Small Heart Applique (Free Crochet Pattern)

Small Heart Applique: Free Crochet Pattern

Small Heart Applique: Free Crochet Pattern — You crochet this cute heart applique in two pieces, and then you seam it in the middle. It’s a fantastic pattern for using up leftover yarn scraps.

See More About: Valentine’s Day Projects | Crochet Applique Patterns | Crochet Motif Patterns | Scrap Yarn Patterns to Knit and Crochet

Skill Level: Intermediate. Detail-oriented crocheters who take pride in careful finishing will see the best results with this pattern.

Materials You’ll Need to Crochet This Heart Applique:

Yarn or Crochet Thread: I recommend Cascade 220 for this project, or any smooth medium weight / worsted weight yarn.

Crochet Hook: I used a size J / 10 – 6.0 mm crochet hook to crochet the sample heart. However, you’ll want to choose a hook that’s appropriate for the yarn or thread you’re using, and this size hook might or might not be the right choice.

If you’re using crochet thread, try a small steel crochet hook. If there’s a hook recommendation on your thread wrapper, that’s a great starting point.

If you’re using yarn, a steel hook will probably be smaller than what you want. You’d want to use a larger hook. Again, you can check the yarn wrapper for suggestions.

Other: Tapestry needle for stitching your center seam and weaving in ends

Finished Size:

My sample heart measures about 3 inches wide and about 2.5 inches high. Depending on the look you want to achieve, it’s possible that perhaps you could manipulate the finished measurements slightly to be a little taller and a little narrower. This is particularly true if you decide to block the heart as part of your finishing process. (I didn’t block mine, although it would have probably turned out nicer if I had done so.) I recommend doing the blocking and manipulating if you would prefer that your heart would turn out looking slightly less short and fat.

At any rate, your heart is likely to turn out a different size than my project sample anyway, depending on the materials you use and other factors.

In general, thinner yarns and threads will give you smaller hearts, and larger / chunkier yarns will give you bigger hearts.

Abbreviations

ch = chain
dc = double crochet
hdc = half double crochet
rep = repeat
sc = single crochet
sl st = slip stitch
st = stitch

How to Crochet the Heart Applique

Crochet the First Half of the Heart Applique: Ch 7. sc in 3rd ch from hook, ch 1, skip next ch, hdc in next ch, ch 1, skip next ch, dc in next ch, [ch 1, dc in same ch.] Rep the sequence in brackets 5 more times. ch 1, begin crocheting back down the other side of the chain to mirror image the first half of the design. skip next ch, hdc in next ch, ch 1, skip next ch, sc in next ch, ch 1, skip next ch, sl st in the final ch. End off, leaving in a long tail, which you can use for several purposes:

Joining the pieces of the heart
Stitching the heart appliqué to another surface
Weaving in the end

Crochet the Other Half of the Heart Applique:

Make a second piece as described in the instructions above.

Using one of your long tails of yarn, stitch the two halves of the heart together, creating a center seam. I recommend whip stitch as the stitch you use for the seaming.

To achieve the look you see in the photo, you’ll appliqué your heart to a small crocheted square. Begin by threading your loose ends onto a tapestry needle and using them to stitch the heart to the square.

Then you’ll take pink yarn and work surface crochet slip stitch around the outer edge of the heart. Work through both layers, so the stitching penetrates both the heart and the square for extra security.

Your finishing will make a huge difference in how this project ends up looking. If you aren’t really careful with the details and stitch placement, this could turn out looking like a disaster. In particular, there are a couple of places where you could go wrong with this pattern:

When you stitch the two halves of the heart together, you have to be careful and precise with your placement, otherwise the heart will end up looking lopsided. I found this out the hard way myself, and had to rip out my first attempt. I hope to save you time by suggesting that you use a tapestry needle rather than a crochet hook to do the joining. I think it’s more challenging to get pleasing results with the crochet hook, and easier to make it work out right with the tapestry needle.
When you slip stitch around the outer edge of the heart, your technique will make or break the way it looks. Be sure to make your stitches careful and even. Also pay careful attention to your tension as you work your surface crochet slip stitches. If your stitches are too tight, the piece could end up feeling awkward and stiff. You also don’t want your tension to be too loose — although I think perhaps it’s better to err on the side of “too loose” rather than “too tight.”

Enjoy your cute little heart applique!

Find More Lovely Valentine Crafts:

If you celebrate Valentine’s Day, we invite you to load up on lovely Valentine patterns. We offer a variety of different designs to choose from.

Valentine Flowers — You could crochet any of our flower patterns in Valentine-friendly colors; then use them for accenting your Valentine’s Day accessories, decorations and gifts.
Valentine Jewelry — Use our jewelry patterns to make yourself some pretty baubles to match whatever you’re going to wear for Valentine’s Day. These projects also make great gifts.
More Crochet Heart Patterns — These are nice to use for making Valentine’s Day projects, but also fantastic for use on other occasions (and non-occasions.)

Check Out More Fantastic Knitting and Crochet Patterns:

Learn More About Crochet:

Learn About Other Crafts: Knitting, Sewing, Quilting, Paper Crafts and More

Posted By: Amy Solovay

Page last updated on 6-24-2021. Thanks for visiting!