🌟 Gorgeous Lace Edge — Step-by-Step Tutorial (Beginner Friendly)

Perfect — here’s a clear, easy-to-follow crochet lace edge you can add to blankets, shawls, skirts, table linens or necklines. It’s written for beginners and includes exact repeats, corner instructions, finishing and troubleshooting so you can crochet it straight away.

---

What this is

A delicate scalloped lace edge made of repeating leaf-like scallops and tiny picot points. Works either:

• directly onto a finished fabric edge (preferred), or
• onto a foundation chain to make a decorative strip that you sew on later.

Finished look: airy but stable, lovely for hemming garments or accenting home decor.

---

Materials

• Yarn: fingering → DK (cotton for crisp edges; acrylic/wool for softer drape).
• Hook: use the hook recommended for your yarn (usually 2.5–4.5 mm). For a lacy look, go up ½–1 size; for crisp small trim, go down ½ size.
• Notions: tapestry needle, blocking pins, scissors.

---

Abbreviations (US terms)

• ch = chain
• st = stitch
• sl st = slip stitch
• sc = single crochet
• hdc = half double crochet
• dc = double crochet
• tr = treble (triple) crochet
• pic = picot (ch 3, sl st into base)
• rep = repeat
• sp = space
• sk = skip

---

Gauge / repeat

• Pattern repeat: 6 sts (one scallop per 6 base stitches) — you can change spacing by adding/removing base sc between repeats.
• Test: make 4–5 repeats and block to judge spacing before edging a whole project.

---

Two attachment options (pick one)

A — Working onto a finished fabric edge (recommended)
Work a row of even sc along your project edge (one sc per fabric stitch or spaced every 2–3 rows as needed). Use those sc as anchors for the lace units.

B — Make a border strip from chain
Ch a multiple of 6 + 2 (e.g., ch 38 = 6×6 + 2). Row 1: sc in 2nd ch from hook and across — this creates the base row to work lace into.

---

Lace Edge Pattern (worked along the base sc row)

Round / Row 1 — establish attachment points

1. If you attached to fabric, skip this. If you made a base sc row (Option B), you already have sc across.
2. Working across the base sc row:(sc in next 3 sc, ch 3, sk 2 sc) — repeat across. End with sc in last 1–2 sts to square the edge.
   • The ch 3 loops are the little hinges where the scallops attach.

Check: you should have a small ch-3 loop spaced every ~4 stitches.

---

Round / Row 2 — leaf scallop body (main decorative round)

Into each ch-3 loop (or into the chosen anchor point) work:

(sc, hdc, 3 dc, tr, 3 dc, hdc, sc) — all into the same ch-3 loop.

Then sl st into the next base sc (or base position) to anchor and move to the next repeat.

• sc — neat base
• hdc — shapes the shoulder of the leaf
• 3 dc — build the side of the leaf
• tr (center) — creates the pointed midrib
• 3 dc — mirror the other side
• hdc, sc — finish tidy

Repeat across.

Check: you should see a row of little pointed leaves (triangular scallops) along your edge.

---

Round / Row 3 — tip picots & tidy base

1. Join yarn at the tip of any scallop (or pick back up in the last sl st).
2. Working around each scallop tip: sl st into the top/tr stitch, ch 3, sl st into same place — this makes a tiny picot at each point.
3. Then work sc 2 across the small base between scallops (or sc, sl st depending on spacing) to tidy the bottom.
4. Repeat: picot on each tip, small scs to tidy base. Fasten off and weave in ends.

Alternative finish: Instead of a picot, make a small decorative bud — (sc, ch 3, sc) across the tip for a rounded dot.

---

Corners (turning the corner on a rectangular piece)

When you reach a corner of your project:

• Work the last full scallop, then ch 6 (corner loop), join the next scallop into that corner loop, and continue along the next side.
• For tighter corners, use ch 4; for gentler corners, ch 8. Make sure both adjacent sides use the same corner loop size so motifs match.

---

Joining the strip to a project (if you used Option B)

• Align the strip along the fabric edge. Use whipstitch or mattress stitch through the base sc row and the fabric edge to sew on.
• Or, crochet the strip on by working sc through both edge stitches of the fabric and base sc at the same time.

---

Blocking & finishing

• Pin the edge carefully, shaping each scallop and pulling picots into crisp points.
• Lightly mist with water and allow to dry. For very crisp trim (table runner/decoration) you can starch or use diluted PVA/sugar solution after blocking — test on a scrap first.

---

Troubleshooting & adjustments

• Edge waves / ruffles: too many scallops per inch — increase spacing by adding more base sc between repeats (e.g., sc 4, ch3, sk2 → sc 5, ch3, sk3).
• Edge cups upward (points curl): lengthen picots or increase the tr height (use ch 4 picots or tr→dtr → or block more strongly).
• Edge flattens/lacks point: shorten picot (ch 2) or use a smaller hook for the last round to pull tips taut.
• Scallops uneven: ensure you work exactly the same stitches into each ch-3 loop; count stitches on the first few repeats to establish rhythm.

---

Quick variations (one-line)

• Smaller trim: change 3 dc → 2 dc, tr → dc for a petite version.
• Fuller leaf: change 3 dc → 5–7 dc and make ch 4 anchors for a dramatic scallop.
• Two-color: work base sc in color A and scallops in color B (change color at beginning of Round 2).
• Picot cluster: replace single picot with (sc, pic, sc) for a beaded look.

---

Example stitch sequence (compact)

1. Base row: … sc, sc, sc, ch3, sk2, sc, sc, sc, ch3 …
2. Scallop: into ch3 → sc, hdc, 3 dc, tr, 3 dc, hdc, sc, sl st to base.
3. Tip: sl st, ch3, sl st (picot). Repeat.

VIDEO: