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Foundation Double Crochet Tutorial (FDC)

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March 25, 2019 Ashlea 17 Comments

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One thing I wish I had learned earlier on when learning to crochet? The foundation double crochet stitch! This stitch is perfect for starting a new project when you don’t like working back through your foundation chain.

How to Foundation Double Crochet

Foundation Double Crochet Tutorial

The foundation double crochet (abbreviated as FDC) is very similar to the foundation half double crochet, with one small difference.

Foundation crochet stitches (single, half double, double) are particularly helpful when you’re not sure how long to make your beginning chain. They are also great for starting a large blanket with a super long beginning chain or if simply you want that nice, pretty edge on the bottom of your piece. Grab your yarn and corresponding hook and let’s get started!

To foundation double crochet:

1. Chain two.

foundation dc

2. Yarn over, insert hook into very first chain made.

How to Foundation Double Crochet

3. Pull up a loop (three loops on hook).

How to FDC

4. Yarn over, pull through one loop (three loops on hook).

Foundation dc

5. Yarn over, pull through two loops.

fdc tutorial

6. Yarn over, pull through remaining two loops on hook.

foundation double crochet tutorial

That’s it! First Foundation Double Crochet made!

To make subsequent foundation double crochet stitches you will…

6. Yarn over, insert hook into both sides of the BOTTOM of the previous stitch.

fdc tutorials

7. Pull up a loop (three loops on hook). Tip: make this loop nice and tall so your finished work does not curl.

how to fdc

8. Yarn over, pull through one loop (three loops on hook).

making foundation double crochet stitches

9. Yarn over, pull through two loops.

fdc video

10. Yarn over, pull through remaining two loops on hook.

foundation stitches crochet

Voila! The second foundation double crochet stitch is complete! Continue adding new stitches (steps 6 – 10) until you reach the desired length of your piece. See the VIDEO tutorial below!

finished foundation double crochet row

Why use foundation double crochet?

I like to use foundation stitches because I dislike having to work back through a chain, especially long ones. When finished with the foundation row, you’re already finished with the first row as well!

Where can you use foundation double crochet?

Foundation double crochet is great for starting blankets with loooong starting chains. Just substitute this stitch instead of doing a chain and double crocheting back through.

How do you replace chains with foundation stitches?

If working a pattern that calls for the first row to have ten (10) double crochets starting with a chain of 12, you know that you will need to do ten (10) foundation double crochets instead of those 12 chains. It is helpful to look at the end of the first row (or the second row as long as there are no increases or decreases) to make sure you are beginning with the correct number of foundation stitches.

For example, if I had a pattern that started with:

Row 1: Ch-12, dc in 3rd ch from hook and in each ch to end. (10)

I would see that the first row will have a total of ten (10) double crochet stitches, meaning that I would start with a foundation double crochet 10 stitches long – instead of chaining 12.

How do you start the second row after foundation stitches?

Always look for the tail from where you started your foundation stitches. Is the tail coming out of the top or the bottom? Flip the work so that the tail is now the bottom of the row, working your next and subsequent rows into the top of the foundation row as shown in the video below.

Foundation Double Crochet Video

I hope you enjoy this new crochet stitch!

How to Foundation Double Crochet

More crochet stitches:

Foundation Single Crochet: How to Video + Why You Need to Learn

How to Crochet: Foundation Half Double Crochet

Crossed Double Crochet Stitch Tutorial

DC2TOG: How to Double Crochet Two Together

Crochet Tips & Tutorials, Hook, Tutorials crochet tutorial, foundation double crochet, foundation stitces, how to foundation, tutorial

Comments

  1. Catherine Farrington says

    January 11, 2021 at 2:25 pm

    Help! I am working a pattern where it calls for a fdc in the 7th row! How do I even do this?
    Reply
  2. Jeannie says

    December 17, 2020 at 2:40 pm

    I was very happy to find your tutorial on making a double foundation . It was the best instructions I've seen so far. I think it's a wonderful idea rather then chaining 200 chains and then stitching and hope for the best. However, I must be getting a little dense because i need the length of 48" and for some reason it's either short or thick. What an I doing wrong (aside from getting old and feeble) Thanks for your assistance. Jeannie
    Reply
  3. Debby Zasadny says

    November 1, 2020 at 12:55 am

    OMGoodness! Thank you SO much for your videos on foundation chains (single, half-double and double crochet)! You explained it so well and your camera work showing how to do it is so well done! I think I finally can do them. Thank you, thank you!
    Reply
    • Heart Hook Home says

      November 1, 2020 at 5:14 pm

      I'm glad you found the video helpful!!
      Reply
  4. Becca says

    September 28, 2020 at 11:20 am

    Than you so much! I love this! I’ve made several crochet blankets & always hate the chain row then having to back through the chains before I can really get started on the pattern. This will make it so much faster & easier! Great video tutorial!
    Reply
    • Heart Hook Home says

      September 30, 2020 at 7:57 pm

      Yayyy! I am glad you found the tutorial helpful!!
      Reply
  5. Kathleen Valdovinos says

    August 25, 2020 at 8:37 pm

    I love this. I have a question how can I make a apline stitch, with my foundation double corchet ?
    Reply
    • Heart Hook Home says

      August 26, 2020 at 8:11 pm

      Hi Kathleen! When doing the alpine stitch, the 1st (foundation row) is usually started with just a regular row of double crochet and the alpine stitch sequence begins in row 2.
      Reply
  6. Sonja says

    July 22, 2020 at 12:19 pm

    The first time I saw this stitch I wanted to learn it. The first time I tried it did not match the picture. I found your site and your tutorial and tried it again. Voila! i had made a recognizable foundation double crochet row. Excellent tutorial and your video was excellent!
    Reply
    • Heart Hook Home says

      July 22, 2020 at 8:58 pm

      I am so glad you found the tutorial helpful!!
      Reply
  7. Jenn says

    July 4, 2020 at 8:05 pm

    Hi, I am doing a blanket with a starting chain of 94 then Row 1: dc in 4th ch from the hook (ch 3 counts as dc) and in each ch across (92 dc). How many foundation double crochet’s would I need? Is it 93? Thank you for your help.
    Reply
    • Heart Hook Home says

      July 6, 2020 at 2:59 pm

      Hi Jenn! You would want to make 92 foundation dc's. Hope this helps!
      Reply
  8. Katie says

    March 2, 2020 at 9:47 am

    Thank you for this wonderful tutorial for a stitch I didn't know how to do. It has such a clean look. I used it in my new scarf pattern and linked to your tutorial on my blog.
    Reply
  9. Jennifer K. says

    August 27, 2019 at 11:48 pm

    Thanks for your excellent YouTube tutorial! I'm excited to use the foundation double crochet in the new baby blanket design I've been working on. I'm pleased with the way my sample swatch turned out tonight and I'm eager to start the actual blanket tomorrow. --Jennifer
    Reply
  10. Vivian Lee says

    May 5, 2019 at 3:57 am

    Thanks for this! I have a bad habit of doing my foundation chain WAY too tight and my projects inevitably curl up on one edge. I'm hoping this will help alleviate it a bit!
    Reply
  11. Deborah says

    April 5, 2019 at 12:38 pm

    Hi Im so excited to try this stitch on a blanket .Thank you
    Reply
  12. Kathy says

    March 29, 2019 at 6:11 pm

    Thanks Very Much for all the wonderful knowledge you share with us.
    Reply

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beard

Hi! I’m Ashlea, the Kansas mom, and wife, that runs this crochet, food, and heart (CHD) blog.  I am a frugal, yarn loving crochet addict that enjoys good food and fine wine – or an occasional whiskey. 😉 Read more about me here and see my favorite Amazon products here.

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