Free preview · full pattern in the Heirloom Doilies & Tablecloths
Fan Border Centerpiece, Plate 3 (1915): vintage crochet pattern
An 18-inch centerpiece: a treble-crochet foundation around a linen centre, a chain-mesh band and ten deep scallops of treble-crochet shells rising out of the mesh. Originally published as "Instructions for Plate No. 3" in Center Pieces and Lunch Sets in Crochet Work by Anne Orr in 1915, it is now in the public domain.
By the crochetpatterns.io editorial team · Updated · Editorial policy · pattern testing in progress
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Skill level | Intermediate |
| Yarn weight | Lace (#0) |
| Yardage | 3 balls as printed; ball yardage not printed. |
| Hook | 1.5 mm |
| Gauge | Not given in the original — work to the printed size of 18 in (46 cm). |
| Finished size | 18 in (46 cm) as printed. |
| Time | about 4 hours |
Materials
- 3 balls size 10 mercerised cotton crochet thread (ball yardage not printed — check your ball band)
- Round linen centre with a narrow hem (not listed in the original; size not printed)
- Tapestry needle
- Hook: Start with 1.5 mm (US steel 8), the modern hook of the printed number, and change size to reach the printed finished size.
Smart Yarn Matcher
Compare all yarns →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
- treble crochet
- stitch
- stitches
- space
- round
Notes before you start
- Source: "Instructions for Plate No. 3", Center Pieces and Lunch Sets in Crochet Work, Anne Orr, 1915. Public domain in the USA.
- As printed — materials: 3 balls of Cordonnet Crochet Cotton No. 10, Steel Crochet Needle No. 8.. Gauge: Not given.
- Modernisation note: Check: rnd 1 prints "dc 2 tc to 2 tc"; the stray "dc" is read as a misprint and written "2 tr to 2 tr" to match the start of the round.
- Modernisation note: Check: the round is worked onto a treble-crochet foundation "around piece"; the book does not describe the linen centre, its hem or how many foundation stitches to make. The photograph shows a hemmed round linen centre.
- Modernisation note: Check: in rnd 5 the stitch counts ("between 9th and 10th tc", "between 15th and 16th tc") do not match the 18 tr made in rnd 4; kept as printed.
- Modernisation note: Check: rnds 6–10 do not say how the chain-mesh repeat count ("repeat 4 times") keeps pace as the fans widen; kept as printed. The photograph shows 10 fans.
- Modernisation note: Missing commas were added between stitch groups (e.g. "1 ch 3 tc" → "1 ch, 3 tr"); no stitches were changed.
- Modernisation note: Stitch names mapped by the book's own definitions: its single crochet = modern US sc, double crochet = modern US dc, treble crochet = modern US tr, slip stitch = sl st, picot = ch 4, sc in 4th ch from hook. These match modern US usage, so no stitch was converted; only the abbreviation "tc" (treble crochet) is written "tr".
- Modernisation note: The book calls every round a "Row" ("First Row—"). Pieces worked in joined rounds are labelled "Rnd 1:" etc.; pieces worked back and forth keep "Row". Run-on paragraphs were split into one round or step per line; no stitches were added, removed or reordered.
- Modernisation note: Anne Orr's phrasing "1 sc, join into …" / "join to top of sc" means work the stitch into the place named; it is kept as printed. "St of ch" (e.g. "middle st of ch 5") is kept.
- Modernisation note: Steel crochet needle (hook) numbers of 1915 were not standardised to millimetres; the starting hook is the modern US steel hook of the same number. Change size so the piece reaches the printed size.
- Modernisation note: Cordonnet Crochet Cotton No. 10 was a hard-twisted mercerised crochet cotton; the nearest modern equivalent is size 10 mercerised cotton crochet thread.
- Modernisation note: Thread is printed in balls only; ball yardage is not printed, so no yardage has been invented. Buy the printed number of balls of a comparable modern thread and check your ball band.
- Modernisation note: No gauge is printed in the book.
- Modernisation note: Metric conversions and modern thread and hook suggestions were added; they are not in the original.
Smart Pattern Companion
Row progress: 0 of 13 done (0%)
Border
0 of 13 done- Tr around piece, join.Mark row complete
- Rnd 1: 2 tr into 2 tr, 4 ch, skip 4, 2 tr to 2 tr, repeat around, join.Mark row complete
- Rnd 2: 5 ch, sl st to middle st of ch 4, repeat around.Mark row complete
- Rnd 3: 5 ch, sl st to middle st of ch 5, repeat 5 times, 5 ch, 12 tr into ch of 5, repeat around.Mark row complete
- Rnd 4: 5 ch, sl st to middle st of ch, repeat 4 times, 5 ch, 3 tr between 3d and 4th tr, 3 tr into same, 1 ch, 3 tr between 6th and 7th tr, 3 tr into same, 1 ch, 3 tr between 9th and 10th tr, 3 tr into same, 5 ch to middle st of ch 5, repeat around.Mark row complete
- Rnd 5: 5 ch, sl st to ch 5, repeat 4 times, 3 sc between 3d and 4th tr, 3 sc into same, 2 ch, 3 sc between 9th and 10th tr, 3 ch, 3 sc between 15th and 16th tr, 3 sc into same, 5 ch to middle st of ch 5, repeat around.Mark row complete
- Rnd 6: 5 ch, sl st to middle st of ch 5, repeat 4 times, 3 sc between 3d and 4th, 1 ch, 3 sc into same, 4 ch, 3 sc between 3d and 4th sc, 1 ch, 3 sc into same, 5 ch, 3 sc between 3d and 4th sc, 1 ch, 3 sc into same, 5 ch to middle st of ch 5, repeat around.Mark row complete
- Rnd 7: 5 ch, sl st to middle st of ch 5, repeat 4 times, 5 ch, 3 sc into ch 1, 1 ch, 3 sc into same, 5 ch, 3 sc into ch 1, 1 ch, 3 sc into same, 5 ch, 3 sc into ch 1, 1 ch, 3 sc into same, 5 ch to middle st of ch 5, repeat around.Mark row complete
- Rnd 8: 5 ch, sl st to middle st of ch 5, repeat 4 times, 3 tr into ch 1, 1 ch, 3 tr into same, 5 ch, 3 tr into ch 1, 1 ch, 3 tr into same, 1 ch, 3 tr into same, 1 ch, 3 tr into same, 5 ch, 3 tr into ch 1, 1 ch, 3 tr into same, 5 ch, sl st to ch 5, repeat around.Mark row complete
- Rnd 9: 5 ch, sl st to middle st of ch 5, repeat 4 times, 3 tr into ch 1, ch 1, 3 tr into same, 1 ch, 3 tr into middle st of ch 5, 1 ch, 3 tr into same, 1 ch, 3 tr into 1st 1 ch, 1 ch, 3 tr into same st, 1 ch, 3 tr into 2d ch 1, 1 ch, 3 tr into same, 1 ch, 3 tr into 3d ch 1, 1 ch, 3 tr into same, 1 ch, 3 tr into middle st of ch 5, 1 ch, 3 tr into same, 1 ch, 3 tr into ch 1, 1 ch, 3 tr into same, 5 ch, sl st to middle st of ch 5, repeat around.Mark row complete
- Rnd 10: 5 ch, sl st to middle st of ch 5, repeat 4 times, 5 ch, 3 tr into 1st ch 1, 1 ch, 3 tr into same, 1 ch, 3 tr into 2d ch 1, 1 ch, 3 tr into same, 1 ch, 3 tr into 3d ch 1, 1 ch, 3 tr into same, 1 ch, 3 tr into 4th ch 1, 1 ch, 3 tr into same, 1 ch, 3 tr into 5th ch 1, 1 ch, 3 tr into same, 1 ch, 3 tr into 6th ch 1, 1 ch, 3 tr into same, 1 ch, 3 tr into 7th ch 1, 1 ch, 3 tr into same, 5 ch, sl st to middle st of ch 5, repeat around.Mark row complete
- Rnd 11: 4 ch, sl st to every 3d st around.Mark row complete
- Rnd 12: 4 ch, sl st to middle st of ch 4, repeat around.Mark row complete
Working on:
Tr around piece, join.
Errata
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Frequently asked questions
Where is the Instructions for Plate No. 3 pattern from?
It was published as "Instructions for Plate No. 3" in Center Pieces and Lunch Sets in Crochet Work by Anne Orr in 1915. 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 Instructions for Plate No. 3?
Size 10 mercerised cotton crochet thread. 3 balls as printed; ball yardage not printed.
What hook should I use?
Start with 1.5 mm (US steel 8), the modern hook of the printed number, and change size to reach the printed finished size. Gauge: Not given in the original — work to the printed size of 18 in (46 cm).
