That butterfly above is the reason most people land on this page — the delicate three-layer one with the sunny yellow wing tips. It was a paid pattern on Etsy, and the designer has since taken the listing down, so there is nowhere left to buy it. I am not going to send you to a dead link.
Here is the better answer. Everything that makes that butterfly work — the stacked wings, the cinched waist, the tips that curl up rather than lying flat — comes from techniques in the free crochet butterfly patterns below. Work the three-sizes pattern and stack two of them, and you are most of the way there. Every single pattern on this page is free.
Below you will find quick appliques that take minutes, 3D amigurumi butterflies, butterfly blankets and throws, the butterfly stitch, and wearable butterfly tops — plus the practical parts that patterns leave out: which yarn holds a shape, what size a butterfly comes out, and how to stiffen the wings so they stand up.
How to crochet a butterfly
Almost every flat crochet butterfly is built the same way, and once you have seen it once you will recognise it in any pattern.
You work a foundation chain, then a row of tall stitches grouped into clusters — usually double or treble crochet shells. Two larger clusters become the upper wings, two smaller ones become the lower wings. At the end you pull a length of yarn tightly around the middle and wrap it several times, which cinches the four clusters into a waist and forms the body. The two loose ends become the antennae. That is the whole construction.
The wings are shaped entirely by stitch height. Where the pattern asks for trebles you get a long wing, where it asks for doubles you get a short one. This is why butterflies look far more complicated than they are: the shape comes from the stitch sequence, not from any shaping you have to think about.
Quick crochet butterflies
These are the ones to reach for when you need a dozen of something by tomorrow, or when you just want to finish something today.
Free pattern
The whole butterfly is a single round. Make twenty in an evening.
Free pattern
The Easiest And Cutest Butterflies Ever
A video walkthrough, if written patterns are not your thing.
Butterfly appliques and motifs
Appliques are flat butterflies made to be sewn onto something else. These are the workhorses — small, fast, and endlessly useful for finishing off a plain project.
Free pattern
Butterflies In Three Different Sizes
The most useful pattern here. A matched set covers any project, and stacking two makes a layered butterfly.
Free pattern
Turn A Granny Hexagon Into A Butterfly
Clever. If you crochet granny squares, you can already make this.
More small motifs in crochet appliques and granny squares.
3D and amigurumi butterflies
Worked in the round and stuffed, or shaped so the wings lift away from the body. These take longer than an applique but they stand on their own as small gifts.
Free pattern
Butterfly Amigurumi With Gradient Wings
The gradient does most of the work. A good excuse to use a yarn cake.
More in amigurumi patterns and baby patterns.
Butterfly blankets, throws and graphgans
If you want butterflies at a larger scale, these carry the motif across a whole piece.
Free pattern
Clever Cake Butterfly Graphgan
Worked from a colour chart, so it suits corner to corner crocheters.
More in crochet blanket patterns, baby blankets and corner to corner.
The butterfly stitch is a different thing
This confuses a lot of people, so it is worth saying plainly: the butterfly stitch is not a butterfly shape. It is a textured stitch made by working long loops across several rows and then gathering them into a raised bundle that happens to look a little like wings. You use it to make fabric, not to make a butterfly.
It produces a lovely dense, bobbly texture, and it is well worth learning in its own right.
The full crochet stitch library has many more.
Butterfly tops and wearables
Butterfly motifs scale up beautifully into clothing, either as a repeated all-over motif or as a single statement piece across the front.
See also crochet tops and tanks.
What yarn and hook to use
For appliques and small butterflies, use cotton or a cotton blend in DK or light worsted weight, with a hook one size smaller than the ball band recommends — usually 3mm to 3.5mm for DK.
Two reasons for this. Cotton has no memory, so it holds a shape instead of springing back the way acrylic does, and it takes stiffening properly. And the smaller hook gives you a firm fabric with no gaps, which matters a great deal on something this small: a loose butterfly looks like a tangle rather than a butterfly.
Worked in DK cotton at that tension, a small butterfly comes out around 2 inches across and a larger one around 3 to 3.5 inches. If you want something much bigger, move up to aran or chunky yarn rather than trying to add rounds — the proportions stop working if you do.
Acrylic is fine for butterflies sewn flat onto a blanket, where it does not need to hold a shape and will be washed often. Not sure what your yarn is? Our yarn weight chart will tell you.
How to stiffen a crochet butterfly
This is the question we get most often, and it is what separates a floppy butterfly from one with wings that lift — including the layered look in the photo at the top of this page.
The simplest method is white PVA glue diluted roughly half and half with water. Dip the butterfly, squeeze out the excess between your fingers, then pin it into shape on a blocking mat covered with baking parchment so it does not stick. Leave it to dry completely, which usually means overnight. Commercial fabric stiffener works the same way and dries clearer.
A strong sugar solution also works and is the traditional method, but it will attract insects and go soft in humidity, so it is best kept for something decorative and short-lived.
Three things worth knowing. Stiffen cotton, not acrylic — acrylic can stay tacky. Pin the upper and lower wings at slightly different angles rather than flat, which is what makes a butterfly look like it is mid-flight rather than pressed. And do not stiffen anything that will be washed.
What to do with them
Butterflies are the fastest way to lift something plain. Sew one onto a plain beanie or the corner of a finished blanket. Line three along the strap of a tote bag. Glue a stiffened one to a hair clip, a brooch pin or a fridge magnet. String a row on invisible thread for a window garland, or add one to a gift bag instead of a bow.
They also solve the awkward end of a ball of yarn. A butterfly takes a few metres, so the leftovers that are too small for anything else become a jar of butterflies ready for whenever you need one.
If you like small quick motifs, try crochet flowers next.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the pattern for the butterfly in the photo?
It was a paid Etsy listing and the designer has removed it, so it is no longer available anywhere. The closest free alternative is the three-sizes pattern — make two, stack the smaller on the larger, and stiffen the wings.
How long does a crochet butterfly take?
A simple applique takes three to fifteen minutes once you have made one. The first one always takes longer while the construction makes sense. A 3D amigurumi butterfly takes an hour or two, and a butterfly blanket is a full project.
How much yarn does one use?
Only a few metres for a small applique. A single 50g ball of DK cotton will make somewhere between thirty and fifty small butterflies, which is why they are such a good use of leftovers.
Can a beginner make one?
Yes, and it is a good early project. If you can chain, double crochet and treble crochet, you can make most butterflies here. Start with the beginner butterfly, and if any of those stitches are new, our beginner guides cover them.
Why do my wings curl up?
Usually tension. Too tight and the tall stitches pull the wings inward; too loose and they will not hold a shape at all. Blocking fixes most of it — pin the butterfly out damp and let it dry flat before you judge the result.
How do I attach one so it stays?
Sew it, do not glue it, on anything that will be washed or worn. Use matching sewing thread and stitch through the body and the tip of each wing — five small stitches is plenty, and it will outlast the glue by years.
Are these patterns really free?
Yes. Every pattern linked on this page is free to follow. Browse thousands more in free crochet patterns.
