Fig 56. Flower Spray: Notes
Picture: page 15
Instructions: page 17
Helpful for: Understanding construction of large design and 3D work

In the book, the instructions state that this was a very elaborate design and one of the newest varieties of Irish Crochet at the time of printing (1912). They say that flowers of this description were "used mostly for making jackets, coats etc." The flowers are "made in sections, which are fastened above one another to obtain the raised effect"

Like the previous Passion Flower design, the instructions for this design are quite straightforward in the book.
Basically you are making 3 identical small flowers, 2 identical medium flowers and 1 large flower (which is made up of a small, medium and large flower), 4 identical large leaves and 3 identical small leaves. It's quite a lovely pattern to make as it is repetitive.
For the large flower - at the end of this section when the pattern says work a row of DC with picots around the entire 6 petals - I worked these DC & Picots over padding cord around the petals.
Ensure to pull the padding cord slightly on the flowers - especially the large when you are making them - to make the shape of the petals. I probably could have pulled my large flower petals a little tighter.
For this design I made the stems slightly smaller than the original picture- this gives a more compact effect. You can do this however you like - making the stems longer for a more sprawling piece or making them smaller to achieve a look similar to mine.
Detail of flowers from Fig 56 Priscilla Irish Crochet Book Detail of main 3D flower & leaves from Fig 56 Priscilla Irish Crochet Book No1
That's it! As I said, it's a lovely pattern to do, but it's good to note that the separate motifs take a little longer than expected to make so it's good to do this design over a number of days.
Let me know if you have any comments or questions :)
Go raibh míle maith agaibh,
Crochet Ciuin
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