Crochet Pillow Top

Started this little idea back in October, but with so much going on, I hadn't had time to get back to it to finish.  So, when a friend of mine wanted to get together, we decided on a trip to the fabric store where I picked out the backing for the crocheted pillow top.  It's finally coming together!

I started with a block pattern I found on Pinterest.  Pattern available at Mango Tree Crochet.  I found this lovely cotton yarn while visiting York, England, in a cute little shop along The Shambles.  I used a G hook.  My finished square turned out 17 inches.

I added 2 rows of my own to make the pattern into a square.  You can follow the directions below.

sc -- single crochet
hdc --half double crochet
dc -- double crochet

Row 1:  Start with a standing sc in the middle stitch of the chain. dc in the next 3 stitches.  hdc in the next 3 stitches. (2 dc, ch 3, 2 dc) in the corner.  [hdc in the next 3, dc in the next 3, sc in the top of the chain, dc in the next 3, hdc in the next 3, (2 dc, ch3, 2 dc) in the corner,] repeat from [] 3 times.  hdc in next 3, dc in next 3. Slip stitch to the starting sc.

Row 2:  ch 3. dc in each stitch around with (2 dc, ch3, 2 dc) in each corner. Slip stitch to starting ch and tie off.

Squares are stitched together with sc.

After blocking the crocheted square, I measured out the backing fabric and made a slip cover style pillow case.  Mine has a snap closure in the back so the filler insert can be removed.  I then hand-stitched the crocheted block to the pillow case.