. The ground has to block flat and hold a lace pattern, and acrylic does neither.
How long does it take? About twenty hours. The ground is ten, the appliqué is eight, and the laying out is the last two.