Well, I don’t know if this is technically a hack, but adding embroidery can make your garment more unique. While you can use any embroidery stitch, these flowers are simple and meant to look handmade, each one unique. So don’t worry about making them look too uniform. (You can find the pattern for the Ramona top in my shop here, and on Ravelry here.)

This hack takes a bit of of embroidery knowledge such as how to work French knots, but I’ve given a few general directions below. Again, any embroidery stitch can be used, this is just meant as inspiration.

For the flower petals:

1.) To join, I weave the thread end through the backs of a few stitches, and make a knot around the last loop.

2.) To start your petals, bring thread to the front, coming up near the center of crochet stitch.

3.) In nearby stitch bring thread through to back. Do this again in the same places. (Two thread stitches per petal.) Working around that center stitch, make five petals. Again, don’t worry about the petals looking uniform or exact.

4.) I spaced my flowers about 4 crochet stitches apart. In between flowers, weave thread through the backs of stitches. Before working next flower, give the section of the neckline just woven through a little stretch, to loosen the embroidery thread and keep the neckline and sleeve cuffs stretchy and usable. To fasten off, make knot at back of fabric and weave in end as in the beginning.

For the flower centers:

1.) The flower centers are simple French knots. Join thread the same as for the petals. Bring thread up in center of flower.

2.) Wrap thread around needle 2 times.

3.) For these French knots I pulled the thread taught – you can see me holding the thread end with my right thumb to tension it – and bring the needle back down through the center of the flower, just next to where thread was brought up.

4.) Weave thread between flowers the same as when making petals. Giving the fabric just worked through a stretch to loosen the embroidery thread between each flower center. Fasten off the same as for petals.