Crochet Edge Linen Throw

You are going to want to wash your throw before you sew, but before you wash it, run a quick stitch with your sewing machine or you will have a unraveled, knotted mess! Wash and dry your linen. I dried mine on a very low heat Iron down, using spray starch, 1/4" on all sides and then iron down,using spray starch, 1/2" on all sides. I found the easiest way to do this part is to have a a piece of cardstock marked at those increments that I could fold the fabric over and iron. (see website) Once you have 1/4" turned over and ironed, and then 1/2" turned over and ironed, it’s time to make your mitred corners. There is a link to a tutorial I did on mitred corners on the website. Once your mitred corners are done, you may be inclined to sew the hem down. I found it best to wait on this. If you sew it down, all your knots from sewing the backstitch will show. If you’ve starched it well, the crease will remain while you sew in the backstitch and you can sew the hem afterwards.

I made marks every 2 cm around the perimeter of the linen with the disappearing ink, threaded my needle with the pearl cotton and sewed the backstitch at the edge. If you aren’t familiar with the back stitch, it’s very simple. Come up from the back of your fabric and out point number 1. Then go in point number 2 and out point number 3. You will then go back in point number 1 and out point number 4. From point 4 you’ll go in at 3 and out at 5. Get it? (there is an illustrated image on my website) Once you’ve sewn the backstitch around your throw, you can get started with putting the crochet edge on. Work 4 single crochets into each back stitch segment. There is a youtube video on my site which will show you how to pick up four stitches within each backstitch segment. You’ll repeat this for each backstitch segment all around your throw. At your corners, add two extra chain stitches as your turn the corner. In other words, when you get to the last segment before the corner, after you’ve done your 4th stitch, do two chains before you start the 1st single crochet in the first segment on the next side. Make sense? Once you’ve gone all the way around, putting 4 single crochets into each back stitch segment, You can start your extending your edge as wide as you’d like. I did 3 rows of single crochet to get the edge I have. In the video on my site I mention the ‘little Vs'. That’s what the stitches look like from the top to me. In any event, you want to single crochet in every stitch, which you can tell by the V made on the previous row. When you get to each corner put 3 extra single crochet stitches in your corners, as shown in the video on my site. Do this at every corner, no matter how many rows you make your edge. Once you’ve added all the rows you want, tie off your crochet thread and weave it into the edging. To finish it, use your sewing machine to sew down the hem that you had ironed and starched earlier.