Free preview · full pattern in the Heirloom Doilies & Tablecloths
Colonial Tulip Chair Set (1941): vintage crochet pattern
A padded chair seat and chair back in pearl cotton with tulip motifs in green and blue on an ecru ground, worked from printed charts. The seat measures about 16 × 16 inches and the back about 8 × 14½ inches.
By the crochetpatterns.io editorial team · Reviewed · Editorial policy
By the crochetpatterns.io editorial team · Reviewed September 14, 2026 under our editorial policy · pattern testing in progress
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Skill level | Intermediate |
| Yarn weight | Lace (#0) |
| Yardage | 9 balls Ecru and 2 balls each Green and Blue, plus bias binding, cotton batting and 1 yd of fabric, as printed — check the ball band for yardage |
| Hook | 1.9 mm |
| Gauge | As printed: 10 sts make 1″; 4 rows make 1″ (1 square is equivalent to 3 dc). |
| Finished size | Completed chair seat measures about 16″ x 16″, measuring across center; chair back measures about 8″ x 14½″. (about 41 × 41 cm) |
| Time | about 4 hours |
Materials
- Size 5 pearl cotton (printed: Clark's O.N.T. or J. & P. Coats Pearl Cotton, size 5)
- Yardage: 9 balls Ecru and 2 balls each Green and Blue, plus bias binding, cotton batting and 1 yd of fabric, as printed — check the ball band for yardage
- Tapestry needle, rustproof pins and starch for blocking
- Hook: Start with a 1.9 mm (US 5) steel hook for size 5 pearl cotton and change size to reach the printed measurements (the printed hook is Milward's No. 6 or 7).
Abbreviations (US terms)
Notes before you start
- Source: "Colonial Chair Set" (7168), Old and New Favorites (Book No. 172), The Spool Cotton Company, 1941. Public domain in the USA.
- As printed — materials: CLARK’S O.N.T. or J. & P. COATS PEARL COTTON, size 5, 9 balls of Ecru and 2 balls each of Green and Blue. Milward’s steel crochet hook No. 6 or 7. Bias binding. Cotton batting. 1 yd. of any material.; TO CHANGE COLOR: Before drawing through last 2 loops of last dc of one color-group, drop this color, pick up 2nd color, thread over and draw through the 2 loops on hook. Continue with 2nd color according to chart, carrying the dropped color along top of previous row and working over it to conceal.. Gauge: 10 sts make 1″; 4 rows make 1″ (1 square is equivalent to 3 dc)..
- Modernisation note: Transcribed from the original publication; stitches, repeats and their order are unchanged.
- Modernisation note: Run-on paragraphs split into one round, row or step per line.
- Modernisation note: The source leaflets already use US crochet terms; only abbreviations and wording were modernised.
- Modernisation note: Round/row labels rewritten in modern form (e.g. “2nd Round.” → “Rnd 2:”, “7th to 10th rnds incl:” → “Rnds 7–10:”)
- Modernisation note: “break off” → “fasten off”
- Modernisation note: Page numbers, page-continuation notes and illustration references removed.
- Modernisation note: Hook numbers in the original are Milward's steel hook sizes; a starting size is suggested from the thread weight instead of converting the old numbering.
- Modernisation note: Stitch counts have not been added; where the original prints a count it is kept as printed.
Chair Seat
- Starting at front edge, with Ecru ch 125.
- Row 1: Dc in 4th ch from hook, dc in each ch across (123 dc, counting turning ch as 1 dc). Ch 3, turn.
- Row 2: 2 dc in 1st dc (2 dc increased), dc in each of next 29 dc. Then, holding Blue along top of 1st row, with Ecru make dc in each of next 3 dc (thus concealing Blue), changing color in last dc of Ecru group. With Blue make dc in each of next 3 dc, carrying Ecru concealed in dc’s and changing color in last dc of Blue group. With Ecru make dc in each of next 51 dc, carrying Blue concealed in dc’s and changing color in last dc of Ecru group. With Blue make dc in each of next 3 dc, carrying Ecru as before and changing color in last dc of Blue group. With Ecru make dc in each dc across, dropping Blue after carrying it for 3 sts, and inc. 2 sts at end of row (127 dc).
- Row 3: 2 dc in 1st dc, dc in each of next 31 dc; conceal Blue in next 3 Ecru dc, changing color in last dc of Ecru group; 3 Blue dc, changing color as before; 21 Ecru dc. Then, holding Green with Blue along top of 2nd row, with Ecru make dc in each of next 3 dc (concealing Blue and Green), changing to Green in last dc of Ecru group. With Green, make dc in each of next 3 dc, carrying Ecru and Blue concealed, and changing to Ecru in last dc of Green group. With Ecru make dc in each of next 24 dc, dropping Green after carrying it for 3 sts and changing color in last dc of Ecru group; 3 Blue dc, changing color as before. With Ecru make dc in each dc across, increasing 2 dc at end of row (131 dc). Ch 3, turn. Continue in this manner, changing colors as indicated by symbols on chart, and increasing 2 dc at both ends of each row until there are 159 dc in the row. When work reaches the shaping at top, dec. 2 dc at both ends of each row until 123 dc remain (to dec., work off 2 dc as 1 dc twice). Fasten and fasten off. Make another piece, using Ecru only.
- Block pieces. Cut 2 thicknesses of any material to same shape as crocheted pieces. Sew the 2 pieces of material together, leaving an opening. After filling with cotton batting, sew up opening (finished pad should be slightly smaller than crocheted pieces). Place wrong sides of crocheted pieces together, and baste edges, leaving an opening of 12″ at top. Then bind basted edges and both edges of opening. Insert pad, and sew edges of opening together. Sew two 8” lengths of bias binding at each corner of top edge, for ties (stitch raw edges together).
- THERE ARE 10 SPACES BETWEEN HEAVY LINES
- CHARTS FOR No. 7168
- BLUE
- ECRU
- GREEN
Continue this pattern
The rest of the Colonial Tulip Chair Set (1941) pattern is in the Heirloom Doilies & Tablecloths
Still to come in the full pattern:
- Chair Back
Included with 48 patterns for $19 — $0.40 per pattern.
Errata
No corrections have been published for this pattern. Found a mistake? Tell us and we will log the fix here with a date.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Colonial Chair Set pattern from?
It was published as "Colonial Chair Set" in Old and New Favorites (Book No. 172) by The Spool Cotton Company in 1941. The publication is in the public domain in the United States; this version is transcribed and modernised by crochetpatterns.io.
What yarn or thread do I need for the Colonial Chair Set?
Size 5 pearl cotton. 9 balls Ecru and 2 balls each Green and Blue, plus bias binding, cotton batting and 1 yd of fabric, as printed — check the ball band for yardage
What hook should I use?
Start with a 1.9 mm (US 5) steel hook for size 5 pearl cotton and change size to reach the printed measurements (the printed hook is Milward's No. 6 or 7). Gauge: As printed: 10 sts make 1″; 4 rows make 1″ (1 square is equivalent to 3 dc).
