Hibiscus Crochet Blouse or Dress — Step-by-step tutorial

Skill: intermediate (working motifs, joining, shaping)
Structure: Floral hibiscus motifs joined into panels → assembled into blouse (shorter) or dress (add skirt rounds).
Finished look: airy floral panels with scalloped edges — lightweight, feminine.

Materials

Yarn: lightweight cotton or cotton blend (sport/DK) — for drape and defined stitch definition. Use the same weight throughout.
Hook: 3.0–4.0 mm depending on yarn and your tension (I use 3.5 mm for DK in sample).
Tapestry needle, scissors, stitch markers, blocking pins.
Optional: contrast yarn for border, buttons or ribbon for ties.
Gauge (sample): 24 dc × 14 rows = 10 cm (4") in pattern — check your swatch and adjust hook.

Yarn estimate (approx):

Blouse (S–M): 600–800 g DK
Dress (knee length, S–M): 1200–1600 g DK
(Estimate depends on size + length — make a swatch and weigh to calculate precisely.)

Abbreviations (US)

ch = chain
sl st = slip stitch
sc = single crochet
hdc = half double crochet
dc = double crochet
tr = treble crochet
st(s) = stitch(es)
sp = space
rep = repeat
BLO = back loop only

Design notes & approach

The design uses a round floral “hibiscus” motif (worked in rounds) — center disk with petal rounds — then an outer square/shaping round so motifs join edge-to-edge.
Make identical motifs, block them, then join in rows to form a front/back panel. For blouse: shorter panel + sleeves; for dress: add skirt rounds (worked in joined-around style).
Join method: join-as-you-go (JAYG) on last round (recommended) OR whipstitch after blocking.

Size planning (finished measurements — chest circumference)

You’ll build front + back panels and seam shoulders/sides. Choose chest circumference and plan number of motifs accordingly.

Approx motif size (blocked): ~12 cm (4.7") across (adjust by hook/yarn). Use this to calculate:

Size	Chest (approx)	Motifs across (half width)
S	86–92 cm (34–36")	4 motifs across front (8 total)
M	96–100 cm (38–40")	5 motifs across front (10 total)
L	102–110 cm (40–43")	6 motifs across front (12 total)

These are starting recommendations — measure one blocked motif to calculate exact motif counts.

Part A — Hibiscus motif (one flower square)

Make a test motif and block it. The motif below creates a 4–5" square when worked in DK + 3.5mm hook. If your motif ends different size, recalc layout.

Round 1 — center ring

Magic ring (or ch 4 and join).
ch 3 (counts as dc), work 11 dc into ring (12 dc total). Pull ring tight. Join with sl st to top of ch-3.

Round 2 — picot + small petals (optional sparkle)

ch 1, sc in next st, ch 3 — repeat around (12 sc + 12 ch-3 loops). Join with sl st to first sc.

(If you prefer less picot, do sc only.)

Round 3 — petal anchors / small arches

ch 1, sc in same st, ch 5, sc in next st — repeat around, creating 12 ch-5 arches. Join.

These long arches will be bases for tall petal fans.

Round 4 — hibiscus petals (fan clusters)

Into each ch-5 arch work: (sc, ch 1, hdc, 3 dc, hdc, ch 1, sc) — a tapered fan/petal with a tall center (3 dc).
Repeat into all 12 arches. Join with sl st.

Round 5 — raise petals & add texture

ch 1; sc over the outer sc of petal, ch 3, sl st at the center top of petal (into middle dc), ch 3, sc into other outer sc — this places a tall chained arch across each petal and reinforces center.
Repeat around and join.

(You can substitute a single tall dc at the tip instead of sl st if you prefer a filled tip.)

Round 6 — convert circle to joinable shape (square-ish)

We will create an outer round that places corners so motifs fit as tiles.

ch 3, dc in same join, dc across the first petal's side (work 3–5 dc evenly across the side region) till you reach next petal group; after each 3rd petal, make a corner: (3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc) into that petal base space.
The sequence groups every 3 petals → 4 sides (because 12 petals / 3 = 4). Continue around; join.

This makes the motif approximate a square and makes joining and blocking easy.

Round 7 — even edging & join round

ch 1, sc evenly around motif; in corner ch-3 spaces work 3 sc to round corners. Join with sl st.
Optional last round: skip 2 sc, 5 dc in next sc (shell), skip 2 sc, sc in next sc — for scalloped outer edge that’s decorative and great for clothing edges.

Fasten off and weave in ends. Block motif to target size.

Part B — Make the number of motifs needed

Make motifs until you have the number required for front/back panels. Example for S: make 8 motifs for full front+back (4 front + 4 back) or for blouse you may make 8 front + 8 back (16 total) depending on arrangement. Typical blouse uses 8–12 motifs; dress uses many more.

Layout example (blouse, 4 motifs across × 3 rows = 12 motifs total):

Front: 2 motifs across × 3 rows = 6 motifs
Back: same as front = 6 motifs
Or make a continuous strip and fold if you prefer.

Compute counts precisely after measuring blocked motif width/height.

Part C — Join motifs (recommended: JAYG on final round)

Join-as-you-go (JAYG) method — attach one side at a time while working final round of a new motif:

Start by completing one motif fully.
Make second motif up to the final Round 7 (sc round). When you reach a side that will touch an existing motif, instead of working a sc in that stitch, do: sc in your motif st, ch 1, sl st into corresponding sc on the already-made motif, ch 1 then continue the sc round on your motif. Align motifs carefully so petals and corners match.
Repeat attaches for each neighbor. Work carefully so joins fall flat — use stitch markers to mark the corresponding spots on the first motif before joining.

If you prefer, join after blocking with whipstitch or mattress stitch (align RS together, sew through loops).

Part D — Construct panels & assemble blouse vs dress

Blouse (boxy / short style)

Arrange motifs into two identical panels: front and back (example: 3 rows × 4 columns each for a small/medium blouse).
Join motifs row-by-row into rectangular panels using JAYG or sewing method.
With RS together, sew shoulder seams: sew across the top leaving a neck opening in center (measure approx 20–22 cm for adult neck; adjust for child). Alternatively leave 3–4 motifs at top center unsewn for neckline.
- Example: if panel width is 4 motifs, you can join shoulders by sewing 1.5 motifs from each side leaving the middle motif(s) partially unsewn to form neck. Use your preferred neckline width.
Sew side seams from bottom up leaving armholes open. Armhole height: 16–20 cm for small adult; measure or try-on.
Add edging: sc around neckline, armholes, and hem. For a feminine touch do a shell round: skip 2 sc, 5 dc in next sc, skip 2, sc in next.

Dress (skirted version)

Option 1 — Make a long rectangle and add skirt by increasing:

Make front + back panels or one continuous panel long enough to wrap around body. Join front/back at shoulders leaving neck opening as above.
For skirt: with RS together, join motifs around bottom edge and continue working rounds attached to bottom of joined panels: pick up stitches into bottom joining spaces and work circular rounds (dc rounds with increases) to create a flowing skirt.
A simpler method: join more motifs beneath the bodice as rows to form the skirt (i.e., construct bodice rows, then add 2–5 more rows of motifs below for skirt length). This keeps motif look consistent.

Option 2 — Seamless skirt from lower edge:

Work motifs in additional rows under the bodice until desired length. For a gathered look, add more motifs per row than the bodice width and seam sides to create flare.

Hem finishing for dress: add 2–3 rounds of shell scallop or picot trim.

Part E — Sleeves (if making short cap sleeves)

Two options:

Cap sleeve from motif: When joining motifs at sides, leave partial seam (skip 1–2 motifs vertically) to form armhole and attach a small number (1–2) of motifs as cap sleeves sewn onto shoulder seam.
Worked sleeve: Pick up stitches around armhole and work in rounds of dc or shell pattern for the short sleeve length (4–6 cm) then add picot or shell edge.

For long sleeves: pick up stitches and work in rounds down to wrist with decreases for taper, finish with scallop.

Part F — Edging & finishing touches

Block entire garment carefully: pin motif joins and shape neckline and hem. Blocking opens petals and evens motif sizes.
Neckline: sc around with 2–3 rounds. Add a decorative scallop: (sc, skip 1, 5 dc in next, skip 1, sc).
Optionally add a ribbon tie threaded across front or small buttons sewn between motifs for style.
Weave all ends and trim extra yarn tails.

Tips & Troubleshooting

If motifs vary in size: block all motifs; if still uneven add an extra sc round on smaller motifs to even size.
Neck hole too small: unpick shoulder seams a little and resew leaving larger gap, or remove 1 motif from center top before joining shoulders.
Join bulky? Use half-join (join through back loops only) or block and then join with mattress stitch for flatter seams.
Want a denser blouse? Use smaller hook or add an extra solid dc round between motif outer and join round.
Want a lighter drape? Use a softer yarn (bamboo/cotton blend) and slightly larger hook.

Quick stitch map (cheat sheet)

Magic ring → 12 dc.
sc + ch arches → 12 ch-5 loops.
Petals: (sc, hdc, 3 dc, hdc, sc) into loops.
Petal outline and ch arches.
Group petals into sides and make (3 dc, ch3, 3 dc) corners to square the motif.
sc round to even edge → optional scallop shell round.
Block motifs → join-as-you-go or sew → shape blouse/dress → edging.

Search This Blog

crochettt

💛 Hibiscus Crochet Blouse or Dress 💛 Beautiful design