How to crochet a super sweet giant strawberry cushion

Kate used 7x balls of Rose Red (913), 1x ball of Light Caramel (908) and 1x ball Grass Green (929).

Kate used 3x 250g bags of toy stuffing but you could use stuffing from old pillows/duvets too. 

The strawberry is worked from the bottom up in a continuous spiral.

The leaf and stalk are added afterwards and the seeds are sewn on using a large yarn needle.

The main body of the strawberry is worked in DC (UK terms) and the leaf is worked in dc, htr, tr, dtr, and ttr.

How to crochet the strawberry

Round 1: Using a 10mm crochet hook and the Rose Red make a magic ring and work 8 dc in to the ring.
Round 2: (1 dc , 2dc in to the next st) x 4. sts. 12 sts.
Round 3: (1 dc in each of the next 2 sts , 2dc in to the next st) x 4. sts. 16 sts.
Round 4: (1 dc in each of the next 3 sts , 2dc in to the next st) x 4. sts. 20 sts.
Rounds 5 and 6: Dc. 20 sts.
Round 7: (1 dc in each of the next 4 sts , 2dc in to the next st) x 4. sts. 24 sts.
Round 8: Dc. 24 sts.
Round 9: (1 dc in each of the next 5 sts , 2dc in to the next st) x 4. sts. 28 sts.
Round 10: (1 dc in each of the next 6 sts , 2dc in to the next st) x 4. sts. 32 sts.
Rounds 11 and 12: Dc. 32 sts.
Round 13: (1 dc in each of the next 7 sts , 2dc in to the next st) x 4. sts. 36 sts.
Round 14: Dc. 36 sts.
Round 15: (1 dc in each of the next 8 sts , 2dc in to the next st) x 4. sts. 40 sts.
Round 16: (1 dc in each of the next 9 sts , 2dc in to the next st) x 4. sts. 44 sts.
Round 17: Dc. 44 sts.
Round 18: (1 dc in each of the next 10 sts , 2dc in to the next st) x 4. sts. 48 sts.
Round 19: (1 dc in each of the next 7 sts , 2dc in to the next st) x 6. sts. 54 sts.
Rounds 20 and 21: Dc. 54 sts.
Round 22: (1 dc in each of the next 8 sts , 2dc in to the next st) x 6. sts. 60 sts.
Round 23: Dc. 60 sts.

Round 24: (1 dc in each of the next 9 sts , 2dc in to the next st) x 6. sts. 66 sts.
Round 25: Dc. 66 sts.
Round 26: (1 dc in each of the next 10 sts , 2dc in to the next st) x 6. sts. 72 sts.
Rounds 27 and 28: Dc. 72 sts.
Round 29: (1 dc in each of the next 8 sts , 2dc in to the next st) x 8. sts. 80 sts.
Rounds 30 to 35: Dc. 80 sts.
Round 36: (1 dc in each of the next 9 sts , 2dc in to the next st) x 8. sts. 88 sts.
Rounds 37 to 39: Dc. 88 sts.
Round 40: (1 dc in each of the next 10 sts , 2dc in to the next st) x 8. sts. 96 sts.
Rounds 41 to 44: Dc. 96 sts.
Round 45: (1 dc in each of the next 11 sts , 2dc in to the next st) x 8. sts. 104 sts.
Rounds 46 to 47: Dc. 104 sts.
Round 48: (1 dc in each of the next 6 sts, dc2tog) x 13. 91 sts.
Round 49: (1 dc in each of the next 5 sts, dc2tog) x 13. 78 sts.
Round 50: (1 dc in each of the next 4 sts, dc2tog) x 13. 65 sts.

Round 51: (1 dc in each of the next 3 sts, dc2tog) x 13. 52 sts.
Round 52: (1 dc in each of the next 2 sts, dc2tog) x 13. 39 sts.
Round 53: (1 dc, dc2tog) x 13. 26 sts.
Stuff the strawberry to about three quarters full.
Round 54: (dc2tog) x 13. 13sts.
Finish stuffing the strawberry.
Round 55: (dc2tog) x 6. Finish off leaving a yarn tail long enough to use to gather up the remaining opening. Don’t worry if there are a few holes around the top as this part of the strawberry will be covered with the leaf.

How to make the leaf

Round 1: Using a 10mm crochet hook and the GRASS GREEN make a Magic Ring and work 9 dc in to the ring.
Round 2: (2dc in each st) x 9. sts. 18 sts.
Round 3: (1 dc , 2dc in to the next st) x 9. sts. 27 sts.
Round 4: (1 dc in each of the next 2 sts , 2dc in to the next st) x 9. sts. 36 sts. Sl st back to the beginning of the round to join.
Round 5: * Chain 12. Starting in the second chain from the hook work back down the chain with 1 dc, 2 htr, 3 tr, 3 dtr, 2 ttr. Skip 3 stitches on the centre circle and sl st in to the next stitch. * Repeat from * to * 7 more times. At the end of the 8th leaf sl st back in to the centre circle and finish off. Sew in ends.

How to make the stalk

Row 1: Using a 10mm crochet hook and the GRASS GREEN chain 13. Starting in the second chain from the hook, work 1 dc in each chain to the end. Chain 1 and turn.
Rows 2 to 5: Dc. 12 sts. Finish off leaving a tail long enough to slip stitch the two long edges together to make a stalk shape. Finish off and sew in ends.

How to finish the strawberry 

Cut long lengths of the Light Caramel yarn and using the large yarn needle thread the yarn in and out from the top of the strawberry to bottom and then back up again to make the seeds. By starting and ending each piece of yarn at the top of the strawberry you will be able to hide the yarn ends under the leaf.

To give the stalk some body fold the 4 x 30 cm pipe cleaners to the same length as the stalk and carefully push them in to the stalk.

Stitch the stalk to the centre top of the leaf .

Position the leaf in the centre of the top of the strawberry and using the green yarn and a large yarn needle sew securely in place. Finish off and sew in ends.