Autumn Sunflower Granny Square Bedspread — Free Crochet Pattern

Materials

• Yarn: Worsted weight (Category 4) 100% acrylic or 50/50 cotton-acrylic blend yarn.
  • Color A (Deep Chocolate Brown): ~1,600 meters (~1,750 yards)
  • Color B (Warm Beige / Tan): ~1,800 meters (~1,960 yards)
  • Color C (Olive / Moss Green): ~900 meters (~980 yards)
  • Color D (Bright Orange): ~1,000 meters (~1,090 yards)
  • Color E (Crisp White): ~500 meters (~545 yards)
• Crochet Hook: 5.0 mm (US H/8) ergonomic crochet hook, or size required to obtain recommended gauge and smooth drape.
• Notions: Tapestry needle for seaming and weaving in ends, locking stitch markers, sharp yarn scissors, measuring tape.
• Blocking Tools: Blocking foam mats, stainless steel rust-proof T-pins, and steam iron or spray bottle.

Abbreviations

Instructions

Main Autumn Sunflower Square Motif (make ~80 motifs for Queen size)

Each square motif transitions through 5 distinct colors across 9 rounds, moving from a central white starburst to orange puff petals, olive green leaf framing, beige openwork lattice, and a crisp chocolate brown boundary line.

Part 1: Raised Floral Blossom (Colors E, D, & C)

1. Round 1 (Starburst Core – Color E White): With Color E (White), make a magic ring (or ch 5, sl st to join). Ch 1, work 12 sc into the ring. Join with sl st to first sc. Pull ring tail tight. Fasten off Color E. [12 sc]
2. Round 2 (Inner Core Ring – Color E White): Attach Color E in any sc. Ch 3 (counts as dc), dc in same st, work 2 dc in each st around. Join with sl st to top of starting ch-3. Fasten off Color E. [24 dc]
3. Round 3 (Orange Puff Petals – Color D Orange): Attach Color D (Bright Orange) in any st between dc pairs of Round 2. *Work 1 puff st in sp between sts, ch 1; repeat from * 11 more times around. Join with sl st to top of first puff st. [12 orange puff petals, 12 ch-1 sps]
4. Round 4 (Outer Petal Layer – Color D Orange): Sl st into first ch-1 sp. *In ch-1 sp work [1 puff st, ch 2, 1 puff st], ch 1; repeat from * 5 more times around to expand the blossom. Join with sl st to top of first puff st. Fasten off Color D. [12 double puff clusters]
5. Round 5 (Olive Leaf Framing – Color C Olive Green): Attach Color C (Olive Green) in any ch-2 sp between double puff clusters. *Work [3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc] in ch-2 sp to form a pointed leaf tip, ch 1, 3 hdc in next ch-1 sp, ch 1; repeat from * 5 more times around the floral circumference. Join with sl st to top of starting ch-3. Fasten off Color C. [6 green leaf clusters]

Part 2: Squaring Out & Border Framing (Colors B & A)

1. Round 6 (Squaring Frame Foundation – Color B Warm Beige): Attach Color B (Warm Beige) behind Round 5 leaf tips. *Work [3 tr, ch 3, 3 tr] in back of leaf tip to establish corner, ch 2, 3 dc in next ch-1 sp, ch 2, 3 dc in next ch-1 sp, ch 2; repeat from * 3 more times around to transform the circle into a distinct square. Join with sl st to top of first tr. [4 corner ch-3 sps, 8 side ch-2 sps]
2. Round 7 (Beige Openwork Lattice – Color B Warm Beige): Sl st into corner sp. Ch 3 (counts as dc), work [2 dc, ch 2, 3 dc] in corner ch-3 sp, ch 1, (3 dc in next ch-2 sp, ch 1) 3 times across side; repeat from * 3 more times around all 4 sides. Join with sl st to top of starting ch-3. [20 dc clusters total]
3. Round 8 (Outer Beige Ring – Color B Warm Beige): Ch 3 (counts as dc), work 1 dc in each st and 1 dc in each ch-1 sp across all sides, working [2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc] into each corner ch-sp. Join with sl st. Fasten off Color B. [88 dc]
4. Round 9 (Chocolate Outer Frame – Color A Deep Chocolate Brown): Attach Color A (Deep Chocolate Brown) in any corner ch-sp. Ch 3, work 1 dc in each st around, working [2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc] into each corner ch-sp. Join with sl st to top of starting ch-3, fasten off Color A, and weave in all loose ends securely. [96 dc; Motif size = ~22 x 22 cm]

Bedspread Assembly

1. Arrangement: Lay out all 80 completed sunflower square motifs on a clean, flat surface in an 8 x 10 grid, ensuring all 3D flowers are oriented uniformly across the bed.
2. Invisible Seaming: Place adjacent squares right sides together. Using Color A (Deep Chocolate Brown) and a tapestry needle, whipstitch through the back loops only (BLO) of matching edge stitches along touching sides. This joins the dark brown frames seamlessly, creating a clean grid outline across the entire blanket face without visible ridges.

Continuous Outer Scalloped Bedspread Border

1. Round 1 (Base Anchor Row): Attach Color A (Deep Chocolate Brown) yarn in any outer corner of the assembled bedspread. Ch 1, work single crochets evenly around all 4 outer edges, placing 3 sc into outer corner points and 1 sc dec in inner seams where motifs meet. Join with sl st.
2. Round 2 (Open Mesh Band – Color B): Switch to Color B (Warm Beige). Ch 4 (counts as dc + ch 1), *skip 1 st, dc in next st, ch 1; repeat around entire outer perimeter, working [2 dc, ch 2, 2 dc] into outer corners. Join with sl st.
3. Round 3 (Scalloped Shell Border – Color A): Switch back to Color A (Deep Chocolate Brown). *In corner ch-sp work [4 dc, picot, 4 dc], sc in next ch-sp, *skip 2 sts, work [3 dc, picot, 3 dc] in next ch-sp, sc in next ch-sp; repeat from * continuously around all 4 sides of the bedspread to form the draped scalloped edging. Join with sl st, fasten off, and weave in all remaining ends.

Matching Decorative Pillow Shams (make 2)

Front Sham Panel

1. Join 4 main Autumn Sunflower Square Motifs in a 2×2 square formation using Color A (Deep Chocolate Brown).
2. Work Round 8 and Round 9 of the motif instructions around the outer perimeter of the 2×2 block to square off the panel to ~45 x 45 cm.

Back Sham Panel

1. Row 1: With Color A (Deep Chocolate Brown), ch 57. Dc in 4th ch from hook and in each ch across. Turn. [55 dc]
2. Rows 2–32: Ch 3 (counts as dc), 1 dc in each st across. Turn. Fasten off after Row 32 [55 dc per row; ~45 x 45 cm square].

Sham Assembly

Place front and back panels wrong sides together. Single crochet around 3 sides using Color A, insert a 45 x 45 cm pillow form, and sc across the 4th side to seal. Finish with the dark chocolate picot border around the outer sham edge.

Tips for Success

• Maintain Uniform Puff Tension: Pull puff loops to a consistent height in Rounds 3 and 4 so that all 80 flower centers have identical 3D relief height.
• Steam Block Individual Motifs: Steam-blocking each square motif to ~22 x 22 cm before seaming aligns the dark brown edges and makes row-by-row assembly significantly faster.
• Weave In Ends Color-by-Color: Fasten off and weave in ends at each color transition during motif construction to avoid a tedious finishing workload at the end.
• Keep Assembly Stitches Relaxed: Avoid pulling joining threads too tightly so that the dark brown frame seams lie completely flat without buckling.
• Choose Smooth High-Definition Yarn: A smooth acrylic or cotton-blend yarn showcases the crisp color contrast between the orange petals, olive leaves, tan lattice, and brown frame.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Skipping Motif Blocking — Unblocked floral squares pull inward at the puff centers, causing puckered, uneven seams during assembly.
• Loose Puff Stitch Chains — Forgetting to secure each puff stitch with a tight ch-1 anchor leaves the flower petals floppy instead of plump.
• Uneven Seaming Tension — Seaming too tightly along the dark brown outer borders creates rigid ridges instead of a flat blanket surface.
• Mixing Yarn Dye Lots — Ensure all skeins of warm beige and chocolate brown share matching dye lots to prevent noticeable shading differences across the broad background.

Ways to Customize This Pattern

• Earthy Forest Palette: Swap orange for mustard gold and replace olive green with deep evergreen for a rich woodland theme.
• Throw Blanket Dimension: Reduce motif count to 35 squares (5 x 7 grid) to create a cozy living room throw (~110 x 150 cm).
• Matching Floral Coasters & Trivets: Work single motifs through Round 5 in heavy cotton yarn to craft matching floral hot pads or table trivets.