4th of July Pillow Crochet-along! – Free CAL for American Independence Day
A pillow to help you celebrate the 4th!
Are you wanting an easy & quick crochet pattern to help you show off your patriotic & festive American spirit this summer?
Let me officially introduce you to the 4th of July Throw Pillow CAL!
This is a collaborative project between my friend Helen of Sunflower Cottage Crochet & myself. I know I know… why are an American crochet and a British crocheter collaborating for a pillow to commemorate the American independence from England?
I’m not really sure I have a great answer to give you other than… we’re friends who crochet and wanted to offer a quick, festive CAL! Is that a good reason? I think so! Haha!
May I also note that this is a fairly last-minute project between the two of us… so please forgive any errors and let us know if you need assistance or clarification! We’re here to help!
What is a Crochet Along?
Perhaps you have never participated in a Crochet Along before, and you may be wondering what in the world I am talking about. A Crochet Along (CAL) is essentially an event where you crochet along with other people creating the same project. Each part of the pattern is released bit by bit, and you work at the same pace as other participants.
Interested in other CALs?
MONTHLY MOSAIC MYSTERY CAL
SWEET TREATS C2C BLANKET CAL
NORDIC WINTER AFGHAN C2C CAL
BOUQUET OF FLOWERS CAL
Pin this project for later.
How it will work?
There will be two panels to the pillow. One of the panels is designed by myself, while the other panel is designed by Helen.
- The front panel will be released Tuesday, June 28th.
- The back panel will be released Thursday, June 30th
- Instructions on seaming will be released Saturday July 2nd
I will send out an email to announce the release of each new section of the CAL, or you can simply come to this page and click on the new section to be directed to the instructions for that part of the CAL. (You can also check out Helen’s blog post about the CAL)
If you would prefer to have the all of the written instructions you can purchase the full pattern which will include the charts and written instructions for the panels immediately.
After accessing each new section, make sure you hop on over to the Juniper & Oakes Crochet Community and the Sunflower Cottage Crochet FB Group. You can ask questions, post pictures of your WIPs and finished pillows. If you don’t have Facebook, you can still participate in the CAL by creating your pillow on your own. Definitely post pictures and share about the CAL on any social media you have. Be sure to tag me @juniperandoakes and Hellen @sunflower.cottage.crochet.too and use #4thofJulyPillowCAL so we can see your progress.
jOIN THE JUNIPER & OAKES CROCHET COMMUNITY
Don’t miss an update.
I will be sending out an email each time a new section is released. You will be the first to be notified of the next part of the CAL or any other yarn-related news from Juniper & Oakes and the rest of my crochet community. Sign up now!
How big will my pillow be?
It will be a 16” x 16” square pillow.
Helen and I discovered our tension is very different. Although we used the same size hook & yarn — her pillow came out to be a smaller size than mine and needed to add extra border to make the pillow the right size to fit a 16” square pillow insert. Mine was plenty big to fit the pillow insert without the need for thicker border.
If you find your project is bigger or smaller than 16”, it’s ok! Simply add an extra border OR perhaps use a smaller or larger pillow insert. No big deal.
What Yarn should I used?
Worsted weight yarn in 3 colors (Red, White, & Blue of course!)
Helen used Paintbox Simply aran for her pillow and while I used Brava Worsted from WeCrochet:
- 1 skein of white
- 1 skein of red
- 1.25 skeins of blue/celestial
What Hook should I use?
Size J/6mm hook
What else do I need?
- 16″ pillow insert (or whatever size fits your panels)
- Tapestry needle to weave in ends
The Purchase the Pattern.
As mentioned earlier, the 4th of July Pillow CAL is free on our blogs and will be released slowly over this week BUT There will also be an option to purchase the full pattern. The full pattern includes the entire pattern, ad-free – and you don’t have to wait for the next section of the CAL to be released.
Ready, Set…
OK! Now that you know the plan and all the details… go get your yarn and your hook ready, because the fun starts Tuesday June 28th!
American Flag C2C Pillow Panel
by Juniper & Oakes
This panel has 13 stripes & 50 stars! Pretty accurate to a true American flag for only 25×25 pixels.
Even if you’re not American, you can choose to make this panel – perhaps without the stars? Or keep the stripe patten going instead of changing to blue. Whatever you’d like!
Red, White, & Blue Textured Pillow Panel
By Sunflower Cottage Crochet
This is an easy, textured panel. You’ll only need a starting chain or foundation row of an odd number so it is very easy to adjust and make it the same size as your front panel!
Click the photo to go to Helen’s blog post with this pattern.
This will be available at 8am London time on Thursday 30th June 2022.
ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS
This will be available at 8 am London time on Saturday 2nd July.
We will show you how to prep and border your C2C panels for joining and have instructions on how to assemble the pillow.
Access Border instructions HERE
My gauge was different than Helens, and I only needed a simple hdc border around my C2C panel. Click here to access my simple hdc border tutorial..