Free preview · full pattern in the Heirloom Doilies & Tablecloths
Mat for a Flower-Vase with Leaves, Roses and Sprigs (1850): vintage crochet pattern
A large round lace mat in Raworth's crochet thread No. 40: a centre flower ringed by eight raised leaves, bands of open crochet, thirty-two small leaves in pairs, and separately made small roses and sprigs sewn in place. Originally published as "A Mat for a Flower-Vase" in The Lady's Album of Fancy Work for 1850 by Not printed.
By the crochetpatterns.io editorial team · Updated · Editorial policy · pattern testing in progress
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Skill level | Advanced |
| Yarn weight | Lace (#0) |
| Yardage | Not printed. (as printed; yardage not given) |
| Hook | 1.15 mm |
| Gauge | Not printed. Work to the size of the article. |
| Finished size | Not printed. |
| Time | about 13 hours |
Materials
- White cotton crochet thread about size 40 (period: Raworth's No. 40)
- Coloured paper for blocking; sewing needle and thread for tacking
- Tapestry needle for weaving in ends
- Hook: Start with a 1.15 mm (US steel 10) hook and adjust to suit your thread; no gauge is printed.
Yarn Kit & Substitution Options
This pattern calls for 350 yards of weight #0 yarn. Select a suggested yarn to see required skeins and estimated cost:
Caron Simply Soft · 100% Acrylic
315 yds per skein · High-yield yardage, silky no-scratch texture
2 skeins required
approx. $$10.98 total
Abbreviations (US terms)
- chain
- slip stitch
- single crochet
- double crochet
- stitch
- stitches
- round
- repeat
- skip
- space
- loop
Notes before you start
- Source: "A Mat for a Flower-Vase", The Lady's Album of Fancy Work for 1850, Not printed (the Address names only “the Publishers of the Lady's Album of Fancy-Work”), 1850. Public domain in the USA.
- As printed — materials: Raworth's crochet thread No. 40.. Gauge: Not given.
- Modernisation note: Stitch names converted to modern US terms strictly by the book's own “Explanation of the Various Terms used in Crochet”, not by modern UK usage: “double crochet” / “close double crochet” / “d c” = sc; “single crochet” / “single” / “s c” = sl st; “long stitch” / “long” / “l s” = dc; “double long stitch” / “d l s” = tr; “treble long stitch” / “t l s” = dtr; “chain” / “c s” = ch; “single open crochet” = dc, ch 1, sk 1; “chain-stitch open crochet” = ch loops (5 or another odd number) joined into every 3rd st, then into the centre of each loop below; “three chain crochet” = the same with ch-3 loops; “miss” = sk; “unite” = join (the joining stitch is not named). Note that the book's “double crochet” is a modern sc and its “single crochet” a modern sl st.
- Modernisation note: The book's abbreviations “c s”, “d c”, “s c” and “l s” are expanded by its own definitions (see the first step).
- Modernisation note: Period wording modernised: “needle” / “tambour-needle” written as “hook”; “commence” as “begin”; “cotton” / “thread” as “thread”; “receipt” as “directions”. Round and row numbers are kept as printed.
- Modernisation note: Printed paragraphs split into one step per row, round or instruction; no stitches, counts or rows added, removed or reordered. Words in square brackets or marked “Check:” are ours.
- Modernisation note: Raworth's crochet-thread (and Manlove's) was a period English cotton sold by number; the numbers do not match modern crochet-thread sizes exactly. The modern size given is an approximate equivalent only.
- Modernisation note: No hook size and no gauge is printed. The modern starting hook is an approximate suggestion only.
- Modernisation note: No yardage is printed and none is estimated.
- Modernisation note: The engraving (illustration) is referred to as a guide; the directions are complete enough to work from, but stitch counts per repeat are not always printed.
- Modernisation note: Check: the centre-flower ring is printed “s c into third stitch of first, 5 c s” and read as a sl st into the 3rd ch of the first ch 5.
- Modernisation note: Check: “25 c s, s c back” is read as sl st back into the flower edge to form the centre stripe; the book does not say which st.
- Modernisation note: Check: in the sprig, “S c up to top of ring formed by 18 c s” is printed, but the ring was made of ch 10 covered with 18 sc; read as the top of that ring.
- Modernisation note: Check: the joining round's chains are later called “chains of 24 d c” although 26 sc are worked round each; kept as the chains of 24.
- Modernisation note: Check: “rep from * seven times” in the small rose gives 9 dc in all including the first; the book gives no total.
Row progress: 0 of 4 done (0%)
Stitches
0 of 4 done- The book's letter abbreviations are the initials of its defined terms: “c s” = chain stitch(es) = ch; “d c” = double crochet = sc; “s c” = single crochet = sl st; “l s” = long stitch = dc; “d l s” = double long stitch = tr; “t l s” = treble long stitch = dtr.Mark row complete
- Double crochet (book's definition): “having made a chain, pass the needle through the first loop on the chain, draw the cotton through the loop, there will now be two loops on the needle, through these draw the cotton.” = single crochet (sc). “Close double crochet” = sc worked in every st with no chain between.Mark row complete
- Single crochet (book's definition): “Insert the needle in the loops, and draw the cotton through this loop and that on the needle.” = slip stitch (sl st). The book's “single” on its own means this stitch.Mark row complete
- Long stitch (book's definition): “Twist the cotton round the needle, pass it through the loop, draw the cotton through the first two loops on the needle, then catch the cotton again and draw it through the next two loops; there will be one loop left on the needle.” = double crochet (dc).Mark row complete
Working on:
The book's letter abbreviations are the initials of its defined terms: “c s” = chain stitch(es) = ch; “d c” = double crochet = sc; “s c” = single crochet = sl st; “l s” = long stitch = dc; “d l s” = double long stitch = tr; “t l s” = treble long stitch = dtr.
Continue this pattern
The rest of the Mat for a Flower-Vase with Leaves, Roses and Sprigs (1850) pattern is in the Heirloom Doilies & Tablecloths
Still to come in the full pattern:
- Centre flower
- The eight leaves round the flower
- Rounds of open work
- The leaves on the outside of the open rounds (32)
- Small roses (make 32: 16 for this round and 16 more later)
- Joining round
- Sprigs between the chains of 24 (make 16)
- Finishing
Included with 236 patterns for $19 — $0.08 per pattern.
Errata
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Frequently asked questions
Where is the A Mat for a Flower-Vase pattern from?
It was published as "A Mat for a Flower-Vase" in The Lady's Album of Fancy Work for 1850 by Not printed (the Address names only “the Publishers of the Lady's Album of Fancy-Work”) in 1850. The publication is in the public domain in the United States; this version is transcribed and modernised by crochetpatterns.io.
What yarn or thread do I need for the A Mat for a Flower-Vase?
Cotton crochet thread about size 40 (period: Raworth's No. 40). Not printed.
What hook should I use?
Start with a 1.15 mm (US steel 10) hook and adjust to suit your thread; no gauge is printed. Gauge: Not printed. Work to the size of the article.
