A dress for a bunny

I had a lot of fun making clothes for my bunnies. Here's Lalla wearing her lovely purple number, and here's the pattern so you can make one too. The dress would also be great for a doll.

The dress is worked in rows, and you will turn at the end of each row. It is worked from the top down.

You will join the two sides to make the skirt in row 6, but still turning at the end of each row to give the skirt its striped effect.

I used 4 ply (sportsweight) cotton yarn for the dress, and a 4 mm hook. My experiments with thicker yarn didn't come out as well.

Front

Back

Row 1 - ch 25, 1 dc in 3rd ch from hook, 1 dc in next st, 3 dc in next st, 1 dc in next 4 sts, 3 dc in next st, 1 dc in next 6 sts, 3 dc in next st, 1 dc in next 4 sts, 3 dc in next st, 1 dc in last 3 sts. Turn.

Row 2-5 - ch 2 (counts as first st), 1 dc in each dc, continuing the shaping with 3 dc in the centre st of each 3 dc group. Turn.

Row 6 - ch 2, 1 hdc in each st to centre st of 3 dc group, skip to centre st of next 3 dc group (this forms the sleeve). Continue hdc to centre st of next dc group, skip to centre st of next 3 dc group, hdc to end, sl st to first hdc. Turn.

Row 7 - ch 2, 1 dc in each st around, sl st to top of first st, turn.

Row 8 - ch 2, 1 hdc in top of dc, 1 hdc in between dcs, repeat to end, sl st to top of first st, turn. (effectively doubling the number of stitches. This leaves a gap between each dc, for the belt.)

Row 9 - ch 2, 1 dc in each st, sl st to top of first st, turn.

Row 10 - ch 2, 1 hdc in each st, sl st to top of first st, turn.

Rows 11-14 - repeat rows 9-10 twice. Fasten off, weave in ends.

Weave a ribbon between the dcs of row 7. Or you can make a belt with a crochet chain in a contrasting colour.

The pattern for the jacket will follow very soon. Actually, if you make the dress you'll know how to make the jacket. Here are some more photos. just because.

Lalla and Lily - the pattern

Sorry for the delay, but here at last is the pattern for Lalla and Lily (and Yasmine, see below).

The first part of this pattern is for Lalla - the one-piece rabbit with lop ears on the right in the photo above. You can also make the body up to rnd 59, finish off and sew on the oval head like Lily's (she's standing on the left). The patterns for the oval head and pointed ears are at the very end of the pattern, just scroll down to find them.

Please note that the body pattern for the left-hand rabbit has not been written up, as I replaced it by the one-piece version. The left-hand version contains too much sewing for my taste!

Please do not sell this pattern. Do not post this pattern to any website, but link directly to my blog. No file sharing of this pattern. 

I used Pingouin Pingo 4, 60% cotton, 40% acrylic (which doesn't seem to be available any longer). It's quite a sturdy yarn, I'd say it's worsted weight, somewhere between DK and Aran. I used between two and three 50g balls, and a 4mm crochet hook. You'll also need stitch markers, a tapestry needle and some embroidery thread for the nose and mouth. You may also need safety eyes, though embroidering the eyes would be just fine too. I also lined all my pieces with an old pair of tights before stuffing, but if you crochet tight enough this may not be necessary. Anyone who reads my patterns regularly will know that I always line my toys, to avoid any fluffy surprises after washing.

There is a tiny bit of sewing involved, even though the pieces are crocheted together.

Are you ready? Here's the pattern:

Terms used: 

sc single crochet (dc in UK terms)

sc2tog single crochet two stitches together. I suggest you use the invisible decrease, very well explained here: http://www.planetjune.com/blog/amigurumi-help/invisible-decrease/

magic circle : see the video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHYVutk2iYY

The total number of stitches per round is indicated in brackets at the end of each round, like this (12 sts)

When there are several rounds without change, I've also indicated how many rounds need to be counted.

Start with the arms and the ears, so that these can be easily crocheted in when the time comes.

Arms (make 2)

Rnd 1 - 6sc in a magic circle (6 sts)
Rnd 2 - 2 sc in each st (12 sts)
Rnd 3-17 - sc around for 15 rnds (12 sts)

Stuff only to rnd 17

Rnd 18 - [sc in 4 sts, sc2tog] twice (10 sts)
Rnd 19-23 - sc around for five rnds (10 sts)
Rnd 24 - press two sides together, work 5 sc through both thicknesses. Fasten off and weave in end.

Lop ears (make 2) (for straight, sew-on ears, scroll down to end of pattern)

Rnd 1 - 6 sc in a magic circle (6 sts)
Rnd 2 - [1sc in next st, 2 sc in next st] three times (9 sts)
Rnd 3 - [1 sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st] three times (12 sts)
Rnd 4 - [1 sc in next 3 sts, 2 sc in next st] three times (15 sts)
Rnd 5-9 - sc around for five rnds (15 sts)
Rnd 10 - [1sc in next 3 sts, sc2tog] three times (12 sts)
Rnd 11-15 - sc around for five rnds (12 sts)
Rnd 16 - [1 sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog] three times (9 sts)
Rnd 17-23 - sc around for seven rnds (9 sts)
Rnd 24 - press two sides together, work 4 sc through both thicknesses. Fasten off and weave in end.

Tail (optional)

Rnd 1 - 6 sc in a magic circle (6 sts)
Rnd 2 - 2 sc in each st (12 sts)
Rnd 3 - [1 sc in next 3 sts, 2 sc in next st] three times (15 sts)
Rnd 4 - sc around (15 sts)
Rnd 5 - [1 sc in next 3 sts, sc2tog] three times (12 sts)
Rnd 6 - [sc2tog] six times (6 sts). Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing.


Feet and legs (make 2)

Rnd 1 - 6sc in a magic circle
Rnd 2 - 2 sc in each stitch (12 sts)
Rnd 3-10 - sc around for eight rnds (12 sts)
Rnd 11 - ch 1 (counts as 1st sc), turn, 1sc in each of next 6 sts
Row 12-16 - as rnd 11, but do not turn at the end of row 16

Rnd 17 - 1sc in last st of previous row. Now work 4sc along the side of the rectangle to the corner, 1 sc in corner st, 5sc across the front of the foot, 1 sc in corner st, 5 sc along the remaining side of the rectangle (17 sts)

There will be a hole at the heel end. This will need sewing together at the end.

Rnd 18 - sk 6, 1 sc to join the two corners together (mark this stitch and first stitch of each row from now on). 1sc in next 3 sts, sc2tog, sc in next 5 sts, sc2tog, sc in 4 remaining sts (15 sts)
Rnd 19-28 - sc around for ten rnds (15 sts)
Rnd 29 - [1 sc in 4 sts, 2 sc in next st] three times (18 sts)
Rnd 30-33 - sc around (18 sts)

Gusset (continuing from top of first leg only) - ch1, turn, 6 sc, turn, ch 1, sc 5, turn, ch 1, sc 5. Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing.

Make a second leg and foot, finishing at the end of row 33 and DO NOT FASTEN OFF

Flatten the two legs, and join them in the middle, using the long tail to sew the edge of the gusset to the corresponding stitches on the other leg (see photo) Weave in the end. Now continue with the last loop worked on the first leg.

Continue to mark your first stitch for each row.

Stuff feet and legs.

Body

Rnd 34 - work 34 sc evenly around. Try 1 sc in next 9 sts, sc 3 across the edge of the gusset, 1 sc in next 14 sts, sc 3 across the edge of gusset, sc 5 to end or however it works best for you (34 sts)
Rnd 35 - sc around (34 sts)
Rnd 36 - [1 sc in next 3 sts, 2 sc in next st]  repeat around, finishing with 1 sc in last 2 sts (42 sts)
Rnd 37 - sc around (42 sts)
Rnd 38 - [2 sc in next st, 1 sc in each of next 6 sts] repeat around (48 sts)
Rnd 39-45 - sc around for seven rnds(48 sts)

Sew on tail at the centre back, between rows 38 and 42 (optional)

Rnd 46 - [1 sc in next 6 sts, sc2tog] six times (42 sts)
Rnd 47-48 - sc around for two rnds (42 sts)
Rnd 49 - [1 sc in next 5 sts, sc2tog] six times (36 sts)
Rnd 50-53 - sc around for four rnds (36 sts)
Rnd 54 - [1 sc in next 4 sts, sc2tog] six times (30 sts)
Rnd 55-56 - sc around for two rnds (30 sts)
Rnd 57 - sc in next 8 sts (or until you reach the stitches approximately on the side, level with the side of the leg), join in arms with 5 sc, sc in next 10 sts, join in second arm with 5 sc, sc in next 2 sts (30 sts)
Rnd 58 - [sc in next 3 sts, sc2tog] six times (24 sts)
Rnd 59 - [sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog] six times (18 sts) For Lalla, DO NOT FASTEN OFF. For Lily, fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing head.

Stuff the body

Head

Rnd 60 - sc around (18 sts)
Rnd 61 - [sc in next st, 2 sc in next st] nine times (27 sts)
Rnd 62 - [sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st] nine times (36 sts)
Rnd 63-64 - sc around for 2 rnds (36 sts)
Rnd 65 - [sc in next 5 sts, 2 sc in next st] six times (42 sts)
Rnd 66-67 - sc around for 2 rnds (46 sts)
Rnd 68 - [sc in next 6 sts, 2 sc in next st] six times (48 sts)
Rnd 69-74 - sc around for six rnds (48 sts)

Embroider insert safety eyes on rnd 70, embroider nose and mouth

Rnd 75 - [sc in next 6 sts, sc2tog] six times (42 sts)
Rnd 76 - [sc in next 5 sts, sc2tog] six times (36 sts)
Rnd 77 - sc around, joining in the ears with 4sc on each side of the head
Rnd 78 - [sc in next 4 sts, sc2tog] six times (30 sts)
Rnd 79 - [sc in next 3 sts, sc2tog] six times (24 sts)

Stuff the head

Rnd 80 - [sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog] six times (18 sts)
Rnd 81 - [sc in next st, sc2tog] six times (12 sts)
Rnd 82 - [sc2tog] six times (6 sts)
Rnd 83 - [sc2tog] three times

Fasten off, leave a long tail and weave in ends, making sure you close the hole completely.


Alternative ears pattern

Pointed ears (make 2)

Rnd 1 - 6 sc in a magic circle (6 sts)
Rnd 2 - sc around (6 sts)
Rnd 3 - [1 sc in next st, 2 sc in next st] three times (9 sts)
Rnd 4 - [1 sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st] three times (12 sts)
Rnd 5 - sc around (12 sts)
Rnd 5 - [1 sc in next 3 sts, 2 sc in next st] three times (15 sts)
Rnd 6-11 - sc around for six rnds (15 sts)
Rnd 12 - [1 sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog] three times (12 sts)
Rnd 13-15 - sc around for three rnds (12 sts)
Rnd 16 - [1 sc in next st, sc2tog] three times (9 sts)

Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing

Here's the bunny with the alternative head. Her name is Yasmine.

Alternative head pattern

Rnd 1 - 6 sc in a magic circle (6 sts)
Rnd 2 - 2sc in each st (12 sts)
Rnd 3 - [1 sc in next st, 2 sc in next st] six times (18 sts)
Rnd 4 - [1 sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st] six times (24 sts)
Rnd 5-7 - sc around for three rnds (24 sts)
Rnd 8 - [1 sc in next 3 sts, 2 sc in next st] six times (30 sts)
Rnd 9 - [1 sc in next 4 sts, 2 sc in next st] six times (36 sts)
Rnd 10 - sc around (36 sts)

Attach safety eyes on rnd 8.  Embroider nose and mouth.

Rnd 11 - [1 sc in next 5 sts, 2 sc in next st] six times (42 sts)
Rnd 12-17 - sc around for six rnds (42 sts)
Rnd 18 - [sc in next 5 sts, sc2tog] six times (36 sts)
Rnd 19 - sc around (36 sts)
Rnd 20 - [sc in next 4 sts, sc2tog] six times (30 sts)
Rnd 21 - sc around (30 sts)

Sew on ears between rnds 17 and 18 - Only leave three or four stitches between the ears or they will stick outwards instead of upwards!

Rnd 22 - [sc in next 3 sts, sc2tog] six times (24 sts)
Rnd 23 - sc around (24 sts)
Rnd 24 - [sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog] six times (18 sts)
Rnd 24 - [sc in next st, sc2tog] six times (12 sts)
Rnd 25 - [sc2tog] six times (6 sts)
Rnd 26 - [sc2tog] three times. Fasten off, leave a long tail and weave in ends, making sure you close the hole completely.

Sew head onto body after body rnd 59.

I've also created a little jacket and a dress for the rabbits, but you'll have to wait a little longer for the patterns.

Please don't hesitate to leave me any comments or questions about this pattern. Some adjustments may need to be made, but I need you to tell me :)

Lily and Lalla

I'd been wanting to design a new ami for a while. And it had to be a bunny, named Lily. I had the image of Lily in my head. I doodled several pictures of her in margins. I wanted Lily to be a doll bunny. I wanted to make her clothes, shoes.

So I made my bunny. I made her legs, with feet. I made her chubby tummy. I make her arms, her head, her ears. And then I sewed her together. Hmm. I hated sewing her together. I couldn't get her legs on straight. She suddenly reminded me of the first ever ami I published, chubby teddy, who was made in the same way but was smaller and softer and easier to sew together. She was cute, but her legs were decidedly wonky.

I made her a cute jacket. But those wonky legs bothered me.

Since my early beginnings in amigurumi, I have been trying to simplify the construction of the toys I make. I know I'm not the only one who hates sewing pieces together. Crocheting them in as you go is the solution! Of course it's not always possible. It depends on the pieces and how they lie (ears for example can only rarely be crocheted in).

So Lily  (with her wonky legs and cute jacket) sat and waited. And I started on Lalla. Lalla is worked from the bottom up. You'll start with her feet, that are crocheted as part of her legs, that are crocheted straight on to her body, then you'll crochet in her arms.

Then you'll increase for her head, then you'll crochet in her ears, add a face, and keep on crocheting right to the top of her head. Lalla is a lop-eared rabbit and her head is round. Some people tell me she looks more like a dog than a rabbit. Lalla can also stand unaided!

I think my third rabbit may well be a mixture of Lily and Lalla (Lila?) She'll have the same one-piece body as Lalla with the same head as Lily.

I'm busy writing up the pattern for Lalla, and I'll also include the options for the sew-on head and ears. It may take me a while because it's a long pattern. I'll include the cute jacket pattern too. I'll post to my facebook page as soon as it's done. You can see another photo of Lily with her jacket on facebook too!

More baby crochet

Hello there!
I'm so, so sorry that I haven't been on this blog for ages. I hope you all had a great summer and are enjoying a colourful autumn.
I  had a wonderful time over the summer. In June I went to Brittany for the first time and it was great. Then later in the summer I went to visit family in the UK and my son and I made a trip to Arnside (I'd read about the place on Attic24 and it was really beautiful). The sunsets were particularly gorgeous. There's my boy having a great time just as the sun was setting.
Then it was a very busy time getting my son off to university, then I had a lot of work, including a trip to Rabat, Morocco, earlier this month.
And now here I am :).

On the crochet front, things have been rather busy too.

After I'd finished the Daisy baby blanket, I still had a lot of pastel DK acrylic baby yarn and decided to make another baby blanket. This time I used Lucy's neat ripple pattern. My brother-in-law and his wife had a baby girl at the end of August, so she received the blanket.

More babies are due any day now! Some friends are expecting their first children - twins! So I got crocheting tiny little baby cardigans and boottees.

I used some lovely soft James C. Brett pure merino yarn I got in the UK for 2.99 a ball. It's nice and springy, and machine-washable. I crocheted them quite long so that they will cover the babies down to their nappies and I chose my favourite colours. I don't know if the twins are girls or boys or one of each, but I reckoned the babies wouldn't mind what colours they wear. My UK readers might appreciate the black and red Dennis the Menace stripes  top left :)

The pattern for the cardigan is here. And I made some tiny bootees with the leftover yarn, with a really quick and easy pattern, here.

Well it is nice to be back! I'll try to come here more often.

Daisy baby blanket

Hello there!

Do you remember the daisy baby square I made in June? Well, it ended up  being my project for the summer, and came out as a very cute little blanket.

Because I ran out of blue yarn, the blanket is small, 84 cm long and 64 cm wide, but fine for a carry cot, moses basket or car seat. It would be easy to make it bigger just by adding more squares. I joined the squares using the "join as you go" method, which was so easy and works beautifully!

So, I made ten daisy baby squares and ten more blue and white granny squares (1 round blue, 3 rounds white, 1 round blue) and joined them with a further round of white yarn. For the border, I did one round of dc in yellow, then one round in white of puff stitches, but the border came out a bit too big for the blanket so I might change it. It would look nice with a simple shell border too.

Here's another picture of the whole blanket (which I've just noticed I took on the "wrong" side, oops!):

Remembering a special friend

Maria was an ex-colleague who had moved to Brittany several years ago. I'd always wanted to go and see the house and garden she was so fond of, but I didn't manage to until after she'd died, last month. So this is a special tribute to her. She was funny, creative, and also had a stubborn streak that I particularly appreciated. Special thanks to Maria's partner Mike who welcomed me in their home.

Here are some photos of Maria and Mike's house and garden. Let's start with the house. It's a beautiful big Breton house on three stories. I could see my friend all over the house, in the decoration and little objects she loved.

The staricase

Beautiful bathroom

The house is full of old French furnishings

Each windowsill tells a story

One of Maria's many tapestries

Another beautiful tapestry decorates the fireplace

A closer look at the fireplace tapestry.

More art by Maria and her friends in the hall. I love the little stencilled lizards!

More embroidery, and more lizards

Now let's visit the garden... It's a glorious walled garden, beautifully maintained. The day we visited, we were lucky to have sunshine.

The view of the garden from the first floor.

The view from the back door. Did you spot more stencils?

The apple tree

Beautiful yellow roses

The raised beds

Glorious.

The terrace.

And finally, the view of the house from the garden.

Daisy baby afghan square

Hello there!
I so love making granny squares. I had great fun with those I finished last week for Knit-a-square. I had another delve into my stash, and came across some yarn I bought on a whim once when I was in the UK. It was so cheap, it's acrylic/polyamide (I think) but it still feels soft and cosy. The colours are a bit too pale for knit-a-square so I decided that I'd make a baby blanket either to give away or to sell.
I'd noticed cute daisy squares on some other blogs, and I decided to make my own pattern. After a few attempts I think I got it, so here it is. I've not yet finished the whole blanket, but I thought you might like to join me :-)

You will need:

DK yarn in three colours
4 mm crochet hook
a tapestry needle

It's best to finish off and sew in the ends after finishing each part (as you can see on the photo).

Rnd 1 (yellow). Make a magic circle, 3 ch (counts as first dc) and 11 dc in the magic circle (12 dc). Slst into the 3rd ch of first stitch. Fasten off, weave in ends.

Rnd 2 (white). Puff stitches make up this row. To start, pull a loop of white yarn about 1 cm long through the top of one of the dcs, *yrh and pull another loop (3 loops on hook), repeat from * three more times (9 loops on hook), yrh, pull through all nine loops, yrh, pull through remaining loop. Initial puff stitch finished. Ch 1. For the next and subsequent puff stitches, pull a loop of yarn about 1 cm long through the top of the next dc, yrh, and pull another loop through, repeat three more times, yrh, pull yarn through 8 loops on hook, yrh, pull through remaining loop. Ch 1.
Continue until the end. You should have 12 puff stitches with 1 ch space between each. At the end, make one extra ch and slst to the top of the first stitch. Fasten off and weave in ends.

It may take you a while to get all your puff stitches to the same size. The first ones I made were a bit uneven, but you soon get into the rhythm.

Now the real "granny" part begins. You'll work into the ch spaces between the puff stitches.

Rnd 3 (blue). Attach yarn between two puff stitches, 3ch (counts as first dc), 2 dc in first ch sp, ch 1, 3 dc in next ch sp, ch1, 3 dc in next ch sp, ch 2.
*3 dc followed by ch 1 in each of next 2 ch sps, 3 dc followed by 2 ch in next ch sp.
Repeat from * to end. Slst to top of beginning 3 ch. Turn.

Rnd 4 :  ch 3, in 2ch sp, work 2 dc, 2 ch, 3 dc.  *3 dc in next ch sp, repeat form * twice. Then in corner 2 ch, work 3 dc, 2ch, 3 dc.
Carry on the rnd in the same manner. When you reach the end of the rnd, sl st in top of beginning 3ch. Turn.

Rnd 5:  3 ch, in ch sp work 2 dc, then carry on the round, working 3 dc into each sp, and 3dc, 2ch, 3dc in each corner.  At the end of the rnd, slst into top of beginning 3 ch.  Fasten off and weave in ends.

And there's your daisy baby afghan square. I can't wait to see how yours work out.  I'll be back with a taa daah moment as soon as I've made enough to join them into a blanket. 

A special day and more charity crochet

Hello there!
Today is a special day in our house. My dear husband of nearly thirty years celebrated his 60th birthday today! We've had a lovely peaceful day and enjoyed the sunshine and a delicious chocolate cake from our favourite French baker's... yum yum :)

And I've made nine more squares for Knit-a-square. Remember the last ones I took with me to South Africa? This time I used the yarn I had left over from my granny ripple blanket, so they all match except for the ninth which I made with lots of little scraps of other leftover yarn.

Are you enjoying the sunshine? Eating cake? Having fun?

Finger puppets and rattles

Hello there!
Well it's been a long time, again. Almost a month since my last post, naughty me.
The thing is, I've been so very, very busy. I've been busy at home, busy at work, and... busy crocheting!
Would you like to see what I've been making?
Here you are then.

Yes, finger puppets!  They're so much fun to make. Quick and easy :)  I've written up the pattern for the bear, just need to transfer it to the right computer. They're all crocheted with sportsweight yarn and a 3mm hook though you could go down to 2.5 mm. 

I've made another teddy rattle. This one's ecru and navy and has already gone to a new home!

And a ducky rattle! I followed the same pattern as the teddy rattle, adding wings and a beak. 

Here's the pattern for the wings:

Rnd 1: 6sc in a magic circle (see the teddy rattle pattern for details of the magic circle)

Rnd 2: 1 sc in next st, 2 sc in next st, around (9 sc)

Rnd 3: 1 sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st, around (12 sc)

Rnd 4: 1 sc in next 3 sts, 2 sc in next st, around (15 sc)

Rnd 5-6: sc around (15 sc)

Rnd 7: 1 sc in next 3 sts, sc2tog, around (12 sc)

Rnd 8-9: sc around (12 sc)

Rnd 10: 1sc in next st, sc2tog, around (9 sc)

Fasten off.

And the beak:

Rnd 1: 6sc in a magic circle

Rnd 2: *[1sc in next 2 st, 2sc in next st] repeat from * (8 sc)

Rnd 3-4: sc around

You can add a further rnd of you want a longer beak.

Fasten off, leaving a long end for sewing.

I hope you enjoy my patterns. I would love to see your creations, please send me a link or share them on the facebook page. 

Meandering in May

Hello there!
In May in France we have several national holidays, well at least three. This year, two of them came together on 8th and 9th and I've taken today off too, so that means a very, very long weekend of five days!

We'd planned to do some furniture shopping and assembling. But the car is in bad need of repair and can't be used, so we've had to put the new furniture off for another day. Instead, I've been doing a little bit of crochet, some cooking and tidying up, but the best thing is that the weather has been sunny (at least for part of the time). So we went off for a wander.

I so love to see these bright yellow fields, they look so gorgeous against the blue sky.

A bit further down the path and the view changes. Can you see there's still some snow on the mountains?

I love the contrast of the thick ridged bark and the delicate leaves and dandelions. 

And these new leaves were calling out for me to take their picture. Rebirth. 

I took this one by accident as I was walking along. I like it.

And last of all, the green carpet of leaves and flowers. We had a lovely time. Pity it's raining again today. 

May Day cushion

Hello everyone!

I hope you had a great Labour Day yesterday. Here in France it is a national holiday so I didn't go to work, but I did finish off some crochet work. And here's the result, my May Day cushion! (scroll down for the pattern).

Isn't it just lovely? It was one of those things - I bought the yarn in a sale, then saw a similar cushion on one of the blogs I read, and realised I just HAD to make a cushion with that yarn!

I didn't follow exactly the same pattern as Heather on Pink Milk, who joined her rounds with a slipstitch. I just made two simple hdc circles and crocheted them together with a shell border. Like Heather, I did use the lovely May rose from Attic24 to decorate my cushion.  My cushion is also quite big, so the central rose does look a bit small. But I love it anyway. We needed  new cushion and I think it looks particularly nice on my armchair.

Here's how I made it:

1. Start with a magic circle and 6 sc.
2. 2 hdc in each stitch.
3. *1 hdc in next st, 2 hdc in next st, rep from * to end. (it's a good idea to use a stitch marker on the first stitch throughout)
4. * 1 hdc in next 2 sts, 2 hdc in next st, rep from * to end.
5. * 1 hdc in next 3 sts, 2 hdc in next st, rep from * to end.
6. * 1 hdc in next 4 sts, 2 hdc in next st, rep from * to end.

Continue the pattern, increasing the number of single hdc in between each set of 2 hdc until you reach the required diameter for your cushion.

Then make a May rose from the cute and easy pattern by Lucy at Attic24, and sew it to the centre of one of the circles.

You can use a cushion pad you have bought or upcycled, or you could make your own. I made mine from an old sheet and filled it with polyfil. It's 40 cm across and the final row of my crochet circle has 20 hdc in between each 2 hdc. Make sure your cushion pad is washable, as the cover isn't removeable.

For the border, I did the following:

* slip stitch in first st, 5 dc in next st, slip stitch in next stitch, repeat from * to end.

Remember to put your cushion pad in place while you still have room for it! If you have a very fat cushion pad as I did, you'll have to do quite an amount of the border with the pad in situ.

To finish, sew in the ends and you're done!