A crochet butterfly applique pattern in four colours

This crochet butterfly applique pattern makes one small butterfly in four rounds and four colours, about 7 cm across and 6 cm tall. It is built from the middle outwards with ordinary stitches. Sew it onto a hair clip, a bag, a hat or a headband, or glue it onto a greetings card.

An applique like this is one of the most useful things to have in your crochet basket, because it dresses up something you already own. Scraps of yarn are enough for several butterflies, so you can make a small flock in different colourways for very little.

How four rounds become a butterfly

Rounds 1 and 2 make a small heart shape. Round 3 then turns that heart into a butterfly by working tall stitches where the wings need to grow and short ones where they need to pull in. It breaks down like this:

• Round 1, lilac: in a magic ring, 7 groups of double crochets with 8 chain-2 spaces.
• Round 2, mint green: a shell in every space, for 8 shells and 48 double crochets.
• Round 3, peach: 64 stitches graded over four wings, with two upper wings of 18 stitches and two lower wings of 14.
• Round 4, peach: a slip stitch in every stitch all the way round, for a neat edge.
• Body, yellow: a small body and two antennae placed at the end.

Because 18, 14, 14 and 18 add up to 64, you have a simple way to check that nothing went missing. Rounds 1 and 2 are counted in groups and not in single stitches, which also makes them quick to check.

The wing round is the heart of this crochet butterfly applique pattern

Round 3 is where everything happens, so the PDF takes it slowly. You join the peach at the top centre, climb to the wing tip through slip stitches, single crochet, half double crochet and double crochet, reach a pair of treble crochets, then come back down in the same order. The first lower wing, the second lower wing and the second upper wing each get a step of their own.

You do not need any new skill for this. It is only a matter of working stitches of different heights in the right order, and you can see the shape form as you go. If treble crochet is new to you, the stitch guide covers it, and it is the tallest stitch you will need.

What you get with this crochet butterfly applique pattern

The file has 12 pages, 19 numbered steps and 21 photos. You get a stitch guide in US terms, a page that shows how the butterfly is built, and a section on using the finished piece. The last page holds the written pattern at a glance, so your second butterfly can go much faster, plus a short table for when something goes wrong.

If the wing tips curl up, for instance, the peach round is tighter than the green one. Work rounds 3 and 4 a little looser, or change to a hook half a size larger for the peach only. Firm, even stitches matter most, because a loose butterfly curls at the wing tips and will not lie flat on a bag or a hair clip.

Yarn and tools for this crochet butterfly applique pattern

Use 4-ply or sport cotton in four colours. The PDF uses lilac for the centre, mint green for the middle round, peach for the wings and yellow for the body, but your scraps can decide that for you. If you want to compare weights, the Craft Yarn Council yarn weight chart is a quick reference. The rest is a short list:

• A 2.5 mm crochet hook
• Scissors
• A blunt yarn needle for weaving in the ends and placing the body

A slightly larger hook gives you a bigger, softer butterfly, while a smaller one gives a firmer applique that keeps its shape better on a bag. Since there is no gauge to match, you can simply pick the result you prefer.

Who this crochet butterfly applique pattern suits

It is rated easy, and every round uses ordinary stitches you probably know already. It is a good fit if you want a quick colour project, or a way to personalise something plain. Try it on a handmade bag, such as our free crochet shoulder bag pattern. If you like small projects, this pattern is also in the small makes pattern pack.

What happens after you buy

This crochet butterfly applique pattern is a digital PDF, so the file comes to you and you crochet the butterfly from your own yarn. There is nothing to ship. Once payment is complete, sign in to Whop with the code sent to your email and open your file, then print it or read it on a screen.

On the blog: Free Crochet Shoulder Bag Pattern: 14 Easy Photo Steps