Project introduction
This post is a pattern overview, not a full step by step tutorial. It walks you through what to expect from Rhondda Mol’s Decorative Crochet Mandala Pillow before you pick up your hook: a colorful September Mandala front joined to a solid backing, forming a round cushion about 16 inches across. You will work it in medium weight yarn with two hook sizes, in two suggested colorways or your own favorite shades. For the complete written instructions, visit the Original designer’s pattern and instructions.
The mandala front is the star, so choose shades that make you happy, whether you follow one of the designer’s suggested palettes or invent your own. If pillow projects are your thing, you may also enjoy the Autumn Rhapsody Stitch Sampler Pillow: Pattern Overview and the Harvest Crochet Pillow Cover: Pattern Overview for more round cushion inspiration.
Making this pattern?
If you decide to stitch this pillow, the designer invites you to save the pattern to your Maker Queue and log the finished project with a free GoSadi Maker account. Newcomers can follow her Getting Started with GoSadi guide, while returning makers can head straight to her GoSadi designer page.
The Yarn
The designer stitched her sample in WeCrochet Mighty Stitch, a soft worsted weight [4] yarn offered in 43 bright, bold shades. Each skein holds 100 g and 208 yds of an 80% acrylic and 20% superwash wool blend. It is an easy care yarn suited to garments, accessories, blankets, and home decor, and finished pieces machine wash cold with a low tumble dry.
Supplies
Gather everything before your first round so the project flows smoothly. The list below covers the exact yarn, both hook sizes, the amounts each piece uses, and the small tools and pillow form you will need.
- Yarn: WeCrochet Mighty Stitch, a medium/worsted weight [4] yarn blending 80% acrylic with 20% superwash wool. Each skein gives 3.52 oz (100 g) and 208 yds (190 m). Machine wash cold and tumble dry low.
- Colorway one: 2 skeins of Wisteria, plus 1 skein each of Oyster, Fairy Tale, and Mulberry.
- Colorway two: 2 skeins of Canary, plus 1 skein each of Oyster, Navy, and Alfalfa.
- Backing only: uses less than 1 skein of Wisteria or Canary.
- Hooks: 5 mm (H) for the pillow backing and 4 mm (G) for the pillow front.
- Yarn used: the front mandala takes about 4.2 oz / 119 g / 57 yds / 53 m; the backing takes about 3.52 oz (100 g) and 208 yds (190 m).
- Notions: scissors, a tapestry needle (yarn needle), and a stitch marker (optional).
- Pillow form: one 16 inch diameter pillow.
Difficulty Level
The source rates this project Easy, which makes it a friendly choice if you are comfortable working in the round and reading standard stitch repeats. The backing is simple double crochet, while the mandala front offers more visual interest without demanding advanced techniques.
Finished Size
The finished pillow measures about 16 inches in diameter, with the backing sized to match the mandala front. Because the piece is round, that diameter is the key number to keep in mind when choosing your pillow form and planning where the cushion will live.
Gauge
Gauge is simple here: the first two rounds should measure about 2 inches across. The designer notes that you may swap in any yarn and hook you like, but a different gauge will change the finished size and the amount of yarn used, so check those early rounds before committing to the full pillow.
Abbreviations
The pattern uses US crochet terminology. Keep this quick key nearby while you work:
- ch(s): chain(s)
- dc: double crochet
- sl st: slip stitch
- st / sts: stitch / stitches
- Rnd: round
- DMR: double magic ring
- RS: right side, the face of the work that shows
- WS: wrong side, the back of the work
- sk: skip
- rem: remaining
- m: meters
- oz: ounces
- yds: yards
An asterisk pair marks a repeat: work every step between * and ** the number of times stated, since one repeat can hold several instructions. Square brackets at the end of a row give that row’s stitch total. Parentheses flag side notes, and they also enclose a set of stitches that all belong in one stitch or space.
Helpful Tutorials
A few habits from the designer’s notes will keep your rounds neat. She begins round-based projects with a double magic ring, though a standard magic ring or a chain 3 joined into a ring works just as well. Treat the opening chain 3 as your first double crochet. For a subtler seam, slip stitch into the first real double crochet rather than the top of that chain, then work into that joining slip stitch as the round’s final stitch.
Decorative Crochet Mandala Pillow Pattern Overview
Construction stays approachable throughout: the entire pillow is crocheted in joined rounds. That steady rhythm of working around the circle and joining each round closed keeps edges even, simplifies counting, and makes it easy to track your progress as the piece grows toward its full diameter.
Decorative Pillow Backing Pattern Overview
The backing is a straightforward circle of double crochet worked with the 5 mm (H) hook, or whatever size gives you gauge. It starts from a double magic ring and grows over sixteen joined rounds, opening with twelve stitches and widening evenly to two hundred in the final round. Fasten off with a generous tail, since that tail later sews the backing to the mandala front.
Crochet Mandala Pillow Front
The pillow front is the September Mandala pattern, worked with the smaller 4 mm (G) hook that the mandala calls for. The designer offers that mandala pattern free on her site, so follow her instructions to complete the front before moving on to the small edging modification described next.
Modification to the Mandala Pillow Front
Before assembly, the front gets a small bridging edge. Switch to the 5 mm (H) hook and turn the mandala so its wrong side faces you. Join the backing color with a slip stitch around the post of any single crochet, then repeat a chain 4 and slip stitch loop into each following single crochet post around the front, closing with a final slip stitch into the first one. The source lists 41 slip stitches and 40 chain-4 spaces for this edge, and then you fasten off.
Finishing Construction Overview
Assembly brings the two circles together. Hold the backing and the mandala front with wrong sides touching, and whipstitch around the edge with the tail left on the backing, placing one whipstitch into each single crochet and each chain except the final slip stitch. The source totals 200 whip stitches, matching the backing’s last round. Slide the 16 inch pillow form inside once about three quarters of the seam is closed, then close the seam and weave in ends. The designer notes that pillows made from this pattern may be sold.
