Tips & Tricks I’ve found useful:
· Decide on your colour scheme & collect your yarns accordingly – keep in mind: contrasts, harmonies & textures – the wider your range the more interesting effects you’ll achieve. Don’t be afraid to experiment – be adventurous!
· Keep templates for your project simple
· Use self-designed/commercial dressmaking patterns as flat templates, place patches around your template frequently as you work for even colour & texture distribution
· Place patches up to (but not over) the seam allowance, work that is too short can be added to later
· Keep track of the right side of your work – mark with a tread if necessary
· Keep your patches small & change yarn colour & texture often
· Keep checking that your work remains flat
· Keep your work uniform by incorporating at least some of your yarns in each patch
· Change hook & needle size appropriate with yarn and/or effect your trying to achieve
· Crochet & knit over tail ends where ever possible, or periodically weave in ends with darning needle to avoid that huge job at the end
· Do not join your patches too soon – have at least 3/4 of your patches for your project complete so you are free to move them around, add extra motifs or place those not-so-good bits in less obvious places like on a seam
· Most importantly, enjoy yourself – allow the colours, textures & shapes to lead the way. Be intuitive & experiment – you’ll be amazed how creative you actually are.
Wonderful, and remember, there are no mistakes, only artistic adjustments… 🙂
The tip about using a commercial or self-drafted pattern gives me an idea: to lay out a much-loved denim vest and use its shape as my template. With that plus some of these other tips, I think I can gather yarns to start my free-form project now.
Sherryl… so, say I’m making a vest, a simple vest shape template will give me guide lines,… as I make the FF patches (scrumples) & place them on the template I can see where I’m going…. freeform can get away from you & go off in all directions. This is how I work & only a suggestion but if you don’t like the idea of templates & want to work without them that’s perfectly fine too… welcome to the freeform world – enjoy!
I am having trouble with the line “Keep templates for your project simple”. If it’s freeform what is a template for? Of course, it could be just me, I’m interested in Freeform Crochet and have just started looking up information about it. I enjoyed reading your article.
Wow love this
Thank you, Susan… glad it’s helpful, enjoy…:)
Thanks😊 I sure like your blog and appreciate you. Very helpful, especially the diagrams. Im a visual learner and thats the only way i can crochet. Cant follow written patterns but it helps with any confusion with diagrams.
That’s great, Isabella…so happy that it’s been helpful… enjoy! 🙂
Many thanks for sharing… you have flattened some ideas which just scramble all together into my small little brain 🙂 in order and you ‘ve added some about which I did not think of
I’m not sure, Julie… without seeing your piece I can only surmise… are you making one large piece that you keep adding to, if so, you may be working too tight & not allowing for corners & curve by not increasing (adding more stitches as you work around the corners & curves)… I prefer to make small palm-size patches (scrumples) that I constantly check & move around on a template before sewing these patches together. Hope this is somewhat helpful…
I love freeform but am finding that my piece is not laying flat. Cut a chunk off and added more– still not flat. What am I doing wrong?
You’re most welcome Lisa… enjoy! 🙂
I have been crocheting for 20 years or more and this year I am crocheting Christmas gifts.
I love the free form crochet, it is beautiful and it suites my personality also. I am going to make my daughter a scarf for Christmas and need to get started so thank you!!
You’re most welcome, Nadine… & thank you, you’ve made me happy too… enjoy yourself…:)
this is amazing!
i was surfing the net for patterns an ideas to crochet my own dress or skirt and wasn’t completely satisfied, there was always something missing.
after finding your site and all your great explanations and tips, ican now make my own without a pattern but being creative and just freeforming parts!
thank you sooo much!
you’re welcome, Carrie & thank you for your lovely compliments
As I don’t have a dressmaker’s form, the tip about using a sewing pattern as a template was great! I’ve been crocheting on & off for 10 years, but am just now starting to think more seriously about gathering my yarn scraps for freeforming/scrumbling. Thanks for the great photos on the site, very inspirational!