Brave, Princess Merida

Hello dear friends,

This week presenting beautiful princess Merida.

Jo Merriman made this adorable doll based on my FairyDoll pattern, and you will all agree, she made wonderful job designing Merida. Thank you Jo for this great idea and pattern you share with us!

Materials you will need to make this doll can be any of your choice yarn with matching hook.

Yarn in flash color – peach or pinkish one will work great for princess Merida

For dress use some petrol green color, darker green or blue, all will work nice.

Bow and quiver make in brown (some leftover yarns will work well) – same color you can use to make Merida’s shoes.

Jo added tiny bits of beige on top of the dress and sleeves.

And orange to make Merida’s beautiful hair.

Darning needle for sewing, stuffing of your choice

2 black beads 4-5 mm round ones for the eyes.

 

Abbreviations:

St(s) – stitch(es)

Sc – single crochet

Sl st – slip stitch

Ch – chain

Hdc – half double crochet

Dec – decreasing stitch

Inc – increasing stitch

 

Head

(flesh color yarn)

R1 Sc6 in magic ring

R2 Inc6 (12 sts)

R3 *Inc1, sc1* x6 (18 sts)

R4 *inc1, sc2* x6 (24 sts)

R5 *inc1, sc3* x6 (30 sts)

R6 *inc1, sc4* x6 (36 sts)

R7 *inc1, sc5* x6 (42 sts)

R8-R12 sc42

R13 inc12, sc30 (54 sts)

R14-R16 sc54

R17 *dec1, sc7* x6 (48 sts)

R18 sc48

R19 *dec1, sc4* x8 (40 sts)

R20 *dec1, sc2* x10 (30 sts)

R21 *dec1, sc1* x10 (20 sts)

R22 dec8, sc4 (12 sts)

At this point stuff the head best you can. Stuff it firmly to fill all the gaps around R13-17. There should be no empty spaces.

R22 dec7, sc4, dec1 (12 sts)

Tie off. Stuff more if needed.

 

Legs & body

(You will need flash color yarn, brown-for shoes, and start with brown for shoes, green or similar for dress)

We will be making legs first, then joining them together and continuing with the body part that will at the same time make base for the dress.

Legs and body is the same pattern as used for BB dolls.

Leg1:

Start with brown

R1: 6 Sc in magic ring (6)

R2: 2 sc in each st around (12)

R3:  *2sc in one st, sc1* x6 (18)

R4: 18 sc

Change color to flash

R5: dec6, sc6 (12)

R6: dec3, sc6 (9)

Stuff the bottom of the leg.

R7-R16: 9 sc

Tie off and leave long end for sewing later. Stuff the leg.

 

Repeat from R1-R16 for the next leg as well!

 

Work with white or color you will use for dress.

Bring both legs together. Safety pin them so they stay close and firm.

Change color to one you will use for the dress and continue making the body.

R17: stitch around both legs making 18 stitches count. (18)

R18-R22

R23 sc18 BLO (back loops only)

R24-R25: sc18

R26: *dec1, sc1* x6 (12)

R27 Either change to a separate color as in photos or change to flesh color. Sc6, insert hook in r below (1st pic) yarn over and pull long loop, insert into same sc and create a second long loop into same sc(2nd pic), sc 5. 13sc.

R28. Change to flesh colour if not done in r27,sc 6 invisible dec 1(dec using front loops only) sc5. 12sc

R29 12 sc.

Pic 3 is the completed doll body changing colour at r27 and again at R28..,,

Tie off leaving long end for sewing the body to the head.

Stuff the body.

Photos below are showing what is done R26-R29

 This pic is r27, placing hook into r25 whereas the other is just r below. This one I didn’t dec in R28 and just sc 13 in the last 2 rounds, as you can see I didn’t think it made a difference,

Arms

Start with flash color

R1 sc6 in magic ring

R2-R4 sc6

Change color to one used for dress

 

R5-R10 sc6

Tie off leaving long end for sewing the arms to the body.

Sew the arms on sides of the body, where neck area,

Jo’s tip: use a running stitch of the tan colour at where the hand and sleeve start and about half way up at about elbow

 

Dress

With same color yarn you used to make the

body, starting at R23

Slip stitch to one of the front loops on R23, ch1

R1 inc18 (36 sts)

R2-R6 sc36

R7 *inc1, sc5* x6 (42 sts)

R8-R24 sc 42

R43 sc in front loops only

Tie off hide end.

 

Bow

In brown color yarn

R1 sc4 in magic ring

R2-R11 sc4

R12 inc1, sc3 (5 sts)

R13-R16 sc5

R17 inc1, sc4 (6 sts)

R18-R21 sc6

R22 dec1, sc4 (5 sts)

R23-R26 sc5

R27 dec1, sc3 (4 sts)

 

R28-R37 sc4

Tie off leaving long end for closing the last round nicely.

Cut the wire little bit shorter than the bow is. Secure the ends with little bit of tape or glued yarn over wire ends.

Place the wire inside the bow. Fold the piece so it forms the bow shape.

 

With silver or white or beige color thread make bow string.

 

Knot it on one side, wrap few times, stretch over the bow from one end to opposite, tie knot, wrap few times.

To secure ends you can either glue them or sew them inside the bow.

 

Bow made with pipe cleaner:

the bow is a 12inch pipe cleaner folded in half and shaped as a bow. using brown yarn tie a knot near bend, wrap yarn around tight to the end and then back down over knot, next bit a little tricky, sc a row down length of bow to the next bend, wrap yarn around to the end, tie a knot and wrap over knot, I put a dab of glue at both ends has yarn tends to fall off when wrapping, this took a few attempts to correct as it can be a little tricky. the bow string I used some very fine silver thread, tie and trimmed a knot at each end wrapping yarn a few times around the knot for picture effect.

 

Quiver and belt

R1 sc6 in magic ring

R2-R4 sc6

R5 inc1, sc5 (7 sts)

R6-R10 sc7

Ch20 (making belt), wrap the belt around Merida’s waist and sc to first chain stitch made. Tie off , hide ends.

Arrows: place some shaped pins inside the quiver

You can also make arrows with some tiny feathers.

 

Hair:

For the hair you will need orange yarn, o

ne size bigger crochet hook (than the one used to crochet head and doll)

Piece of cardboard 6 x 9 inc (15,5 x 23 cm),

A piece of paper and scotchtape

 

Hair cap (or base we’ll use to attach hair)

Work with hook size bigger than used when making head. This will make the cap fit the head nicely.

R1 Sc6 in magic ring

R2 Inc6 (12 sts)

R3 *Inc1, sc1* x6 (18 sts)

R4 *inc1, sc2* x6 (24 sts)

R5 *inc1, sc3* x6 (30 sts)

R6 *inc1, sc4* x6 (36 sts)

R7 *inc1, sc5* x6 (42 sts)

R8-R12 sc42

Tie off leaving long end for sewing the cap on the head.

 

Making crocheted swatch. It is worked in rows. Ch1 and turn after each row.

Ch41

R1 sc40

R2-R17 sc40

Don’t tie off,

Dampen the swatch made, put it on a towel and leave to air dry naturally over night.

 

When dried:

Unravel the dry swatch wrapping it around the paper and card together lengthways, when finished push one end of the loops together till approx 2-3 inches and place tape over yarn to attach to paper, overlap tape onto paper, remove the cardboard, do not cut loops at the loose side! then I hand stitched a row of small

backstitch across the tape making sure to catch all the yarn. I made a couple of rows over just to make sure the stitching was firm. I attached cap to dolls head then the hair, pin in place from the front then to the back, the row of back stitch acts as a parting guide in the hair, so for mine I placed it over left eye at front going towards middle of head at the back. I then used same yarn as hair and made small back stitches over thread attaching hair to cap. Then cut a few loops at a time, depending on were you attached the hair will depend on if you cut the hair in the middle of the loops or to the side like mine, I left mine loose but the hair could be trimmed once fitted.

 

 

Ears

R1 sc5 into a ring but don’t close ring,

R2 ch4 sl st first stitch made, tighten the ring, 1 sl st, 1sc, 1hdc, 1 sc, 1 sl st.

Fasten off leaving long end for sewing.

 

Sew all parts together and your princess Merdia is done!

Here is mine!  I can’t even express how much I enjoyed making her!

Hope this post and our Facebook friends as well as all of you who will come to see this post and leave the message, will encourage Jo to finish what she started with creating other Disney princesses, we can share and make.

Hip, hip hooraaay for Jo!

 

 

Thank you all for stopping by and taking time reading this post. Hope you like it. Looking forward to hear from you and see you Meridas soon!

 

♡

Vanja

 

p.s.

added .pdf of this pattern under Free Patterns page for your easier download and use.