How to Make Tung Blossoms – Crochet Pattern PDF
There is something quietly magical about tung blossoms. If you have ever walked beneath a tung oil tree in early spring, you already know the feeling — those delicate white and pink-tinged flowers drifting down like soft snow, carpeting the ground in petals. Now imagine capturing that same quiet beauty in yarn, stitch by stitch, and you begin to understand why the tung blossom has become such a beloved motif among crochet artists.
This complete guide will walk you through everything you need to know to create your own tung blossom crochet flowers, from understanding the materials and tools to following a full written pattern that you can download as a PDF and keep forever. Whether you are a beginner looking for your first floral project or an experienced crocheter searching for a fresh challenge, this pattern has been designed with clarity and creativity in mind.
What Are Tung Blossoms and Why Crochet Them?
The tung tree (Vernicia fordii) is native to China and has been cultivated for centuries for its oil, which is used in wood finishing and paints. But long before the trees were prized for their industrial value, people admired their blossoms — five-petaled flowers with a soft trumpet shape, often white with red or pink veining near the center, blooming in dense clusters in early spring before the leaves fully appear.
In recent years, crochet designers have been drawn to the tung blossom as a motif because of its distinctive trumpet-shaped petals and the way multiple blossoms can be combined into wreaths, garlands, hair accessories, appliqués, amigurumi embellishments, and home décor pieces. The shape is also wonderfully suited to crochet construction because its petal structure lends itself naturally to increases and ridges worked in the round.
Materials You Will Need
Before you begin, gather your supplies. The good news is that this project is budget-friendly and uses materials most crocheters already have on hand.
Yarn: Worsted weight cotton or acrylic yarn works beautifully for these blossoms. Cotton gives a crisper, more structured petal, while acrylic yields a slightly softer look. You will need small amounts of white or off-white for the petals and a deep red, magenta, or pink for the veining and center details. If you want a fully white blossom with just a hint of color at the base, about 20 yards of white and 5 yards of pink or red will be more than enough for a single flower.
Hook: A size 4.0 mm (G/6) crochet hook is ideal for worsted weight yarn. If you prefer to work with fingering or sport weight for smaller, more delicate blossoms, drop down to a 2.5 mm or 3.0 mm hook.
Notions: You will need a yarn needle for weaving in ends, small scissors, and stitch markers if you are working in continuous rounds (though this pattern is written in joined rounds for clarity). Optional additions include floral wire, green floral tape, small yellow seed beads for the stamens, and a drop of fabric stiffener if you want to display your finished blossoms in an arrangement.
Understanding the Pattern Abbreviations
The pattern below uses US crochet terminology throughout. Here is a quick reference for the abbreviations used:
ch — chain
sl st — slip stitch
sc — single crochet
hdc — half double crochet
dc — double crochet
tr — treble crochet
dtr — double treble crochet
sp — space
st(s) — stitch(es)
MR — magic ring (also called a magic circle)
rep — repeat
[ ] — work instructions within brackets the number of times indicated
Gauge
Gauge is not critical for this project, but for reference, the finished blossom measures approximately 3 inches (7.5 cm) across when worked in worsted weight yarn with a 4.0 mm hook. Adjust your hook size up or down to achieve a larger or smaller flower.
The Full Tung Blossom Crochet Pattern
This pattern creates one complete five-petaled tung blossom. The petals are worked outward from a central ring, and the veining detail is added in a separate round using a contrast color.
Center Disc
With your main color (white or off-white), begin with a magic ring.
Round 1: Ch 1, work 10 sc into the magic ring, join with sl st to the first sc, pull ring closed tightly. (10 sts)
Round 2: Ch 1, work 2 sc in each st around, join with sl st to the first sc. (20 sts)
Do not fasten off. You will work the petals directly from this disc in the next section.
Petals (Make 5, worked in joined rounds)
The five petals are created one at a time, each beginning from two stitches on the center disc. Each petal has a gentle trumpet flare created by increases along its sides.
Petal 1:
Sl st into the next st on the center disc. Ch 3 (this counts as your first dc), work 1 dc into the same st, then 1 dc into the next st. Turn. (You are now working back and forth on these 4 sts, not in the round, to build height before the flare.)
Row 1 (wrong side): Ch 3, turn. Work 1 dc in each of the next 3 sts. (4 sts)
Row 2 (right side): Ch 3, turn. Work 2 dc in the first st, 1 dc in each of the next 2 sts, 2 dc in the last st. (6 sts)
Row 3: Ch 3, turn. Work 2 dc in the first st, 1 dc in each of the next 4 sts, 2 dc in the last st. (8 sts)
Row 4: Ch 3, turn. Work 2 dc in the first st, 1 hdc in the next st, 1 sc in each of the next 4 sts, 1 hdc in the next st, 2 dc in the last st. (10 sts)
Now you will work around the outside edge of the petal to create the petal border and give it dimension.
Petal edging: Ch 1, do not turn. Work 1 sc evenly along the right side edge of the petal (approximately 4 sc down the side), 1 sc into the base of the petal where it meets the center disc, then 4 sc up the left side edge. Join with a sl st to the top corner of the last row. Fasten off and leave a short tail.
Repeat Petal 1 instructions for Petals 2 through 5, each time starting your sl st into the next available st on the center disc. Space your petals evenly so that exactly 4 sts on the disc fall between each petal’s attachment points, giving the flower an open, airy look with the petals radiating outward symmetrically.
Once all five petals are complete, weave in all ends on the wrong side of the disc.
Veining and Petal Detail (Contrast Color)
This is the step that transforms a pretty white flower into something that truly resembles a tung blossom. Switch to your contrast color — deep red or magenta works best — and attach yarn with a sl st to the base of any petal on the right side.
Vein Row: Ch 1. Working along the center of the petal from base to tip, make a line of sl sts up the middle of the petal, catching the yarn through the dc rows beneath to create a raised vein. At the tip of the petal, work 3 sl sts into the top corner to define the point, then work sl sts back down the center to the base. Fasten off.
Repeat the vein row on all five petals. When you are done, you will have five distinct veins radiating outward from the center, exactly as they appear on a real tung blossom.
Stamen Center
Using yellow yarn or embroidery floss, thread your yarn needle and bring it up through the center of the disc several times, leaving short loops standing upright. Trim these loops to about ¼ inch in length to create the cluster of stamens at the heart of the flower. Alternatively, if you have small yellow seed beads, stitch them in a cluster at the center for a more textured, realistic effect.
Finishing Your Tung Blossom
Once all ends are woven in and the stamens are in place, your tung blossom is complete. Depending on how you intend to use it, you may want to block the flower lightly. To do this, dampen the flower with cool water, shape the petals gently with your fingers, and allow it to dry flat on a blocking mat pinned into shape. For cotton yarn, this step makes a dramatic difference and gives the petals a crisp, professional finish. For acrylic yarn, steam blocking (hovering a steam iron a few inches above the surface without pressing down) works well.
If you are making blossoms for a floral arrangement or wreath, cut a length of 24-gauge floral wire about 8 inches long. Thread it through the center of the disc from back to front, fold it in half, and twist the two ends together below the disc. Wrap the wire stem with green floral tape, starting right below the disc and working down the full length. If you want to attach leaves, create simple leaf shapes in green yarn using a basic oval crochet pattern and wire them onto the stem using the same technique before wrapping with floral tape.
Pattern Variations and Creative Uses
One of the greatest pleasures of a versatile crochet motif like the tung blossom is the sheer range of ways you can use and adapt it. Here are some ideas to spark your imagination.
Garlands and wreaths: Make 20 to 30 blossoms in varying shades of white, cream, and pale pink and join them together with short ch-3 bridges worked between petals. Arrange them in a circle and attach them to a wire or grapevine wreath base for a stunning spring door decoration.
Hair accessories: Stitch a finished blossom onto a plain hair clip or headband base for a botanical hair accessory that complements both casual and dressy outfits. Use a smaller hook and lighter yarn weight for a more delicate look.
Appliqués: Sew blossoms directly onto tote bags, hats, scarves, or even jeans pockets. Because crochet flowers are naturally dimensional, they add beautiful texture to fabric surfaces. A cluster of three blossoms with a few crocheted leaves in the corner of a market bag is a classic and timeless design.
Cardigan embellishment: One of the most popular uses for small crochet flowers right now is scattering them across the front of a plain cardigan or sweater, stitching them down lightly so they appear to be resting on the fabric. A few tung blossoms arranged along the neckline or collar area creates a feminine, artisan look that is completely unique.
Framed botanical art: Wire and stiffen a cluster of blossoms and leaves, arrange them in a small shadow box frame with a linen or kraft paper backing, and you have a piece of handmade fiber art that looks equally at home in a modern or cottage-style interior.
Baby accessories: A single small blossom stitched to a soft elastic headband makes a sweet accessory for newborns and babies. Opt for 100% cotton yarn in this case to ensure the accessory is skin-safe and washable.
Tips for Getting Beautiful Results
The tung blossom pattern is forgiving, but a few small habits will take your finished flowers from good to genuinely stunning.
Work your magic ring tightly. A loose center ring creates a hole at the heart of the flower that undermines the overall look. Pull the ring closed as firmly as you can before joining Round 1.
Keep your tension consistent across all five petals. It is easy for tension to shift between petals since each one starts with a fresh sl st attachment. If you find one petal noticeably tighter or looser than the others, do not hesitate to frog it (that is, pull out the stitches) and rework it. The symmetry of all five petals together is what gives the finished flower its balanced, botanical realism.
Use a smaller hook than you think you need for the veining row. Because the sl st veins are worked over existing rows, there is very little room to maneuver. Dropping down one hook size for just this step makes it much easier to insert your hook cleanly and creates a neater finished line.
Do not skip blocking. It is the single most transformative step in finishing crochet flowers. Five minutes of blocking can take a flower that looks homemade and make it look handcrafted — and those are very different things.
How to Save This Pattern as a PDF
Many crocheters prefer to have a printed or saved copy of patterns they plan to use regularly. To save this pattern as a PDF, you can use your browser’s built-in print function (usually accessed by pressing Ctrl+P on Windows or Command+P on Mac), select “Save as PDF” from the printer destination dropdown, and save the file to your device. You can then print it, store it in a digital pattern library like Ravelry or Google Drive, or transfer it to a tablet for easy reference while you work.
If you enjoy this pattern and want to share it, please do so by linking back to the original post rather than reposting the full text, so other crafters can always find the most current version.
A Few Words About the Joy of Botanical Crochet
There is a reason floral crochet patterns have remained consistently popular for as long as crochet itself has existed. Flowers are endlessly varied in nature, and each new bloom presents a fresh puzzle for the designer — how do you translate the curve of a petal, the drama of a vein, the dusty sweetness of a cluster of stamens into loops of yarn and nothing else?
The tung blossom is a particularly rewarding subject because it occupies a middle ground between simple and complex. It is accessible enough that a patient beginner can complete a beautiful finished flower in an afternoon, but it has enough structural interest — the trumpet flare of the petal, the veining detail, the stamen center — that an experienced crocheter will still find it engaging and satisfying.
Making a collection of these blossoms, watching them accumulate in a bowl or basket, is one of those simple craft pleasures that feels quietly restorative. There is no deadline, no wrong answer, just the rhythm of yarn over hook, round after round, until something that looks unmistakably like a flower appears in your hands.
Whether you are making one blossom or one hundred, I hope this pattern brings you that same quiet satisfaction. Happy crocheting.
Feel free to use this pattern for personal projects and handmade goods. If you sell items made from this pattern, please credit the original design. Tag your finished blossoms with #tungblossomcrochet so the community can admire your work.
