How to Block Your Work

Blocking is the warm bath and gentle pinning-out that turns a finished piece from “nearly right” into crisp, flat and exactly the size the pattern promised. It’s the finishing stage our doily patterns build right in with exact measurements, part of the making-up of the tapestry wall hangings, and the whole difference between a cushion cover that sits square and one that slouches in the corner.

Step by step

Weave in your ends first, then give the piece a soak: lukewarm water with a drop of wool wash or mild detergent, a good 15–20 minutes, and no swishing or agitation. Cotton doilies and tapestry pieces go straight into the same bath quite happily.
Lift the piece out supporting its whole weight — wet work stretches under its own heaviness. Press the water out gently against the side of the basin, then roll the piece in a clean towel and press (standing on the roll works beautifully) to squeeze out the rest.
Lay the damp piece on a flat surface: blocking mats if you have them, a foam board, or a towel spread over a spare bed. Smooth it out with your palms before a single pin goes in anywhere.
Pin to the pattern’s finished measurements — our doily patterns give their exact sizes, so measure with a tape as you pin: sides even, corners square, points pulled out sharp. Use rustproof pins only, unless you enjoy little brown spots, and put pins every few centimetres along lace edges.
Run pins close together — or blocking wires if you have them — along straight edges like tapestry panels and cushion covers, so the edge dries dead straight instead of scalloping gently between pin points.
For lace and filet work, this is where the magic happens: pin out every point and picot to open the pattern right up. A filet doily goes into the bath looking like a doily and comes off the board looking like lace.
For crisp thread-crochet doilies, our patterns include stiffening as the final flourish once the piece is blocked and dry — follow the recipe in your pattern, brush it on evenly, and let it set completely before the doily meets the sideboard.
Leave everything pinned until bone dry — not nearly dry, completely dry. That might be overnight or a full day depending on the weather, and a small fan nearby hurries things along politely.
Unpin, hold your work up, and enjoy the moment. A blocked piece holds its shape for months, and after future washes a quick soak and re-pin brings it straight back to its best.

Watch it

From our Tips & Tricks video series: 10 Blocking & Finishing Tips for Knit & Crochet

Patterns that use it

Aussie Fauna Filet Doilies Crochet Patterns Kangaroo Koala Kookaburra Thread Crochet Lace Table Decor PDF

Aussie Flora Doilies Crochet Patterns Vol 1 Waratah Wattle Banksia Thread Crochet Lace Table Decor

Kangaroo Road Sign Wall Hanging Crochet Pattern | Aussie Tapestry Wall Decor 50x60cm PDF

Cushion Covers Crochet Patterns Vol 1 | Aussie Flora Wattle Blossom & Bottlebrush Pillow Cover PDF

Kangaroo Road Sign Cushion Cover Knitting Pattern | Aussie Intarsia Chart 40cm DK PDF

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Common mistakes

Using hot water, or swishing and wringing the piece in its soak. Heat plus agitation is how wool felts, and even cotton pieces can stretch out of true — lukewarm water and a patient lift, always.
Pinning too sparsely along the edges, with big gaps between pins. The edge dries in gentle scallops between each pair of pins instead of dead straight, and no amount of pressing afterwards quite fixes it.
Unpinning while the piece is still cool and faintly damp in the middle. It feels dry at the edges and quietly relaxes back to its old shape by morning — bone dry means bone dry, right through.

Tina’s tips

I keep a cheap tape measure pinned to the edge of my blocking board. Measuring as you pin is ten times easier than measuring, adjusting, measuring again — the numbers are right there at your fingertips.
Block in the morning if you can. A piece pinned out at breakfast gets a full day of drying light and air, and unpinning it the next morning with your first cuppa is one of the quiet pleasures of making.