Bougainvillea Top - FREE pattern
Hi everyone!
As you might or might not know, I am from Mexico and I have just recently returned from a two-month-long visit to my hometown after a TEN year absence! I know, ridiculous! One of the things I had forgotten about how much I love Mexico, other than the weather, are the colors, especially in nature!
Bougainvilleas are a symbol of passion and beauty and forever one of my favourite flowers since they remind me so much of my lovely Mexico. These intensely colourful flowers feel like home to me, so I wanted to design a top that felt like it too, flowerful yet incredibly comfortable.
A typical huipil
The construction of the top is reminiscent of “huipils”, a typical Mexican garment that is usually adorned with embroidery around the neckline and hangs loose around the body with lots of positive ease. The top is constructed top-down, starting with the rectangular yoke and followed by the lacy body. The length is easily customizable for a perfect fit for you to dress yourself in flowers.
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The pattern in this blog post includes all of the necessary information to complete your top in any of the sizes, as well as access to the embroidery tutorial.
Or you can purchase the AD-FREE downloadable PDF with color coded sizes and access to the full step-by-step tutorial for the construction of the garment!
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My favorite part about this top is that it is the perfect canvas for embroidering! I made some very simple flowers on mine. If you’ve never embroidered on crochet fabric, make sure to follow my tutorial!
Ok, let’s get down to business!
Level: Beginner
I have labelled this pattern as a beginner pattern because the construction is very simple, it uses very basic stitches AND it has a full step-by-step tutorial. Remember that to get access to that video, you must purchase the ad-free PDF!
Sizes + Measurements
This pattern comes in 9 different sizes.
The instructions for each size are in the order shown here: 1 (2, 3, 4, 5) (6, 7, 8, 9).
The finished garment measurements are as follows:
Bust circumference: 98 (112, 119, 126, 140) (147, 161, 168, 175) cm / 38½ (44, 47, 49½, 55) (58, 63½, 66, 69) in
Armhole depth: 23 (23, 23.5, 23.5, 25.5) (25.5, 25.5, 25.5, 26.5) cm / 9 (9, 9¼, 9¼, 10) (10, 10, 10, 10½) in
Neck Width: 16 (16, 17, 17, 18) (18, 20, 20, 20) cm / 6¼ (6¼, 6¾, 6¾, 7) (7, 7¾, 7¾, 7¾) in
Shoulder Width: 34 (34, 37, 37, 38) (38, 40, 40, 42) cm / 13½ (13½, 14½, 14½, 15) (15, 15¾, 15¾, 16½) in
Total Length from Underarm to Hem: 24 cm / 9½ in (cropped), 40 cm / 15¾ in (full length)
Designed for bust size: 71-76 (81-86, 91.5-96.5, 101.5-106.5, 112-117) (122-127, 132-137, 142-147, 152-158) cm / 28-30 (32-34, 36-38, 40-42, 44-46) (48-50, 52-54, 56-58, 60-62) in with approx 20 to 31 cm / 7¾ - 12¼ in of positive ease at the bust. Sample is size 4 cropped and model is ~100 cm/39¼ in at bust.
Materials
YARN: DK weight yarn (size 3 - according to CYC Standards)
For cropped top: 640 (710, 770, 805, 880) (915, 990, 1020, 1085) m / 700 (775, 845, 880, 960) (1000, 1080, 1120, 1190) yds
For full length top: 965 (1085, 1165, 1225, 1345) (1400, 1520, 1580, 1670) m / 1055 (1185, 1275, 1340, 1470) (1533, 1664, 1728, 1823) yds
Amounts are approximate and include some extra for swatching and margin of error.When choosing yarn, always make sure to meet gauge with chosen fabric and weight.
Sample used Lion Brand, Truboo Yarn (100% Rayon from Bamboo, 100g / 220m (241yds)) in the colour Slate.
HOOKS: 4 mm for yoke and 4.5 mm for lace - Always use a hook size that will result in the correct gauge after blocking.
NOTIONS: tapestry needle, 4 stitch markers or scrap strands of yarn to be used as markers, scrap yarn or thread for embroidering, embroidery needle if working with thread, sharp pointy scissors.
Shop my favourite Embroidery Scissors and sharp Tapestry Needles!
Alternative Yarns
Most DK weight yarn will work, but here are some I would recommend that would be a good match based on fiber content and gauge:
Sirdar, Snuggly Baby Bamboo DK (80% Bamboo, 20% Wool)
Knit Picks, Galileo (50% Merino Wool, 50% Viscose from Bamboo)
Lion Brand Yarn, Coboo (50% Cotton, 50% Rayon from Bamboo)
Gauge
21 sts x 24 rows = 10 x 10 cm worked in sc flat - this gauge is for the yoke
3.5 cm wide x 4 cm tall = 1 lace rep x 4 rows of lace - this one is for the lace body
Abbreviations
BLO: back loop only
ch: chain
chsp: chain space
dc: doble crochet
ext V-st: extended V-st
inc: increase (inc2 = sc3 in same st)
mkr(s): marker(s)
MoS st: Middle of Shell St (See Special Techniques)
PM: place mkr
RS: Right side
rep from *: work from the first asterisk (*) as many times as indicated.
sc: single crochet
sc2tog: single crochet two together
sc2*tog: modified single crochet two together (See Special Techniques)
sk: skip stitches or spaces
slst: slip stitch
st(s): stitch(es)
WS: Wrong side
Special Techniques
Crochet Cord - go to blog post
Invisible join - go to blog post
Shell St
Shell Sts are made up of multiple dc sts worked in the same st or chsp. In this pattern you will make 5-dc, 7-dc and 9-dc shells.
MoS St - Middle of Shell St
The MoS st of a shell is the middle most st. On 5-dc shells, the middle st is the 3rd, on 7-dc shells it is the 4th, and on 9-dc shells it is the 5th.
Wrap ch loop in St
When working the lace st, you will need to work a sc on the MoS st while hiding the ch loop from the prev row by wrapping it inside the sc. For this, insert hook into MoS st, making sure the st loops AND the ch loop from prev row are on top of the hook, yarn over (yo) and pull yarn through st, yo and pull through loop on hook completing a sc. The ch loop from prev row is now hidden inside the sc.
Extended V-st (ext V-st)
Dc in indicated st, ch3, dc in same st. In this pattern, shells will be worked in the ch3sp inside the ext V-st.
Sc2*tog - Modified decrease
Sc2*tog is a modified version of a single crochet two together (sc2tog) that decreases two sts instead of one by turning three sts into one. Insert hook into next indicated st, yo and pull through st, sk next st, insert hook into following st, yo and pull through st, yo and pull through three loops on hook - two sts have been decreased.
Sc w/picot
Work a sc st, ch3 and slst on top of that same sc.
Pattern Notes
The top is constructed top-down, starting at the yoke by dividing it into four sections (front, back and armholes) and working in the round while turning every time after joining the round. It is started with a crochet cord to keep the edging neat, however, you can also start with a regular chain and work on the back bumps and not on the chain loops themselves.
On every round, there are increases at each of the four corners. Once the yoke is complete, the front is worked by making shells on the front edge and starting on the lace pattern. There are first 5-dc shells worked, then 7-dc shells and finally 9-dc shells, the latter which are worked throughout the rest of the body. Then the back is worked similarly as the front but slightly longer. When both back and front are finished, they are joined at the underarms. Most sizes will need a chain to join the underarm, but not all. After that, the body is worked in rounds.
The lace pattern is made by two kinds of rows - a chain and ext V-sts row and a shell row. The chain rows are always worked on the WS while the shell rows are done on the RS. This means that when working in rounds you will need to turn your work after joining every round.
Finally, a shell edging is worked around the armhole and a picot edging around the neckline.
An optional finishing touch is to add embroidered flowers to the yoke for extra flair.
For access to the full step-by-step tutorial, please purchase the ad-free downloadable PDF with color-coded sizes HERE.
The Pattern
Yoke
Make a crochet cord of 124 (124, 128, 128, 132) (132, 136, 136, 140) sts - you will work the next row on the BLO. Alternatively, make a chain with the same number of sts and work the following row on the bump at the back of the chain.
Join to the first st with a slst to work in the round. From now on, make sure to use the Invisible Join technique throughout to keep the join invisible (see Special Techniques).
Rnd 1 (RS): Ch1 (turning chain does NOT count as a st throughout), *scBLO in next 33 (33, 35, 35, 37) (37, 41, 41, 41) sts, inc2 BLO in next st and PM in middle st of inc, scBLO in next 27 (27, 27, 27, 27) (27, 25, 25, 27) sts, inc2 BLO in next st and PM in middle st of inc, rep from * once more, slst in first st to join the round, turn. [132 (132, 136, 136, 140) (140, 144, 144, 148) sts - 8 sts increased]
Rnd 2 (WS): Ch1, *sc to before mkr, inc2 in next st and PM in middle st of inc, rep from * 3 more times, sc to end of round, slst in first st to join the round, turn. [140 (140, 144, 144, 148) (148, 152, 152, 156) sts - 8 sts increased]
The stars mark the start of the Front and Back.
Rep Rnd 2 a further 17 (17, 19, 19, 19) (19, 19, 19, 21) times finishing on a RS row. [276 (276, 296, 296, 300) (300, 304, 304, 324) sts]
Fasten off and cut. Do not remove mkrs yet.
The long edge where the the start of each round is located is the back, the opposite long edge is the front. The short edges at the sides are where the armholes will be.
Front
Attach yarn on the RS to marked st at the right-hand corner of the front as worn.
Sizes 1 (2, 3, 4)
Row 1 - Lace Set up row (RS): Ch1, sc in marked st, *sk2sts, dc5 in next st, sk2sts, sc in next st, rep from * to next marked st, turn. [12 (12, 13, 13) 5-dc shells]
Sizes (5) (6, 7, 8, 9)
Row 1 - Lace Set up row (RS): Ch1, sc in marked st, *sk1st, dc5 in next st, sk1st, sc in next st, rep from * to next marked st, turn. [(20) (20, 21, 21, 22) 5-dc shells]
NOTE: The total number of shells at the front won’t change until joining at the underarms.
Row 2 (WS): Ch2, dc in first st, ch1, dc in same st, *ch3, sk shell, ext V-st in next sc, rep from * to sc before last shell, ch3, sk shell, dc in last st, ch1, dc in same st, turn.
Row 3: Ch2, dc in first st, dc3 in next ch1sp (first 4 sts count as half a 7-dc shell), *sc in next MoS st while wrapping ch loop from prev row, dc7 in next ch3sp from ext V-st, rep from * to last ext V-st, sc in next MoS st while wrapping ch loop from prev row, dc3 in last ch1sp, dc in last st of the row (last 4 sts count as half a 7-dc shell), turn.
Sizes 1 (2, 3, 4): Fasten off and cut. Skip ahead to Back.
Sizes (5) (6, 7, 8, 9): Continue
Row 4: Ch1, sc in first st, ch2, sk half shell, *ext V-st in next sc, ch4, sk shell, rep from * to sc before last full shell, ext V-st in next sc, ch2, sc in last st, turn.
Row 5: Ch1, sc in first st, dc9 in next ch3sp from ext V-st, *sc in next MoS st while wrapping ch loop from prev row, dc9 in next ext V-st, rep from * to last ext V-st, sc in last st, turn.
Row 6: Ch2, dc in first st, ch1, dc in same st, *ch4, sk shell, ext V-st in next sc, rep from * to sc before last shell, ch4, sk shell, dc in last st, ch1, dc in same st, turn.
Shown is front on sizes 1 - 4.
Row 7: Ch2, dc in first st, dc4 in next ch1sp (first 5 sts count as half a 9-dc shell), *sc in next MoS st while wrapping ch loop from prev row, dc9 in next ch3sp from ext V-st, rep from * to last ext V-st, sc in next MoS st while wrapping ch loop from prev row, dc4 in last ch1sp, dc in last st of the row (last 5 sts count as half a 9-dc shell), turn.
Fasten off and cut yarn.
Back
Attach yarn on the RS to marked st at the right-hand corner of the back when facing.
Work Rows 1 - 3 of Front.
For ALL sizes work Rows 4 - 7 of Front twice.
Joining Round
You will now join the front and back at the underarms.
Cont from where you left off at the back, turn to work on the WS. From now on, you should turn your work and use the Invisible Join technique when ending each round to keep the seam invisible.
Sizes 1 (2, 3, 4) (6, 7, 8, 9):
Rnd 1 (WS): Ch1, *sc in first st, ch2, sk half shell, (ext V-st in next sc, ch4, sk shell) rep to sc before last full shell, ext V-st in next sc, ch2, sc in last st, ch 7 (15, 15, 19) (3, 7, 11, 11) for the underarm, cont at Front by working on the WS of it starting at the closest corner to where you are now, rep from * once more until the end of the front and underarm chain, slst in first st of back to join the round, turn.
Rnd 2 (RS): Ch1, *starting on the underarm chain, (sk1st, dc9 in next st, sk1st, sc in next st) rep to end of underarm ch and first st of front, (dc9 in next ch3sp from ext V-st, sc in next MoS st while wrapping ch loop from prev row) rep to last MoS of the front, dc9 in last ch3sp from ext V-st, sc in last st, rep from * to work on next underarm and back, slst in first st of 9-dc shell to join the round, turn. [28 (32, 34, 36) (42, 46, 48, 50) shells total]
Skip ahead to Rest of Body.
Size (5) ONLY:
Rnd 1 (WS): Ch1, *ch2, sk half shell, (ext V-st in next sc, ch4, sk shell) rep to sc before last full shell, ext V-st in next sc, ch2, sc2tog in last st of back AND first st of front by working on the WS of it starting at the closest corner to where back finished, rep from * once more until the end of the front and first st of back (the last sc2tog will need to join the last st of front and the first st of back from the prev row wrapping the chsp from the beg of this round), slst in first st of back to join the round, turn.
Rnd 2 (RS): Ch2, sk sc2tog from end of prev round, *dc9 in next ch3sp from ext V-st, sc in next MoS st while wrapping ch loop from prev row, rep from * to last MoS of front, dc9 in last ch3sp from ext V-st of front, sc in sc2tog from prev round, rep from * to work on back (the last sc of the row should wrap the turning chain from the beg of the round), slst in first st of 9-dc shell to join the round, turn. [(40) shells total]
Cont with Rest of Body.
Rest of the Body
Remember to continue to TURN at the end of every round and to use the invisible join technique throughout.
Rnd 3 (WS): Ch2, dc in first st, *ch4, sk shell, ext V-st in next st, rep from * to sc before last shell, ch4, sk last shell, dc in same sc st as where the first st of the round was worked, ch3, slst in first st of round to join the round (the first and last dc with the 3chs form an ext V-st), turn.
Rnd 4 (RS): Ch2, *dc9 in next ch3sp from ext V-st, sc in next MoS st while wrapping ch loop from prev row, rep from * to end of round, slst in first st of first 9-dc shell to join round, turn.
Rep Rnds 3 - 4 a further 9 times for a cropped top or 17 times for a full length top, or until reached desired length.
Fasten off and cut yarn
Edings
Around neckline
If desired, you may use a smaller hook for this edging in case the neckline feels a bit loose or too open.
Attach yarn at middle of back at the neckline on the RS.
Ch1, *(sc in next 3 sts, sc w/picot in next st) rep to 1 st before corner, sc2*tog at the corner (See Special Techniques), rep from * 3 more times, slst in first st to join round.
Fasten off and cut yarn.
NOTE: The corner sc2*tog might fall on a sc w/picot st. Feel free to omit the st and use your judgment as to where the next sc w/picot should be.
Around armholes
Right side (as worn) - Attach yarn to middle of underarm on the RS.
Ch1, sc along the underarm and the side of the lace at the back until reaching the back corner of the yoke.
Sizes (7 & 8): Sc in corner st,
ALL SIZES: (sk1st, dc7 in next st, sk1st, sc in next st), rep to end of yoke at the front.
Sizes 7 & 8 will finish one st before front corner st. Other sizes will finish at front corner st.
ALL sizes: Cont to sc along the armhole to where the round started in the middle of the underarm. Slst in first st to join the round.
Fasten off and cut yarn.
Left Side (as worn) - Attach yarn to middle of underarm on the RS.
Ch1, sc along the underarm and the side of the lace at the front until reaching the front corner of the yoke.
Sizes (7 & 8): Sc in corner st and next st.
Sizes 1 (2, 3, 4, 5) (6, 9): Sc in corner st.
ALL SIZES: (Sk1st, dc7 in next st, sk1st, sc in next st), rep to end of yoke at the back.
Sizes 7 & 8 will finish at back corner st. Other sizes will finish one st after back corner st.
ALL sizes: Cont to sc along the armhole to where the round started in the middle of the underarm. Slst in first st to join the round.
Fasten off and cut yarn.
Finishing Touches
- Weave in all ends
- Block your work - wet block is recommended to open up lace pattern.
- Add embroidery details to the yoke - Find the tutorial below: