Small Crochet Sunflower Applique

Easy, Free Crochet Pattern

Want to grab a free pattern for a small crochet sunflower applique that’s also really easy, and pretty quick to make? If so, check out this one:


Easy Crochet Sunflower Motifs -- Free Crochet Pattern

Easy, Small Crochet Sunflower Motifs — Free Crochet Pattern


Looking at the picture posted here, you can see that I worked this pattern several different times, using different materials each time. I used yellow and brown embroidery floss for he smallest sunflower, medium-weight wool yarn for the medium-sized sunflower, and medium-weight organic cotton yarn for the largest sunflower.


If you truly want to achieve the look of a sunflower, I think the colorway shown in the smallest flower is a great choice. The others aren’t quite ideal, although hopefully they get the point across.

Crochet Skill Level: Easy

This Is an Easy Crochet Pattern.

This Is an Easy Crochet Pattern.

Finished Sunflower Sizes:

These are small appliques. Their precise measurements will depend on the materials you choose to use for making them, plus your own individual way of crocheting.


Sunflower #1: This sample measures about 4 inches. I crocheted it using Simply Cotton by Knitpicks, which is a worsted weight organic cotton yarn. Please note that these colors of the yarn have been discontinued. I recommend using different colors anyway, as these aren’t quite the right colors for a sunflower. The hook I used was a size I.


Sunflower #2: This project sample measures about 3 inches. I crocheted it using light worsted weight wool yarn and a size G hook.


Sunflower #3: This sunflower measures about 1 3/4 inches. I crocheted it using vintage J & P Coats Embroidery floss and a small steel crochet hook measuring 1.65 mm. This crochet hook is far too small for comfortably crocheting with this particular floss, but I was curious to see how small a sunflower I could crochet. If I had to do it over again, I’d use a bigger hook, except perhaps in cases where the project I have in mind requires a tiny applique.


Please keep in mind that these sizes are estimates only. There’s no predicting exactly how big your sunflowers will turn out until you try making one. Everyone’s crochet is a little different. When using the specified hooks and yarns, most crocheters are likely to end up with flowers in the same general size range as the samples, but it also wouldn’t be surprising to find quite a bit of size variation occurring.


My sunflower project samples turned out to be the perfect size for making brooches, fridge and locker magnets, barrettes, and headband embellishments. They’d also be fun additions to kitchen craft projects such as dishcloths, placemats and potholders. I think they’d also be cute accents for kids’ projects and baby projects — baby hats, baby clothes, baby booties, baby blankets and baby bibs. I’m positive you can think of additional ways to use them.

Supplies Needed to Crochet a Small Sunflower Applique

Yarn or Crochet Thread: You’ll need 2 colors of yarn or crochet thread for this project:

  • Color A: This color will be the flower center. If you want your flowers to look like realistic sunflowers, this color could be a chocolate brown, coffee brown or other shade of brown. There are also sunflowers with deep burgundy or rich brick red colored centers. Of course, you can also make imaginative sunflowers, and in that case, this color can be any color you want it to be.
  • Color B: This color will be the sunflower petals. For realistic sunflower coloring, there are several options, with yellow or gold being the most lifelike color choices. Burgundy or reddish orange could also be interesting choices for your sunflower petals. Again, the petals can be any color you want them to be, particularly if you want imaginary sunflowers rather than realistic ones.

For best results, your two colors of yarn or thread should be the same fiber and same general weight, size and thickness. You can use just about any yarn or thread, although my opinion is that smooth, evenly spun yarns or threads will work best for this project.


I also think it could be interesting to try crocheting this project using colored wire. I haven’t tried it yet, but it’s on my to-do list.


Crochet Hook: Choose a crochet hook that’s a comfortable size for using with the yarn or crochet thread you’ve selected. If in doubt about which hook to use, you can use my project samples as inspiration, or you can check your yarn label for suggested hook sizes.


Tapestry Needle: for weaving in ends

Crochet Abbreviations Found in This Pattern:

How to Crochet the Sunflower:

ch 6. sl st to form a ring.

Rnd 1: ch 1. Work 9 sc sts in ring. Sl st to join the work to the first ch in the rnd.


Rnd 2: ch 1. Work 2 sts in ea sc st around. You’ll end up with a total of 18 sc sts. At the end of the rnd, you want to join the work to the first sc st in the rnd with a sl st, but at the same time, you are going to change colors to color B. However, do not cut color A. Leave it dangling for the time being, so that you can pick it up and use it again in rnd 4.

Rnd 3: Work the flower petals in color B as follows. For each flower petal, [Ch 2, dc in next st, ch 3, sl st in 3rd ch from hook, dc in next st, ch 2, sl st in next st.] Rep the sequence in brackets all the way around for a total of 6 flower petals.

Rnd 4: This rnd is going to be a little different than the others you’ve worked so far. You’ll want to work a rnd of slip stitches on the surface of the work, all the way around the center of the flower. To accomplish this, insert your crochet hook into the flower in the spot that’s closest to your dropped yarn from rnd 2, and also in the spot where color A touches color B. Pull up a loop of color A and use it to work your surface crochet slip stitches, outlining the flower center all the way around. End off, pulling your active loop through to the back of the work. To make the work look neat and continuous, I like to pull the loop through the next closest surface crochet slip stitch and all the way through to the back of the work, then cut the yarn and end off. You may wish to leave an extra long tail of yarn at the end; instead of weaving it into the back of the project, you can use this end for sewing your sunflower applique to another surface such as a baby hat or potholder.

Finishing:

Weave in loose ends. Block if desired. Attach your applique to the craft project of your choice, or add it to your craft supplies stash so you have it on hand next time you need a little something special for dressing up a craft project.

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Posted by: Amy Solovay


Page last updated on 6-13-2021. Thanks for visiting!