Free preview · full pattern in the Vintage Crochet Edgings & Trims
Crochet Edging for Children’s Dresses (1854): vintage crochet pattern
A pointed edging for children's dresses: groups of double crochet that narrow to points between chain loops, finished with a row of little arches. Worked in No. 40 cotton. Originally published as "Crochet Edging" in The Ladies' Complete Guide to Crochet, Fancy Knitting, and Needlework (Mrs. Ann S. Stephens) by Dick & Fitzgerald in 1854, it is now.
By the crochetpatterns.io editorial team · Updated · Editorial policy · pattern testing in progress
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Skill level | Easy |
| Yarn weight | Lace (#0) |
| Yardage | Not printed. (as printed; yardage not given) |
| Hook | 0.75 mm |
| Gauge | Not printed. |
| Finished size | Length as required; depth not printed. |
| Time | about 4 hours |
Materials
- Cotton crochet thread about size 40 (period: cotton No. 40; approximate), white
- Fine sewing needle for running in the ends
- Hook: Start with a 0.75 mm (US steel 14) hook and adjust to suit your thread (original: crochet hook No. 22, eagle card-board gauge; approximate conversion). 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
- single crochet
- double crochet
- stitch
- stitches
- row
- skip
- repeat
Notes before you start
- Source: "Crochet Edging", The Ladies' Complete Guide to Crochet, Fancy Knitting, and Needlework (Mrs. Ann S. Stephens), Dick & Fitzgerald, 1854. Public domain in the USA.
- As printed — materials: Cotton, No. 40, crochet hook, No. 22, eagle card-board gauge.. Gauge: Not given.
- Modernisation note: Stitch names checked against the book's own definitions (pp. 22–23), which describe the same stitches as modern US terms, so they are kept: “ch.” = ch; “sl.” / “slip” = sl st; “sc.” = sc; “dc.” = dc (US, not UK); “tc.” (treble crochet) = tr; “l tc.” / “long tc.” (long treble crochet) = dtr; “miss” = sk. Note that the book's “tc.” is a modern US tr, not a UK treble (US dc).
- Modernisation note: Period wording modernised: “needle” (meaning the hook) → hook; “commence” → begin; “close for a loop”, “close in a round” and “form it into a round” → join into a ring (the book does not name the joining stitch unless it says “slip”); “under” a chain → in the ch-sp; “fasten off” → FO; “alternative” → alternate. Repeat marks (✕, +, *, †, ¶, (a)) are written as parentheses with the book's total count.
- Modernisation note: Printed paragraphs split into one step per row, round or instruction; no stitches, counts, rows or rounds added, removed or reordered.
- Modernisation note: Crochet hook numbers belong to the book's “eagle card-board gauge”, a period bell-type gauge in which higher numbers are finer. The metric and US sizes given are approximate conversions only, and no gauge is printed.
- Modernisation note: Period cotton numbers (Evans's crochet cotton and “boar's-head” cotton) do not match modern thread sizes exactly; the modern thread size is a starting approximation. Choose the thread that suits the hook and gives lace of the right fineness.
- Modernisation note: No yardage or weight of thread is printed for this design, and none is estimated.
- Modernisation note: The engraving for this design is not among the surviving illustrations of the book, so it is transcribed from the text alone.
- Modernisation note: Check: “6 dc. over 7”, “4 dc. over 6”, “3 dc. over 4” and “2 dc. over 3” mean fewer dc worked across the dc group below, so each group narrows to a point; the book does not say which sts to skip.
- Modernisation note: The book does not say whether to turn between rows or rounds unless stated; where it says nothing, nothing is added.
- Modernisation note: “Run in the ends” added as finishing.
Row progress: 0 of 3 done (0%)
Stitches
0 of 3 done- Chain (book's definition, “ch.”): “A loop of thread made on the hook, and through this the thread is drawn, forming the first chain stitch; draw the thread through this one, and a second is formed.” = ch.Mark row complete
- Single crochet (book's definition, “sc.”): “Insert the hook in the chain, and draw the thread through it; this forms a second loop on the hook. Draw the thread through these two by a single movement and the stitch will be completed.” = modern US sc.Mark row complete
- Double crochet (book's definition, “dc.”): “Raise the thread over the hook, so as to pass it round, before inserting the latter in the chain; draw the thread through, and you will find three loops on the hook; bring the cotton through two … finish the stitch by drawing the thread through these.” = modern US dc (not the UK dc).Mark row complete
Working on:
Chain (book's definition, “ch.”): “A loop of thread made on the hook, and through this the thread is drawn, forming the first chain stitch; draw the thread through this one, and a second is formed.” = ch.
Continue this pattern
The rest of the Crochet Edging for Children’s Dresses (1854) pattern is in the Vintage Crochet Edgings & Trims
Still to come in the full pattern:
- Edging
- Finishing
Included with 618 patterns for $9 — $0.01 per pattern.
Errata
No corrections have been published for this pattern. Found a mistake? Tell us and we will log the fix here with a date.
Your notes on this pattern
Keep track of the yarn, hook and changes you used. Saved in this browser only — nobody else can see it.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Crochet Edging pattern from?
It was published as "Crochet Edging" in The Ladies' Complete Guide to Crochet, Fancy Knitting, and Needlework (Mrs. Ann S. Stephens) by Dick & Fitzgerald in 1854. 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 Crochet Edging?
Size 40 crochet cotton (approximate). Not printed.
What hook should I use?
Start with a 0.75 mm (US steel 14) hook and adjust to suit your thread (original: crochet hook No. 22, eagle card-board gauge; approximate conversion). No gauge is printed. Gauge: Not printed.
