How to Join Crochet Motifs With a Tapestry Needle
After you finish crocheting a number of smaller motifs, you may wish to join them together with a tapestry needle. Also called a yarn needle or darning needle, a tapestry needle looks like a large sewing needle with a big eye and blunt tip. An example of a project made from joined crochet motifs is a granny square afghan, in which each square has a border of the same color. Threading the needle with the same yarn used to crochet the borders will hide the stitches.
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Instructions
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Cut a strand of yarn twice as long as the edge of one of the motifs. For example, to sew together one edge of two 6-inch granny squares, cut 12 inches of yarn. Thread 2 inches of the yarn through the eye of the tapestry needle.
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Hold the two motifs together so the right sides are facing. Locate the corresponding stitches on the upper right edge of both squares.
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Sew through both stitches by inserting the tapestry needle underneath them, just as you would insert a crochet hook if you were going to join them with a slipstitch. Pull the needle through, leaving a 2-inch tail on the front of the work.
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Tie the tail around the working yarn, the yarn still threaded onto the needle, with a square knot. This will join the two motifs together at the edge. Your working yarn will be coming through the back side of the motifs.
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Sew through the next set of stitches in the row from back to front. Pull the yarn to make the stitch snug. Your working yarn will now be coming from the front of the motifs.
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Sew through the next set of stitches from front to back. Continue in this manner, sewing from front to back and back to front, until you reach the end of the row. If the motifs do not have an even number of stitches along the edges you are joining, occasionally skip one stitch in the square with more stitches. Nudge the two pieces together with the needle, stretching the fabric a bit as you go.
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Tie off the yarn at the end of the row or sew on another motif. Always keep the two motifs you are sewing face-to-face, with their right sides together and the wrong sides facing out.
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