7 Crochet Patterns to help you make lovely gifts for children this Christmas.
With Christmas getting ever closer, many of us are looking urgently for a crochet pattern which will make a lovely gift for a small relative or friend.Children love to have a something they can put their soft toys and dolls to sleep in after a long day's play. So, a moses basket, a sleeping bag, a cradle, or even a little basket bag will all do the trick.
I have found 7 crochet patterns for you. 2 of them are designed by me, but I have used 6 of the patterns listed here, and the other one is on my to-do list. And I can say that these are all quite easy patterns and they work up quickly too. Always a bonus at this busy time of the year.
Moses Baskets:
Moses Basket for a Toddler to play with by Silvi Veale
It is an easy pattern which works up quickly using 2 strands of yarn (I used dk - 8ply), but it works up well in worsted too - it's just a bit bigger.
The Pattern is for a moses basket with separate mattress, plus a blanket to put around the dolly when sleeping inside.
Crochet pattern has full written instructions, plus pictures of each process and diagrams too, plus there is a print friendly version of the pattern if you prefer.
My moses baskets measure 10.5 inches (26.5 cms) length across the bottom and is 5.5 inches (14 cms) wide. They are 4 inches (10 cms) deep around (at the hood end it is 5.5 inches (14 cms) deep maximum). They were made using dk yarn.
You can find the pattern here on Ravelry:
Moses Basket for a Toddler
I hope you like it 🙂
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Small Moses Basket and Swaddling Blanket by Silvi Veale
This is my second moses basket pattern.
This one is a crochet pattern to make 2 items: a Small Moses Basket to hold a doll or soft toy measuring between 5 inches and 7 inches (when using double strand DK yarn); and a Swaddling Blanket to wrap around the doll when in the basket.
So, this basket is smaller than the previous basket for a toddler to play with. It is, however, very suitable to give as a special small gift for children of all ages.
There are two versions of the pattern and you will be able to download them both as required:
- A full written pattern with pictorial instructions alongside the pattern.
- A full written text only pattern which is print friendly.
They measure approximately 7.5 inches (19 cms) in length by 4.25 inches (10.5 cms) width, measured across and unstretched.
The swaddling blanket is made in single strand dk yarn and a 4.5mm hook. Mine measures approximately 17.5 inches (44.5 cms) in width and 6 inches (15.25 cms) in length (note that these are wraparound so they are much wider than they are long).
This pattern will work up well in worsted/aran yarn. It will, however, produce a larger moses basket.
If using chunky yarn, I recommend using one strand at a time only.
You can find the pattern here on Ravelry:
Small Moses Basket and Blanket
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I'm very pleased with both of my moses basket patterns.
I can also highly recommend the following patterns as great crochet projects which are easy to understand and quick to work up:
Cradle Bags:
Bev's Doll Cradle Purse by Beverly A. Qualheim of Bev's Country Cottage
I love this little pattern!
I've used it to make quite a few cradle baskets of different colours and put teddy bears inside them 🙂
I chose this cradle bag pattern above others, because it is very well-explained, which also means that it is quick and easy to do. Its not a complete beginner pattern as such, but experienced beginners should manage it just fine.
This crochet pattern makes a cradle/bassinet purse and a small blanket to go inside.
(I actually used another blanket style for mine - but the blanket pattern is great too).
Bev says that this pattern takes about 5 hours, but once you get into the swing of it, I think it takes less time than that. It is quick and easy.
To quote Bev again: "This is an old fashioned toy that has never lost it's appeal. Little girls love purses and they love baby dolls! What could be better than a purse that opens up into a little bassinet for her dolly?"
And she's correct. Children do love the uniqueness of these little cradle bags.
Any 5" - 6" doll or soft toy will fit in the cradle (or a teddy bear in a cradle like in mine 🙂 ).
This is a great pattern to make for a Christmas present for a very lucky child.
You can find this sweet little pattern on Etsy here:
Doll Bassinet-Purse PDF pattern
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Sleeping Bags:
Baby Pod Photo Prop by Lorene Haythorn Eppolite- Cre8tion Crochet
This crochet pattern was actually designed as a papoose or photo prop for a newborn baby.
And when made up in the chunky or super bulky yarn used originally in the pattern, it does just that.
However, I wanted a smaller sleeping bag/papoose to fit a teddy bear, so I used dk yarn (double-stranded) and a 6mm hook to make most of mine and they fit 10 inch length teddy bears just fine with room to spare.
But I also made one using a 4.5mm hook and single strand dk and it was ideal for a 4 inch teddy bear 🙂
That's why I recommend this pattern.
If you want a quick and easy to make papoose/sleeping bag to put a soft toy in for a Christmas present, with very little tweaking, this definitely fits the bill!
I used the paid pattern to make my sleeping bags for teddies (because I think it's only fair to pay for a pattern you are using to make items to sell yourself). But of course you don't have to.
The paid version is here:
Baby Pod Photo Prop
This pattern is also available for free on the Cre8tion Crochet blog.
Enjoy 🙂
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Mermaid Tails:
Mermaid Tail for 18 inch Doll - from Granny's Crochet Shoppe & More
No pictures yet for this one, as it is still on my to-do list. Sorry!
There are many mermaid tail crochet patterns out there, but what I like about this one is that it was designed to be higher, almost like a sleeping bag.
In fact, I have seen a couple of these made into mermaid sleeping bags for dolls which are a little smaller than 18 inches high.
I love the shell stitch pattern by the way. It looks great!
This pattern was designed originally using Red Heart super Saver, which is worsted weight (10 ply) yarn. So do bear this in mind if you are working in dk yarn - the mermaid tail will be quite a bit shorter. But that may be just right if you are making this for a smaller doll or soft toy.
I also chose this pattern over other mermaid ones, because it is very well-explained and has pictures to show you every stage of the process.
When I first began crochet, I found some free crochet mermaid patterns, but the instructions weren't exactly clear and I gave up. But this pattern is great! And for a free crochet pattern, it really is excellent.
I will add a picture to this section when I've completed a mermaid tail. But please don't let that stop you getting on and making one yourself 🙂
You can find the full pattern on the Granny's Crochet Shoppe & More blog here:
Mermaid Tail for 18 inch Doll - from Granny's Crochet Shoppe & More
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Hanging Nests/Baskets:
Newborn Hanging Nest by Chelsea Hathaway
Like the Baby Pod pattern, this pattern for a crochet hanging nest was also designed with newborn babies in mind.
When I looked at some of the projects for this pattern, it turned out that many people were finding it a little small for a baby.
Well that suited me fine, lol!
The original pattern is for super bulky yarn and a large size hook, but I used single strand dk yarn and a 4.5 mm hook.
I changed the stitch count just a little and...
Result - small hanging baskets for little teddy bears!
(I call them 'teddy swings' 🧸 ).
To give you an idea on size, the sitting teddies inside the hanging nests I have made measure 4 inches high sitting down. But you could easily make hanging nests larger or smaller than this just by varying the yarn and hook used or the number of starting stitches.
So I would say that this lovely little pattern is very worth a look!
And importantly, if you read Chelsea's updated notes, it works for a newborn as well.
This one is a Free Ravelry Download too. You can download it here:
Newborn Hanging Nest
Have fun 🙂
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Little Basket Bags for Dolls to Sleep in:
Easy Peasy Little Bag by Britta Graham (bubnutPatterns on Etsy)
As you may know... 🙂 I make bags for teddy bears. And I'm always looking for new ideas, especially to fit certain sizes of teddy bear.
And this sweet little basket -style bag was just the fit for a 12 cm teddy bear to sleep in.
Usually I have to tweak patterns to make them fit, but this one worked straight out of the box.
In double-stranded dk yarn, the bag I made was smaller than the one in the pattern ( which is 9 inches wide by 7 inches high approximately), but it made an ideal place for a teddy to sleep!
The pattern shows you how to use different yarns (or in my case, 2 yarns together) to get the size bag required. It also gives very useful advice on how to keep the bag in shape and placing of handles, etc.
And, as I wanted to ensure that the teddy bears I put inside would feel comfortable... 🧸
I made a matching, large scarf to wrap around each one.
This is a handbag bag, rather than a moses basket, but, with a small doll or soft toy inside, wrapped in a blanket or a thick scarf, it makes somewhere to sleep very well.
You can find this lovely little pattern on Etsy here:
Handbag Crochet Pattern - Easy Peasy Little Kids Bag Crochet Pattern No.504 Digital Download English
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Well there you have it - 7 crochet patterns for moses baskets, sleeping bags, cradles, bags and even mermaid's tails.
All easy to tweak, if necessary, to make a lovely sleeping space for a doll or soft toy.
I hope they are as useful to you as they have been to me.
Have fun making them this Christmas!
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