Sunflower Harvest Hot Pad: A Free Crochet Pattern You’ll Want to Make All Season Long

There is something about a sunflower that feels like summer bottled up into a single bloom. The bold yellow petals, the dark velvety center, the way they turn their faces toward the light — sunflowers carry a kind of warmth that you want to hold onto long after the season fades. That is exactly why this Sunflower Harvest Hot Pad crochet pattern became one of my favorite projects to share. It brings that same cheerful energy right into your kitchen, and the best part is that it works up quickly, uses yarn you probably already have in your stash, and makes a gift that people genuinely love to receive.

Whether you are a seasoned crocheter or someone who has just mastered your basic stitches, this free crochet pattern is designed to be approachable without being boring. By the time you are done reading, you will have everything you need to crochet your own sunflower hot pad from start to finish.

Why Crochet Hot Pads at All?

Before we dive into the pattern, let me take a moment to talk about why hot pads are such a satisfying crochet project. Hot pads — sometimes called trivets or pot holders — are small, functional, and endlessly customizable. They sit on your countertop every single day. They protect your surfaces from hot pots, casserole dishes, and mugs of tea. And when they are crocheted with love and made to look like a sunflower in full bloom, they become a little piece of art that doubles as a kitchen essential.

Crochet hot pads also make excellent gifts. They are quick to finish (most people complete one in a single evening), they are inexpensive to make, and they suit nearly anyone — from the friend who just moved into her first apartment to the grandmother who has been cooking for decades. Bundle a few together with a kitchen towel and a handwritten recipe card, and you have a housewarming gift that feels genuinely personal and handmade.

For fall markets, craft fairs, and holiday bazaars, sunflower hot pads sell beautifully. If you are looking to add a new item to your craft fair inventory, this is one to bookmark.

Materials You Will Need

One of the things I love most about this pattern is how minimal the supply list is. You do not need anything fancy.

Yarn: You will want to use 100% cotton yarn for this project. Cotton is essential for anything that will come into contact with heat. Acrylic yarns can melt or scorch when exposed to hot surfaces, which is a safety concern you do not want to overlook. A medium weight cotton yarn (size 4) is ideal and widely available. I love Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton for this project, but Paintbox Simply DK Cotton and Drops Safran are also excellent options. You will need approximately 50 yards of golden yellow, 30 yards of deep brown or dark rust, and a small amount of a lighter gold or cream if you want to add petal detail.

Hook: A size 5.0mm (H/8) crochet hook works beautifully with medium weight cotton. If your gauge runs tight, try a 5.5mm hook. Cotton can feel stiffer than acrylic, so a slightly larger hook helps keep your fabric from becoming too rigid.

Notions: You will also need a yarn needle for weaving in ends, scissors, and a stitch marker to mark the beginning of each round. A tape measure or ruler is helpful for checking your finished size.

Finished Size: Approximately 7 to 8 inches in diameter, depending on your tension and hook size.

Gauge

Gauge is not critical for this project since it is a decorative and functional item rather than a garment that needs to fit a specific measurement. That said, a looser gauge will give you a larger, more flexible hot pad, while a tighter gauge will give you something stiffer and slightly smaller. Aim for approximately 14 stitches and 16 rows equal to 4 inches in single crochet with your chosen yarn and hook.

Abbreviations Used in This Pattern

This pattern is written in standard US crochet terms.

ch — chain
sl st — slip stitch
sc — single crochet
hdc — half double crochet
dc — double crochet
tr — treble crochet
MR — magic ring (also called magic loop)
st — stitch
sp — space
rep — repeat
rnd — round
BLO — back loop only
FLO — front loop only

Special Techniques

Magic Ring: If you have never worked a magic ring before, do not be intimidated. It creates a tight, adjustable center that prevents the hole you sometimes get when starting with a chain. To make one, wrap the yarn around your fingers to create a loop, insert your hook, pull up a loop, chain once to secure, and then work your first-round stitches into the ring before pulling the tail to close it.

Working in the Round: This entire pattern is worked in joined rounds unless otherwise noted. At the end of each round, you will join with a slip stitch to the top of the beginning chain or the first stitch of the round.

Joining New Colors: When changing colors, work the last stitch of the old color until two loops remain on the hook, then pull the new color through to complete the stitch. Leave a tail of at least 6 inches to weave in later.

The Sunflower Harvest Hot Pad Free Crochet Pattern

CENTER OF THE SUNFLOWER (Dark Brown)

Round 1: Using dark brown yarn, make a magic ring. Chain 1, work 6 sc into the ring, join with sl st to first sc. Pull ring closed. (6 sts)

Round 2: Chain 1. Work 2 sc in each stitch around. Join with sl st to first sc. (12 sts)

Round 3: Chain 1. Sc in next st, 2 sc in next st. Repeat from to around. Join with sl st to first sc. (18 sts)

Round 4: Chain 1. Sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st. Repeat from to around. Join with sl st to first sc. (24 sts)

Round 5: Chain 1. Sc in next 3 sts, 2 sc in next st. Repeat from to around. Join with sl st to first sc. (30 sts)

Round 6: Chain 1. Sc in next 4 sts, 2 sc in next st. Repeat from to around. Join with sl st to first sc. (36 sts)

At the end of Round 6, do not cut the brown yarn. Drop it and join your golden yellow yarn for the petals.

PETALS (Golden Yellow)

The petals are worked directly into the stitches of Round 6. Each petal is made individually and then connected, creating that classic layered sunflower look.

Round 7 (Petal Round): Join golden yellow yarn to any stitch of Round 6 with a sl st. Now you will work the first petal.

Petal 1: Ch 2. Hdc in same st. Dc in next st. Tr in next st. Dc in next st. Hdc in next st. Ch 2. Sl st in next st (this is the base of the petal). Sl st in next st (this moves you to the base of the next petal).

Repeat the petal sequence across all stitches of Round 6. You will work 6 petals in total, each one consuming 6 stitches from Round 6 (with 1 connecting slip stitch between petals). If your stitch count worked out to 36, you will have exactly 6 petals with one connecting stitch between each.

Once all 6 petals are complete, join with a sl st to the first ch-2 of Round 7.

SECOND LAYER OF PETALS (Golden Yellow, Back Loop)

For a fuller, more realistic sunflower, a second layer of petals worked behind the first adds beautiful dimension. To do this, you will go back to Round 6 and work into the back loops that were left unworked when you made the first petals.

Round 8 (Back Petal Round): With golden yellow yarn, insert your hook into a back loop of Round 6 between two of the existing petals. Join with a sl st.

Back Petal: Ch 3. Dc in same st. Tr in next st. 2 tr in next st. Tr in next st. Dc in next st. Ch 3. Sl st in next st. Sl st in next 2 sts to move to the next petal position.

Repeat around to create 6 back petals that peek out from behind the front petal layer. Join with a sl st when complete.

BACKING AND EDGING

To give your hot pad structure and make it thick enough to really protect your surfaces, you will crochet a simple flat circle the same size as the sunflower center and sew the two pieces together, or you can crochet a border that wraps around both layers.

Option 1 — Simple Backing:

Using dark brown or golden yellow yarn, repeat Rounds 1 through 6 of the sunflower center pattern to create a plain flat circle. Hold it wrong side to wrong side against your finished sunflower. Using your yarn needle and a length of matching yarn, whip stitch around the outer edge of the brown center circle to join the two pieces. The petals will naturally extend beyond this seam.

Option 2 — Crocheted Edge Join:

This is my preferred method because it is faster and gives a neat finish. Hold both pieces together wrong sides facing. Join yarn through both layers at any point along the outer edge of Round 6 and single crochet through both layers all the way around, working 1 sc into each stitch. This simultaneously joins the pieces and creates a clean edge. Join with sl st and fasten off.

FINISHING

Weave in all yarn ends carefully using your yarn needle. Because cotton yarn has less elasticity than acrylic, take extra care to weave ends in multiple directions so they do not work loose over time.

Give your finished hot pad a gentle hand wash in cool water and lay it flat to dry. Cotton hot pads often benefit from a light blocking — simply pin them into shape on a foam mat or towel while damp, and they will dry with a beautifully uniform, flat shape.

Tips for Making Your Sunflower Hot Pad Even Better

Use two strands held together. If you want an extra thick, extra protective hot pad, work the entire project holding two strands of cotton yarn together throughout. You will use more yarn and may want to size up your hook to a 6.0mm or 6.5mm, but the result is a much sturdier pad that handles heavy, hot pots with ease.

Vary your petal colors. Real sunflowers come in an incredible range of colors — from the classic bright yellow to deep golden orange, burgundy, chocolate brown, and even pale cream. Try working the front petals in one shade and the back petals in a slightly darker or lighter tone for a realistic, dimensional look.

Add a hanging loop. To make your hot pad easier to store, add a small chain loop as you fasten off. Simply chain 10 to 15, slip stitch back into the same stitch to form a loop, and fasten off. Hang it from a hook near your stove for convenient access.

Make a set. A single sunflower hot pad is charming. A set of three in slightly different sizes — say a 5-inch, a 7-inch, and a 9-inch — is absolutely stunning displayed together on a kitchen counter or given as a gift. Adjust your stitch counts proportionally and add or reduce rounds from the center section to change the size.

Caring for Your Crochet Hot Pads

Cotton hot pads are wonderfully easy to care for. They can be machine washed on a gentle cycle in cool or warm water and tumbled dry on low heat. Over time, cotton actually gets softer with each wash, so your hot pad will become more pleasant to handle the more you use it.

Avoid using very high heat in the dryer, which can cause cotton to shrink significantly. And while cotton is heat resistant compared to synthetics, it is still a natural fiber that can scorch if left directly on a very hot burner. Use these hot pads as trivets and surface protectors, not as oven mitts.

Gifting and Display Ideas

These sunflower hot pads deserve to be shown off. If you are making them as gifts, consider pairing them with a small jar of local honey (the yellow tones coordinate beautifully), a bundle of kitchen herbs tied with twine, or a homemade jar of jam. Tuck everything into a small basket lined with a neutral linen cloth and you have a harvest-season gift that feels lavish even when it was inexpensive to put together.

For your own home, group two or three sunflower hot pads on your kitchen island as a decorative centerpiece during late summer and fall. They catch the light beautifully and give even the most neutral kitchen a pop of seasonal warmth.

If you sell at craft fairs or farmers markets, display them in a woven basket or hanging on a small pegboard with other kitchen-themed crochet items. Sunflower designs consistently draw people in during the harvest season, and these hot pads tend to sell faster than almost anything else on the table.

A Few Words About Scaling This Pattern

The basic structure of this pattern — a granny-style circle worked from the center out, finished with dimensional petals — can be scaled up or down with a few simple adjustments. For a larger trivet, simply continue adding increase rounds to the center before you begin the petal rounds. For each additional round, you will gain 6 stitches, and you may want to add one or two extra petals to accommodate the larger circumference.

For a smaller version that works as a mug rug or coaster, stop the center section after Round 4 (24 stitches) and work 4 petals instead of 6.

Final Thoughts

Sunflowers have always felt like the most generous of flowers to me. They are big and bright and give absolutely everything to the light. This Sunflower Harvest Hot Pad crochet pattern tries to capture a little of that spirit — something warm and useful and genuinely happy to be in your home.

I hope this free crochet pattern brings you as much joy to make as it does to use. Whether you make one for yourself, whip up a dozen as gifts, or set up a display at your next craft fair, I think you will find that this little sunflower earns its place in your project rotation year after year.

Happy crocheting — and may your hook always find the stitch.