8 Crochet Carnation Flower Patterns for Mother’s Day – Page 2 of 2

Welcome back! If you’ve been following along from Page 1, you already have four beautiful crochet carnation patterns to choose from. Now we’re diving into the second half of this collection — four more stunning designs that range from quick and beginner-friendly to more elaborate projects perfect for the seasoned crocheter. Whether you’re making a bouquet, a pin corsage, a headband, or a full wreath for Mother’s Day, these patterns will give you everything you need to create something truly special.

Carnations have long been one of the most symbolic flowers for Mother’s Day, dating back to the early 20th century when Anna Jarvis, the founder of Mother’s Day in the United States, handed out white carnations in honor of her own mother. Today, crocheted carnations have become a popular way to give Mom a gift that lasts far longer than fresh blooms. They can be displayed on a windowsill, worn as a brooch, tucked into a vase, or even gifted as part of a handmade wreath. The best part? They never wilt.

Let’s jump into the second set of patterns.

Pattern 5: The Layered Ruffle Carnation

This is one of the most visually impressive carnation patterns in the collection, and it’s more approachable than it looks. The secret to this flower’s dramatic, full appearance is working multiple rounds of ruffled petals in slightly different sizes and layering them on top of one another.

Materials you’ll need:

To make this flower, you’ll want worsted weight yarn in your choice of carnation colors — classic red, soft pink, deep magenta, or white all work beautifully. You’ll need a 4.0mm or 4.5mm crochet hook, a yarn needle for weaving in ends, and a small amount of green yarn if you’d like to add a stem or sepals. Stitch markers are helpful but not required.

How it works:

The layered ruffle carnation is built from three separate circular pieces. Each piece is crocheted as a flat circle with a scalloped or ruffled outer edge. The trick to getting that ruffled look is working an unusually high number of stitches into the outer round — roughly two to three times as many stitches as the previous round contains. This causes the fabric to gather and ruffle naturally, without any folding or pinching required.

Start by making a magic ring and crocheting 6 single crochet stitches into it. Then work in increasing rounds (6, 12, 18 stitches) until you have a small flat circle. In the final round, instead of increasing evenly, work 3 to 4 double crochet stitches into every stitch. This will create a tight, ruffled edge that resembles the dense petals of a real carnation.

Make three circles of slightly different sizes — the first being the smallest and tightest, the second slightly larger with looser ruffles, and the third acting as the wide base. Stack them with the smallest on top, and sew them together through the center with a yarn needle.

Finishing:

Add a small button or French knot in the center if you’d like a focal point. For a Mother’s Day brooch, sew a pin back to the underside of the base circle. For a bouquet, twist a length of floral wire through the center and wrap it with green yarn or floral tape.

This pattern takes about 45 minutes to an hour per flower once you’re familiar with the technique, making it a great weekend project if you’re aiming to create a full bouquet.

Pattern 6: The Mini Carnation for Embellishments

Sometimes you don’t need a full-sized flower. These tiny carnations, measuring just one to two inches across, are perfect for embellishing greeting cards, gift tags, hair clips, bookmarks, or clothing. They also work beautifully as accents on a larger crocheted project like a blanket border or a tote bag.

Materials you’ll need:

For mini carnations, you’ll want to drop down to a finer weight yarn — fingering weight or size 3 cotton thread works extremely well. A 2.5mm or 3.0mm hook will give you tight, neat stitches. You’ll also need a yarn needle and, depending on your project, fabric glue or a hot glue gun for attaching the finished flowers to non-crochet surfaces.

How it works:

The mini carnation is essentially a simplified version of the layered ruffle carnation from Pattern 5, but worked at a much smaller scale with fewer rounds. Begin with a magic ring and chain 3. Work 10 double crochets into the ring and join with a slip stitch. This forms your base.

For the second round, work a chain-3 shell (chain 3, double crochet, chain 3, slip stitch) into every other stitch around. This creates five small petal clusters. For a slightly more ruffled look, work into every stitch rather than every other.

You can leave it as a single-layered flower for a more delicate, daisy-like appearance, or make two of these flat pieces and stack them with the top piece rotated slightly so the petals alternate. Stacking gives that distinctly carnation-like fullness even at a small scale.

Why these are great for Mother’s Day:

These little flowers can be made in batches. Once you have the hang of the technique — which most people find takes about 20 minutes per flower — you can make a full set in an evening. Attach them to a plain headband with fabric glue for a sweet floral crown, or glue a cluster of three to a bobby pin for a lovely hair accessory. You can even hot-glue them to a store-bought Mother’s Day card to give it a handmade, three-dimensional touch that will really stand out.

Pattern 7: The Crochet Carnation Corsage

A corsage is one of the most classic Mother’s Day gifts, and crocheting one means it can be kept and treasured for years rather than tossed away after a day. This pattern creates a wrist corsage or brooch corsage featuring one main carnation, two smaller accent flowers, and a cluster of green leaves — all in crochet.

Materials you’ll need:

You’ll need worsted weight yarn in two shades of your chosen carnation color (a main color and a slightly lighter or darker shade for depth), plus green for the leaves. A 4.0mm hook, yarn needle, floral wire or pipe cleaners for structure, a pin back or elastic wristband, and ribbon for finishing are all helpful additions.

Making the main carnation:

This carnation uses a slightly different construction than the layered ruffle approach. Instead of building flat circles, you’ll work a long strip of ruffled crochet fabric and then roll it up to form the flower head.

Cast on a foundation chain of about 30 stitches. Work a row of single crochets across. In the next row, work 3 double crochets into every single crochet stitch. This creates a dense, ruffled strip. After completing the strip, begin rolling it from one end, stitching through the base as you go to hold the coil in place. The result looks remarkably like a real carnation in cross-section — tight, layered, and full.

Secure the base with several passes of the yarn needle, then attach a short length of floral wire to act as a stem.

Making the accent flowers:

Using a slightly lighter shade of your main yarn color, make two small flowers using the mini carnation technique from Pattern 6. These should be smaller than your main flower to give the corsage a sense of proportion and visual interest.

Making the leaves:

For each leaf, chain 12 stitches. Working back along the chain, work single crochets, half double crochets, and double crochets in increasing and then decreasing order to create a pointed oval shape. Make two to three leaves per corsage.

Assembly:

Arrange your main carnation in the center with the accent flowers flanking it and the leaves tucked behind. Secure everything together at the base with yarn or floral wire, then wrap the join neatly with ribbon and tie a small bow. Sew or hot-glue a pin back to the underside for a brooch, or attach to an elastic band for a wrist corsage.

This project takes a few hours total but produces something genuinely beautiful that most moms will cherish long after Mother’s Day.

Pattern 8: The Crochet Carnation Wreath

Our final pattern in this collection is the most ambitious — a full floral wreath featuring multiple crochet carnations arranged around a base. This makes a stunning wall decoration, door hanging, or tabletop centerpiece, and it’s the kind of gift that people often keep up year-round rather than just for the holiday.

Materials you’ll need:

For the wreath, you’ll want a foam or wire wreath base (10 to 14 inches works well for a manageable project), worsted weight yarn in three or four shades of pink, red, white, and green, a 4.0mm hook, a yarn needle, floral wire, a hot glue gun, and ribbon for hanging.

The quantity of yarn will depend on how full you want the wreath to be. A typical 12-inch wreath with densely packed flowers might use three to four skeins of yarn in total across all colors.

How many carnations do you need?

For a full, lush-looking wreath, plan on making between 15 and 20 carnations in a mix of sizes. You don’t have to use only carnations — adding a few small roses, daisies, or simple petal flowers in complementary colors gives the wreath a more natural, garden-like feel. But the carnations should be the dominant flower to keep the Mother’s Day theme prominent.

Covering the base:

Before attaching your flowers, you’ll want to cover the foam or wire base. One option is to simply wrap it tightly with green yarn, securing the end at the start and finish. Another option is to purchase a grapevine wreath base, which has a rustic, natural look and doesn’t require covering.

Arranging and attaching the flowers:

Lay your finished carnations out on a flat surface first and play with the arrangement before committing to anything. Try grouping flowers by color in clusters rather than alternating evenly around the wreath — clusters tend to look more natural and intentional. Leave small gaps between clusters to tuck in leaf sprays or ribbon loops.

Once you’re happy with the arrangement, attach each flower using a hot glue gun. For extra security, especially for flowers with wire stems, push the wire into the foam base before gluing. Add your leaf pieces in between flowers to fill gaps and give the arrangement depth.

Final touches:

Tie a full, generous bow from coordinating ribbon and attach it at the bottom or top of the wreath. Add a loop of ribbon to the back for hanging. You can also tuck in a small handwritten tag that says “Made with love” or include Mom’s name for a personalized touch.

This wreath makes an extraordinary gift because it’s clear how much time and care went into it. Even people who don’t crochet themselves recognize the effort involved, and the result is something genuinely beautiful that can be hung on a wall or door and admired every day.

Tips for Making Your Crochet Carnations Look Their Best

Regardless of which pattern or combination of patterns you choose, a few general tips will help your finished flowers look polished and professional.

Blocking matters more than you think. Even a quick steam block or wet block can transform a slightly uneven crochet flower into something that looks crisp and intentional. For flowers that will be displayed rather than worn, blocking is well worth the extra five minutes.

Don’t skip the weaving in of ends. Loose yarn tails make any crochet project look unfinished. Take the time to weave in ends securely, especially on pieces that will be handled frequently or worn.

Color choice has a big impact. Real carnations come in a stunning range of colors — deep crimson, pale blush, warm peach, lavender, bright coral, and pure white. Using variegated yarn or combining two colors within a single flower (by changing yarn partway through a strip, for example) adds a realistic, natural dimension to your finished flowers.

Size matters for bouquets. If you’re making a hand bouquet, mixing flower sizes creates a much more natural look than having all flowers at the same scale. Use the mini carnation from Pattern 6 as filler blooms and the layered ruffle carnation from Pattern 5 as your statement flowers.

Wire stems hold their shape better than pipe cleaners. If you’re making a standing bouquet or any arrangement where the stems need to support the flower heads, floral wire wrapped with green yarn will hold a bend without sagging the way pipe cleaners eventually do.

How to Package Your Crochet Carnations as a Mother’s Day Gift

The presentation of your handmade gift is part of the gift itself. A few thoughtful packaging ideas can make your crocheted carnations feel even more special when Mom unwraps them.

For a bouquet, wrap the stems in tissue paper or kraft paper, tie it with a coordinating ribbon, and present it just as you would a real flower bouquet. You can even tuck in a few sprigs of dried lavender or eucalyptus alongside the crochet flowers for a lovely mixed arrangement.

For individual flowers like brooches or hair accessories, consider displaying them in a small box lined with tissue paper or on a simple piece of card stock with a few words about the pattern and the yarn colors used. Many crafters like to include a small note explaining that the item is handmade and what care instructions apply — for example, “hand wash gently and reshape while damp.”

For the wreath, wrap it in cellophane and tie the top with a large bow so it arrives looking as close to display-ready as possible.

A handwritten card alongside any of these gifts adds a warmth that no store-bought card can replicate. Tell Mom which pattern you used, how long it took you, and why you chose the colors you did. That kind of personal detail transforms a beautiful object into a meaningful story.

Final Thoughts

Crocheting flowers for Mother’s Day is one of those craft projects that rewards the time you put into it many times over. The flowers themselves are satisfying to make — each one a small, self-contained project with a clear beginning and end — and the finished results genuinely impress people who receive them. There’s something deeply moving about giving someone a flower that you made with your own hands, stitch by stitch, that will never fade or die.

Whether you worked through all eight patterns across both pages of this guide or found one or two designs that clicked with you, we hope this collection has given you the tools and inspiration to make something truly beautiful for the special mother in your life. Happy crocheting, and happy Mother’s Day!