Crochet Bleuette

Crochet Bleuette in Vanna's Choice, Reproduction Bleuette, Crochet Bleuette in Super Saver

Bleuette in Crochet baw 7-3-2012

Materials:-Worsted Weight acrylic yarn. I used both Vanna's Choice in beige, and Red Heart Super Saver in aran-Size D crochet hook-Fiberfill-9mm acrylic doll eyes-Craft or carpet thread-3” dollmaking needle-Plastic cottage cheese/yogurt lid (for foot sole stiffening)-Size 7 doll wig, or you can make your own wig if you prefer.

Doll is 11 1/2 to 11 3/4 inches tall when worked to gauge.

Gauge: 5sc = 1 inch. This is a very tight gauge for worsted yarn; it makes a very stiff, non-stretchy fabric for the doll body.

Design by Beth Webber. Please do not copy or sell this pattern 7-3-2012

If you are making this doll to mimic Bleuette, you need to be careful about gauge and also measure your doll as you make the various parts of her. Here are Bleuette's measurements that I think are important: Reproduction Bleuette Crochet Bleuette

(my template for crochet Bleuette)Head Circumference: 7 inches 7 inchesUpper Arm Length: 2 inches 2 1/8 inch (unstrung)Lower Arm Length: 2 3/8 inch 2 1/2 inch (to the tip of the finger, unstrung)Chest: 6 inch 5 3/4 inchWaist: 5 1/2 inch 5 1/2 inchWidest part of hips: 6 7/8 inch 6 1/2 inchTorso Length: 4 inches 3 3/4 inchUpper Leg Length: 2 1/8 inch 2 1/8 inchLower Leg Length: 2 3/4 inch 2 3/4 inch (to bottom of foot)

For each of these measurements, your doll should be +/- 1/4 inch. Crochet is more forgiving than wood or porcelain, so being a bit off won't hurt. I highly recommend using the same yarn that I used. I find that even though a yarn may be the same weight and yardage, they can still make up very differently, depending on the 'softness' of the yarn. I found it harder to crochet with the Super Saver; it was a stiffer yarn than the Vanna's Choice, and made up a bit larger. But both yarns made up lovely dolls.

Some construction notes: I used the 'invisible decrease' for all the decrease stitches. It leaves no holes and is truly invisible. Makes the feet look great. If you are not familiar with this stitch, do a Google search on 'crochet invisible decrease,' and you will find several tutorials on how to do this. It is easy, and once you see it, you'll never go back to the normal decrease.

Upper arm: make two1: Ch2, five sc in second ch from hook2: Two sc in each sc around. 10 sc3-11: 10 sc. Stuff upper arm firmly.12: In BLO sl st in each sc around. This forms an inner ridge for the elbow socket.

Upper arm finished. You can just see the ridge of slip stitches inside the upper arm.

13: In free front loop, sc in each st around.


14: in both loops, sc in each sc around. Finish off

Lower arm: make two1: Ch2, six sc in second ch from hook2: (Sc in the next two sts, two sc in the next) around. 8 sc3-10: 8 sc. Stuff lower arm not quite as firmly as upper arm.11: (Sc in the next two sc, sc next two sc tog) twice. 6 sc12: Flatten the arm and sc the opening closed with three sc (makes the wrist)

Hand:Ch3, sl st in the last sc made, (ch3, sl st in the second and third ch from the hook and in the next sc),(ch3, sl st in the second and third ch from the hook and in the same sc), (ch3, sl st in the second and third ch from the hook and in the next sc), ch3, sl st in the same sc, fasten off.

Assembly of the lower and upper arm:

left shows threaded dollmaking needle, right shows lower end of upper arm and slip stitch ridge

Thread the dollmaking needle with two doubled lengths of strong craft or carpet thread. Leave at least a three inch tail of thread; starting at the top of the upper arm, insert the needle through the upper arm, exiting at the hole at the bottom (don't catch any of the crochet fabric of the upper arm as you pass the needle through).


left, crochet arms and real arms; center, upper and lower arms almost jointed; right, finished arms

Run the needle through the third row of the lower arm and out, then pass the needle back through the hole at the bottom of the upper arm and out the top. Pull tightly, but don't deform the upper arm; the lower arm should fit securely in the 'socket' of the lower end of the upper arm. Tie off the thread at the top with a double knot, then bury the ends in the upper arm.

Head:1: Ch2, six sc in the second ch from the hook.2: Two sc in each sc around. 12 sc3: (Sc in the next sc, two sc in the next sc) around. 18 sc4: (Sc in the next two sc, two sc in the next sc) around. 24 sc5: Repeat row 4. 32 sc6-17: 32 sc Insert 9mm eyes between rounds 13 and 14, six stitches apart

18: (Sc in the next two sc, sc next two sc tog) around. 24 sc. Stuff head firmly. The circumference should be close to seven inches19: (Sc in the next sc, sc next two sc tog) around. 16 sc20: (Sc in the next two sc, sc next two sc tog) around. 12 sc. Finish off , leave the hole at the bottom of the head open for the neck insertion. Stuff the head until it is quite firm, but do not stretch the fabric and allow the stuffing to show through the stitches.


Making Faces:

Faces on crochet can be tricky, but if you keep it simple, they can turn out beautifully. You already have the eyes in place; these three dolls have three different mouths. All of them were done with six strands of embroidery floss. I always separate the plies, then put them back together.

For the face on the left, the mouth is simply two straight stitches, the top stitch slightly longer than the bottom stitch.

For the center face, the mouth is a French knot. I wrapped the floss three times around the needle to make the knot, then used the tail threads to pull the knot gently into the shape I wanted.

For the right face, the mouth is narrowly satin stitched for six stitches, then a simple fly stitch is stitched on top of the satin stitches.

Once the mouth is in place, I crochet the ears on the doll. With the doll facing me, I start at the lower left ear, one row above the mouth and four stitches from the eye. Sl st in this row, then working toward the top of the head, three sc around the next row, then sl st in the next row and finish off. Leave long yarn tails at both the beginning and the end (more on them in a minute).

For the right ear, start your sl st four stitches from the eye and on the same row as the top of the left ear. Working down the head, three sc around the next row, and sl st in the next row. Finish off, leaving the long yarn tails.

With the yarn tails at the bottom of the ear, run them through the same row as the last st and into the back of the head. This shapes the bottom of the ear. Bury the yarn tail in the head.

With the yarn tails at the top of the ear, run them into the next row up, then out at the outside corner of the eye. This yarn tail will make the eyelid. Look at the pictures at the top of this section to see how the eyelid is made with just a simple straight stitch across the top of the eye from the outside corner to the inside top of the eye.

After the eyelid is made, use one of these yarn tails to make the nose. The nose is just two straight stitches, one sc long, made in the center of the face at the bottom of the eye line. Again, look at the


pictures of the doll faces to get the placement.

For a bit more eye definition, I used three strands of dark brown embroidery floss and one straight stitch from the bottom of the eye to the outside bottom corner of the eyelid.

I blushed the doll's cheeks with crayon. Wild strawberry for the ivory skinned doll, and brick red for the tan doll. Rub the color onto the face, then use a soft cotton cloth to rub the color in and even it out.

Body: begins at the neck1: Ch2, six sc in second ch from hook.2: Two sc in each sc around. 12 sc3-6: Sc in each sc around.7: Two sc in each sc around. 24 sc8: (Sc in the next five sc, two sc in the next sc) around. 28 sc9-12: 28 sc13: (Sc in the next five sc, sc next two sc tog) around. 24 sc14- 18: 24 sc19: Sc in the first st (two sc in the next st) three times, sc in the next st (two sc in the next st) three times, sc in last 16 sts . 30 sts. This creates a cute little butt for your doll :-)20-24: 30 sts25: Sc in the next five sc, sc next two sc tog, sc in the next five sc, sc next two sc tog, sc in the remaining 16 sc. 28 sc26: Sc in each sc around. 28 sc. 27: Sc in the next 16 sc. Stuff the body firmly, but do not stretch the stitches. Shape the body as you stuff to give her a little butt. Flatten the last row of the body and sc closed with 14 sc, stuffing the bottom as you close it up. DO NOT fasten off the yarn. You will proceed to the upper leg next

Upper Leg:1: sc in the front loop of the first seven sc that close the bottom of the body; turn and work seven more sc in the unused loops. 14 sc2-8: 14 sc9: Sc in the next five sc, sc next two sc tog, sc in remaining seven sc. 13 sc10-11: 13 sc. Stuff upper leg firmly.12: Sc in the next four sc. In the BLO, sl st in the next 13 sts. This will place you at the back of the upper leg. The sl sts create a ridge inside the leg for the knee socket.14: Working in the front loops, sc in each st around.15: In both loops sc in each sc around. Fasten off.

Join yarn at the back of the body in the front loop of the next unused sc and repeat rows 1 through 15 for the other upper leg.

Lower Leg: make two, starts at the foot1: Ch7, sc in second ch from hook and next four ch, four sc in the last ch. Working on the opposite side of the chain, sc in the next four ch, two sc in the last ch. 15sc2: Working in the back loops, sc in each sc around. 15 sc3: Sc in the next four sc, (sc next two sc tog) three times, sc in the next five sc. 12sc


Using the bottom of the foot as a template, cut a sole for the foot from a plastic lid, like a yogurt or cottage cheese lid; whatever you have handy. Whittle it down until it slides into the foot, with the printed side up (if you have printing on your piece of plastic). You don't need to glue it in place, the foot stuffing will hold in place.

4: Sc in the next three sc, (sc next two sc tog) three times, sc in the last three sc. 9sc5-6: Sc in each sc around. 9sc. Stuff the foot firmly, enough to keep the plastic sole in place.7: Two sc in the first sc, sc in remaining sc. 10 sc8-9: 10 sc10: Sc in the next st, two sc in the next st, sc in the remaining sc around. 11 sc11-12: 11sc. Stuff the leg firmly.13: Sc in the first two sc, two sc in the next two sc, sc in the remaining sc around. 13 sc14: Sc in each sc around.15: Sc in the next two sc, (sc next two sc tog) twice, sc in the remaining sc around. 11 sc16: 11 sc. Stuff the leg firmly.17: (Sc in the next st, sc next two sc tog) three times, sc in the last two sts. 8sc. Stuff the leg a bit more18: (Sc next two sc tog) three times, Sl st in the next st and fasten off. Top off the stuffing, then sew the opening closed.

Shaping the buttocks and belly button:

Thread a tapestry needle with your body yarn. Insert the needle from the side of the doll, exiting at the back between the legs. Insert needle nine rows above the exit point, and return to same point between the legs. Repeat this two more times, each time pulling on the yarn gently to shape the buttocks.


For the belly button, do not finish off your yarn when you've finished shaping the buttocks, but run the yarn from the back to the front where you want the belly button to be. Insert the needle one stitch up from the exit point in front, and run back into the back of the body. Repeat once, pulling gently on the yarn to form the belly button.

To finish off the yarn, run both loose ends into the body two or three times to secure, then bury the ends in the body.

Assembly of the lower and upper leg:

left, lower and upper leg unstrung; left center, slip stitch ridge; right center, begin stringing; right, needle exit.

Thread the dollmaking needle with two doubled lengths of strong craft or carpet thread. Leave at least a three inch tail of thread, starting at the top back of the upper leg, insert the needle through the upper leg, exiting at the hole at the bottom (don't catch any of the crochet fabric of the upper leg as you pass the needle through).

Run the needle through the third row of the lower leg and out, then pass the needle back through the hole at the bottom of the upper leg and out the top. Make sure your toes are pointing forward! Pull tightly, but don't deform the upper leg; the lower leg should fit securely in the 'socket' of the lower end of the upper leg. Tie off the thread at the top with a double knot, then bury the ends in the upper leg.


Move-able Head Attachement:

Thread a three inch dollmaking needle with two strands of doubled craft thread. Tie the ends in a knot, and leave at least a three inch tail. Insert the needle in the top of the head, one row off of dead center, and straight out the bottom of the head opening. Thread the needle through the neck, between rows four and five.

Pass the needle back into the head and exit out the top, one row off of dead center opposite the point you entered the head. Pull on both thread ends to gently pull the head and neck together, continue pulling the ends and snug the long end of the neck into the head. You do not want any of the threads to show at the neck. Twist the head gently to get it firm and snug on the neck, then tie off the threads at the top of the head with a double knot. Bury the thread ends into the head.

Attaching the arms to the body:

After you have assembled the upper and lower arms, attach them to the body using two doubled strands of strong carpet thread and a three inch dollmaking needle. Leaving at least a three inch tail of thread, run the needle through the inside of the upper arm, then place the arm against the body to determine


where you want the pivot point of the shoulder to be. Insert the needle at this point and run straight through the other side of the body.

Insert the needle through the inside of the upper arm of the second arm, then run the needle back through the body, two stitches from the first point of entry, and back through the inside of the upper arm of the first arm. Pull on both the tail threads and the threads still in the needle to snug up the arms to the body

Run the needle through the body, the second arm, back through the body and the first arm, gently pulling the arms to the body. You want them very tight against the body. Secure the thread ends by running them back and fourth inside the back of the body, then bury the ends in the body.

Wigs:

I used size 7 modacrylic wigs for these dolls. This was fun and provided instant gratification :-) Of course, if you like you can create your own doll wig using my online tutorial. This involves crocheting a simple wig cap from your wig yarn, then creating whatever style you want on this base. Ponytails, pigtails, curly do's, just about anything you like. You can check out other doll patterns on my website for ideas and instructions for making your own wigs.

Online wigmaking tutorial: http://www.flickr.com/photos/29184580@N04/sets/72157619529864003/Online source for modacrylic wigs: http://www.dollsupply.com/shop/index.php?cPath=57Another online source for wigs: http://www.dollspart.com/cgi-bin/dept?dpt=H&srch=D4 (they also have mohair and human hair wigs)


http://www.flickr.com/photos/29184580@N04/sets/72157619529864003/

http://www.dollspart.com/cgi-bin/dept?dpt=H&srch=D4

http://www.dollsupply.com/shop/index.php?cPath=57

Your crochet Bleuette is finished! Bravo!


Crochet Bleuette

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