Crochet Flower Applique Free Pattern With Puff Petals

Cushion covers and baby blankets pick up a bright sunflower look from a crochet flower applique with a cobalt blue centre, cream spokes, and golden puff petals. Summer hats, plain notebooks, and handmade toys gain a cheerful yellow puff flower applique sewn wherever a little colour helps.

Anyone with a bag of scrap yarn and an hour to spare can finish this crochet flower applique. It suits new crocheters learning bobbles, and it suits sewists who want a quick patch for denim or a tote. Gift makers use the crochet flower applique to top plain parcels. Kids pick the colours.

Crochet Flower Applique

Three rounds are all it takes to build this crochet flower applique, and each round handles a completely different layer. Starting from a solid blue centre, cream spokes radiate outward in the middle ring, and a dense ring of golden yellow puff clusters fills the outer edge. Worked flat, the finished motif sits palm sized and holds its shape without blocking. Sewing it onto a bag, hat, or garment takes minutes. Every round uses only basic crochet movements, so the result looks far more involved than the process actually is.

Materials And Tools

• Blue yarn for the centre ring
• Cream or off white yarn for the middle spoke layer
• Golden yellow yarn for the outer puff petal layer
• Crochet hook sized to match your yarn weight
• Tapestry needle for weaving in ends
• Scissors

The Pattern

Round 1: Blue Centre Ring

• Create a magic ring with your blue yarn, then chain 3, which counts as the height base for this round.
• Work 17 double crochets (dc, yarn over, insert hook, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull through two loops, yarn over, pull through two loops) directly into the centre ring [17 dc plus the chain 3].
• Join the round with a slip stitch (sl st) to close the ring, then fasten off and cut the blue yarn. Pull the magic ring tail to close the centre hole completely before weaving the end in, because a loose centre will gape once the outer rounds add weight.

Round 2: Cream Spoke Layer

• Attach cream yarn to the base and chain 5.
• Work continuing stitches around with 1 chain followed by a treble crochet (tr, yarn over twice, insert hook, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull through two loops, yarn over, pull through two loops, yarn over, pull through two loops) into the designated stitches of the previous round to build the spoke framework. The paired chain and treble creates the straight cream spokes you can see radiating between the yellow petals in the photo. Keep each treble upright and avoid leaning them sideways or the spokes will look uneven from the front.
• Fasten off and cut the cream yarn once the round is complete.

Round 3: Golden Yellow Puff Petal Layer

• Attach golden yellow yarn and chain 3.
• Work puff clusters by pulling loops through the stitch multiple times (4 loops per cluster) to build each fat rounded petal. Pull each loop to a consistent height so all the petals sit at the same level across the outer ring. Uneven loop heights are the most common reason puff petals look messy.
• Chain 4.
• Chain 3 and continue working the puff cluster pattern around the entire outer perimeter.
• Repeat the sequence of 3 chains, 4 loop puff cluster, 4 chains, 3 chains consistently into each designated space around the motif until you reach the beginning. Each repeat produces one fat golden petal, and on my finished piece 18 petals ring the outer edge.
• Finish the last cluster, secure the yarn tightly, cut any remaining tails, and weave all ends in neatly on the back so the front stays clean.

Technique Notes

• The magic ring is worth learning properly for this pattern because the blue centre needs to stay tight. If you find magic rings awkward, use a chain 4 joined into a ring instead, but pull the tail extra firmly after round 1 to close any hole.
• Puff clusters are not the same as bobbles or popcorns. You are pulling multiple loops up through the same stitch and then closing them together, which creates a dense rounded bump rather than a point. Keep your hook moving at the same angle on each pull for consistent petal size.
• Weave the cream tails horizontally along the back of round 1 rather than vertically. Cream ends poking through the blue centre read as dirt in photos.
• Golden yellow and mustard both read well in photos. Stay away from very bright or orange leaning yellows if you want the sunflower look my version has.

Customization Ideas

• Use pink for the outer petals and white for the centre to turn this into a classic daisy motif.
• Make the motif smaller by using fingering weight yarn and a 2 mm hook.
• Stack two motifs back to back, wrong sides together, and sew around the edge to make a padded brooch or hair clip base.
• Sew one onto the toe of a plain slipper, the brim of a sun hat, or the front pocket of a tote.
• Work the outer round in two colours by switching mid round for a two tone petal effect.

FAQ

Can I use this as a brooch or clip? Yes. Sew a brooch back or alligator clip onto the back of the finished motif using strong thread. The flat structure holds its shape well without any additional stiffening.

What yarn weight works best? I worked mine in what looks like a medium worsted or aran weight, which is why the petals are fat and bold. Lighter weights will give smaller, more delicate petals and a finer spoke layer.

How do I attach it to a garment without the stitches showing? Use a thread that matches the garment rather than your yarn, and work small overcast stitches just inside the outermost petal edge. Stitching through the back of the petal clusters keeps the thread hidden on the front.