Free preview · full pattern in the Heirloom Doilies & Tablecloths
Medallion Centerpiece (1915): vintage crochet pattern
A large 45-inch lunch piece bordered with fine medallions of single-crochet shells and chain loops, joined side by side around a round linen centre. Originally published as "Medallion Center Piece (Plate No. 7)" 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 | Advanced |
| Yarn weight | Lace (#0) |
| Yardage | 10 balls as printed; ball yardage not printed. |
| Hook | 0.85 mm |
| Gauge | Not given in the original — work to the printed size of 45 in (114 cm). |
| Finished size | 45 in (114 cm) as printed ("size of lunch piece"). |
| Time | about 5 hours |
Materials
- 10 balls size 50 mercerised cotton crochet thread (ball yardage not printed — check your ball band)
- Round linen centre (not listed in the original; size not printed — see the photograph)
- Tapestry needle
- Hook: Start with 0.85 mm (US steel 13), the modern hook of the printed number, and change size to reach the printed finished size.
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
- stitch
- stitches
- space
- round
Notes before you start
- Source: "Medallion Center Piece (Plate No. 7)", Center Pieces and Lunch Sets in Crochet Work, Anne Orr, 1915. Public domain in the USA.
- As printed — materials: 10 balls of Cordonnet Crochet Cotton No. 50, Steel Crochet Needle No. 13.. Gauge: Not given.
- Modernisation note: A "shell" or "fan" here is 3 sc, ch 2, 3 sc in one ch-2 space ("sc 6" in the book means that group of 6 sc).
- Modernisation note: Check: each medallion is worked partly in fans "around" and partly in ch-4 loops "across" (the side that faces the linen); the book does not say how many medallions to make or how to attach them. The photograph shows 12 scalloped medallions around a round linen centre.
- Modernisation note: Check: rnd 6 prints "3 sc into ch 2 of 1st sc 6, 3 sc into same" without the ch 2 between; kept as printed.
- Modernisation note: Check: rnd 11 prints "5 ch into 2d ch 2 of sc 6" without the stitches worked there; kept as printed.
- Modernisation note: "Draw loosely" (rnds 7 and 13) means the sc gathers the chain loops below without pulling them tight.
- 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. 50 was a hard-twisted mercerised crochet cotton; the nearest modern equivalent is size 50 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.
Row progress: 0 of 14 done (0%)
Medallion
0 of 14 done- Chain of 8 st, join.Mark row complete
- Rnd 1: 32 sc into ch of 8 st, join.Mark row complete
- Rnd 2: 2 sc join between 1st and 2d sc, 2 ch, 2 sc join between 2 sc, skipping 2 sc, repeating 12 times, 4 ch, sl st between 2 sc, skipping 2 sc, repeat 3 times.Mark row complete
- Rnd 3: 4 ch, 3 sc join into 1st ch 2, 2 ch, 3 sc join into same, 4 ch, 3 sc into 2d ch 2, 2 ch, sc 3 into same, repeating 11 times, 4 ch, sl st to middle st of ch 4, repeat 4 times.Mark row complete
- Rnd 4: 4 ch, 3 sc into ch 2 between sc 6, 2 ch, 3 sc into same, 4 ch, 3 sc into 2d ch 2 between sc 6, repeat same 11 times, 4 ch, sl st to middle st of ch 4, repeat 5 times.Mark row complete
- Rnd 5: Same as 4th row.Mark row complete
- Rnd 6: 4 ch, 3 sc into ch 2 of 1st sc 6, 3 sc into same, 5 ch, and repeat as in 5th row.Mark row complete
- Rnd 7: 4 ch, sl st into ch 2 of 1st sc 6, 6 ch, 1 sc, catch all 4 lower ch 4, draw loosely, 6 ch, sl st into ch 2 of 2d sc 6, repeating around all the fans, 4 ch, join across as before.Mark row complete
- Rnd 8: 4 ch, 9 sc into ch 6, going into ch 6 9 times around to ch 4, repeating across as before.Mark row complete
- Rnd 9: 4 ch, 3 sc join to top st of 4th, 5th and 6th sc of sc 9, 4 ch, and repeat around to ch 4, and repeat ch 4 across.Mark row complete
- Rnd 10: 4 ch, 3 sc into ch 4, 2 ch, 3 sc into same, repeating around to ch 4, repeat across ch 4 as before.Mark row complete
- Rnd 11: 4 ch, 3 sc into ch 2 of sc 6, 5 ch into 2d ch 2 of sc 6, repeating around to ch 4, repeat across ch 4 as before.Mark row complete
- Rnd 12: Same as 11th row.Mark row complete
- Rnd 13: 4 ch, 1 sc into ch 2 of sc 6, 3 ch, sl st back through sc 1, repeating 6 times, 5 ch, 1 sc, catching up all 3 ch of 5, draw loosely, 5 ch, 1 sc into ch 2 of 2d sc 6, repeat same as before, around to ch 4, repeat ch 4 across as before.Mark row complete
Working on:
Chain of 8 st, join.
Continue this pattern
The rest of the Medallion Centerpiece (1915) pattern is in the Heirloom Doilies & Tablecloths
Still to come in the full pattern:
- Joining the medallions
Included with 236 patterns for $19 — $0.08 per pattern.
Errata
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Frequently asked questions
Where is the Medallion Center Piece (Plate No. 7) pattern from?
It was published as "Medallion Center Piece (Plate No. 7)" 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 Medallion Center Piece (Plate No. 7)?
Size 50 mercerised cotton crochet thread. 10 balls as printed; ball yardage not printed.
What hook should I use?
Start with 0.85 mm (US steel 13), 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 45 in (114 cm).
