Crochet Tung Blossoms Pattern Free (PDF + Beginner Tutorial)

There is something quietly magical about a flower that most people have never heard of. The tung blossom — delicate, five-petaled, with a soft blush at its center — blooms briefly in spring before giving way to the fruit that made the tung tree famous in the world of lacquers and oils. Because the real flower is so fleeting, capturing it in yarn feels like an act of preservation. This free crochet tung blossoms pattern does exactly that. Whether you are a complete beginner picking up a hook for the first time or a seasoned crocheter looking for a meditative weekend project, this tutorial will walk you through every step to create beautiful, lifelike tung blossoms you can use in wreaths, hair accessories, boutonnieres, garlands, table centerpieces, or simply as a soft decoration to tuck into a vase.

Below you will find the full written pattern, a detailed step-by-step beginner tutorial, notes on yarn weight and hook size, finishing tips, and ideas for how to use your finished flowers. A printable PDF version summary is included at the end so you can save or print the pattern for easy reference.

What Are Tung Blossoms?

Before diving into the yarn and hook, it helps to understand the flower you are recreating. The tung tree (Vernicia fordii) produces clusters of white to pale pink flowers with five petals each. Each petal has a delicate veining of deeper rose or red near the base, giving the blossom a soft, painterly look. The flowers are small — roughly an inch to an inch and a half across — and grow in loose clusters that drift down like snow when the wind blows through an orchard in spring.

Translating this into crochet means working with a five-petal structure, a raised center, and ideally a yarn color that mimics the gentle gradient from white to blush pink. You can, of course, make them in any color you love. A full bouquet in ivory looks elegant and bridal. A cluster in deep lavender or dusty rose feels romantic and bohemian. Even a set in rich burgundy or coral works beautifully for fall arrangements.

Materials You Will Need

Getting your materials together before you start makes the whole process smoother. Here is what you need for this free crochet tung blossoms pattern.

Yarn: You can use any lightweight yarn for this pattern. A fingering weight or sport weight yarn (also called size 1 or size 2) gives you a small, delicate flower that is the most true to the real blossom. A DK weight (size 3) produces a slightly larger flower that is easier for beginners to work with and still looks beautiful. Cotton yarn is ideal because it holds its shape well, photographs beautifully, and gives a slight sheen that mimics the texture of real petals. Acrylic yarn works perfectly well and tends to be more affordable. For a single flower you need only a small amount of yarn — a few yards of white or cream for the petals and a yard or two of pale yellow or gold for the center. This pattern is wonderful for using up scrap yarn.

Hook: Match your hook to your yarn weight. For fingering weight yarn use a 1.75mm or 2.0mm hook. For sport weight use a 2.25mm hook. For DK weight use a 3.0mm or 3.5mm hook. When in doubt, go down one hook size from what the yarn label recommends — a slightly tighter gauge gives the petals more body and helps them hold their shape.

Other supplies: A yarn needle for weaving in ends, scissors, and optional stiffening spray or a mixture of equal parts white glue and water if you want your flowers to hold a more rigid shape. Floral wire (26 gauge works well) and green floral tape are useful if you want to make stems. Pins or a foam blocking mat help if you choose to block the flowers flat after finishing.

Crochet Abbreviations Used in This Pattern

This pattern is written using standard US crochet terminology.

ch — chain
sl st — slip stitch
sc — single crochet
hdc — half double crochet
dc — double crochet
tr — treble crochet (also called triple crochet)
MR — magic ring (also called magic circle or adjustable ring)
st — stitch
sp — space
rep — repeat
yo — yarn over

Pattern Notes for Beginners

If you are new to crochet, a few notes before you begin will save you a lot of frustration.

The magic ring is used at the beginning of this pattern to start the flower center. If you are not yet comfortable with a magic ring, you can substitute by chaining 4 and joining with a slip stitch to form a small ring. Your center will be slightly looser but the flower will still look lovely.

When working into the beginning chain, insert your hook under both loops of the chain stitch unless the pattern specifies otherwise.

Tension matters more for small flowers than for larger projects. If your petals are curling dramatically or your center looks bunched, try going up one hook size. If everything is floppy and loose, try going down one hook size.

Each petal in this pattern is worked separately but all are attached to the same central ring. You do not need to cut the yarn between petals — you simply slip stitch back to the center and begin the next petal.

Free Crochet Tung Blossom Pattern

Flower Center (worked in yellow or gold yarn)

Start with a magic ring.

Round 1: Chain 1, work 6 single crochets into the magic ring, pull the magic ring closed tightly, and join with a slip stitch to the first single crochet. (6 sc)

Round 2: Chain 1, work 2 single crochets into each stitch around, join with a slip stitch to the first single crochet. (12 sc)

Fasten off and leave a tail for sewing. Set the center aside or keep it attached if you plan to join the petals directly (see assembly note below). Fluff the center slightly with your fingertip to give it a rounded, dimensional look.

Petals (worked in white, cream, or pale pink yarn)

You will make 5 petals total. Each petal begins at the base and is worked back and forth, then rejoined to the center ring.

Method A: Petals worked directly from a center ring (recommended for beginners)

With your petal color yarn, make a magic ring.

Chain 1, work 10 single crochets into the ring, pull the ring closed, and join with a slip stitch. This forms the base ring from which all petals grow. Do not fasten off.

Petal 1:

Chain 2. Working into the base ring, skip the stitch you just slip-stitched into, then:

Row 1 (foundation): Into the next stitch, work 1 hdc, 1 dc, 1 tr, 1 dc, 1 hdc. (5 stitches across one petal row)

Row 2 (petal shape): Chain 1, turn. Working back across the row: 1 sc into first hdc, 1 hdc into dc, 1 dc into tr (the center of the petal), 1 hdc into dc, 1 sc into last hdc.

Row 3 (tip of petal): Chain 1, turn. Slip stitch into first sc, sc into hdc, hdc into the center dc, sc into next hdc, slip stitch into last sc. This creates a gentle tapered tip.

Fasten off the petal tip, leaving a short tail that you will hide when weaving in ends. Reattach yarn (or if you did not cut, slip stitch) back to the base ring, moving to the next available stitch.

Petals 2 through 5: Repeat the instructions for Petal 1 four more times, spacing each petal evenly around the base ring by beginning each one in the next available stitch of the base ring.

After completing all five petals, join with a slip stitch, fasten off, and weave in all ends.

Alternative Petal Method for a More Rounded Shape

If you prefer petals with a slightly wider, more rounded profile — which is beautiful for decorative pieces and wreaths — try this variation.

With petal yarn, chain 12.

Row 1: Starting in the 2nd chain from hook, sc in next 2 ch, hdc in next 2 ch, dc in next 2 ch, hdc in next 2 ch, sc in next 2 ch, slip stitch in last ch. (11 stitches)

Row 2: Do not turn. Working along the opposite side of the foundation chain, slip stitch in first ch, sc in next 2 ch, hdc in next 2 ch, dc in next 2 ch, hdc in next 2 ch, sc in next 2 ch, slip stitch in last ch. (11 stitches, plus 2 slip stitches at each end forming the base of the petal)

The two slip stitches at the base of each petal are where you will attach the petal to your center piece. Make 5 petals this way, then use your yarn needle and a length of yarn to sew all 5 petals around the center disk, overlapping them slightly so they radiate outward like a real tung blossom.

Assembly

Once all your petals and your center disk are finished, it is time to put everything together.

Lay your five petals out flat in a flower arrangement, overlapping them slightly at their bases. Thread your yarn needle with a length of the same color yarn as your petals. Stitch through the base of each petal twice, pulling them together snugly in a ring formation. Knot securely.

Place the yellow center disk on top of the gathered petal bases, right side up. Stitch around the edges of the center disk, catching the petal bases underneath with each stitch. Pull snug and knot securely on the back.

If you used Method A (petals worked directly from a base ring), your assembly is even simpler. Simply lay the petal piece flat, place the center disk on top, and stitch the center down.

Finishing and Stiffening Your Tung Blossom

Fresh from the hook, your tung blossom will be soft and slightly floppy, which is perfect if you are attaching it to a knit hat, a soft headband, or a pillow. For arrangements, wreaths, or any project where the flower needs to hold its shape, a little stiffening goes a long way.

Starch method: Spray the finished flower lightly with liquid starch, shape it with your fingers so the petals curve naturally upward from the center, and pin it to a foam mat or stuff the center with a small ball of plastic wrap. Allow to dry completely (usually 2 to 4 hours depending on humidity). Unpin and remove stuffing.

Glue and water method: Mix equal parts white craft glue and water. Dip the finished flower briefly, squeeze out the excess gently, shape as above, and allow to dry fully. This gives a firmer result than starch and is ideal for flowers that will be handled or moved frequently.

Sugar starch: Dissolve 2 tablespoons of sugar in 1 cup of warm water. Dip and dry as with the glue method. This gives a lightweight, natural stiffness without the shine of the glue method.

Adding a Stem

To give your tung blossom a wire stem, cut a piece of 26-gauge floral wire to your desired length — typically 6 to 9 inches for individual stems. Bend a small hook at one end. Push the hooked end through the center of the flower from front to back and bend it flat against the back. Wrap the wire and the flower base tightly with green floral tape, stretching the tape as you wrap so it adheres to itself. Continue wrapping down the entire length of wire. The result is a clean, professional-looking stem that holds the flower at any angle you choose.

Ideas for Using Your Crochet Tung Blossoms

The versatility of this pattern is part of what makes it so satisfying. Once you have made a few blossoms, the possibilities are genuinely endless.

A single flower hot-glued or stitched to a simple alligator clip becomes a hair accessory that looks handcrafted and intentional. A cluster of three blossoms gathered with a ribbon bow makes a lovely gift topper or lapel pin. A garland of twenty or thirty blossoms strung on a length of thin twine turns into a stunning wedding backdrop or mantel decoration that you can keep and reuse indefinitely, unlike real flowers.

For a table centerpiece, bunch a dozen wired stems together, wrap them with floral tape just as you would a real bouquet, and place them in a small vase or mason jar. Add a few sprigs of dried eucalyptus or greenery for contrast. The result looks intentional and artistic in a way that takes almost nothing to achieve.

Tung blossoms are also beautiful stitched directly onto garments. They work beautifully at the neckline of a simple cardigan, along the hem of a child’s dress, or scattered across the brim of a sun hat. Use a yarn needle and a few anchor stitches to sew them down securely.

Tips for Making Tung Blossoms as Gifts

Because this pattern uses only small amounts of yarn and works up quickly, it is an ideal project for making multiples. A set of six or eight flowers tied with a ribbon and a handwritten note makes a genuinely thoughtful gift that costs very little but looks as though you spent significant time and care — which, in the best possible sense, you did.

If you are giving the flowers to someone who might display them, stiffening them before gifting is a kind touch. If you are giving them to someone who might attach them to clothing or a bag, leave them soft and include a note with a few attachment options.

Downloadable PDF Pattern Summary

Below is the condensed version of this pattern suitable for printing. Copy these instructions to a document, format them to your preference, and save or print for your project bag.

Materials: DK or sport weight yarn in white/cream and yellow; 3.0mm to 3.5mm crochet hook; yarn needle; scissors; optional floral wire and tape.

Flower Center: Magic ring, 6 sc, join. Round 2: 2 sc in each st around, join. (12 sc) Fasten off.

Petals (make 5): Chain 12. Row 1: sc in 2, hdc in 2, dc in 2, hdc in 2, sc in 2, sl st in last. Row 2: work back along opposite side of chain identically. Fasten off, leaving a tail for sewing.

Assembly: Arrange 5 petals in a ring, stitch bases together. Sew center disk on top. Weave in all ends.

Optional: Stiffen with starch or glue-water mixture. Add wire stem with floral tape.

A Final Word

Crochet has always been a way of making something lasting out of something fleeting. The tung blossom — here for a week in spring, then gone — becomes permanent in yarn, something you can hold and pass along and tuck into a drawer to find again years later. This free crochet tung blossoms pattern is simple enough that a beginner can finish their first flower within an afternoon, and satisfying enough that an experienced crocheter will find themselves making a dozen without quite meaning to. However many you make, enjoy the process. The repetition of petal after petal is, in the best way, a kind of meditation.

If you try this pattern, share your finished flowers. There is a genuine joy in seeing how different yarn choices, hook sizes, and color combinations can turn the same simple instructions into something entirely your own.