Dollhouse furniture - single bed mattress and pillow
Introduction
This is my second post about creating a crochet dollhouse bed (you can find the earlier post here). In this post I will be sharing my mattress and pillow patterns.
Rather than doing a standard amigurumi pattern using single crochet, I decided to make a textured pattern on the top and bottom of the mattress since mattresses generally are not smooth on the top and bottom.
This pattern uses the Suzette stitch to create the mattress. It isn’t as tight a weave as using single crochet so you have to be careful that you make your stitches reasonably tightly so that your stuffing does not come out. The first mattress I made used a 3.5 mm hook (like the bed base) but for the second I decided to go down to a 2.75 mm hook to minimise the gaps between Suzette stitches (this is the first mattress pattern outlined below). I also began with a longer tail than normal so that I could sew the gaps in the first round together. Please note that at the end of each round of Suzette stitch you need to slip stitch to the first stitch, slip stitch to the next stitch, chain 1 and turn (unless otherwise stated in the pattern) or the Suzette pattern will not form. This pattern requires rows of [(sc, dc), sk 1] repeats with subsequent rounds working only in the single crochet stitches from the previous row (or in the odd hdc for the purposes of this pattern since there are 3 hdc in the corners).
For the pillow, I decided to use the waistcoat stitch as the main stitch so that I could use continuous rounds without feeling like the pillow was losing its shape.
As with the pattern I shared last week, I have not had this pattern tested except by creating it a few times myself so if you find any errors, please let me know.
Notions (NB: these notions are for all the bed parts)
3.5 mm crochet hook
2.75 mm crochet hook
2.25 mm crochet hook
Yarn needle
Fibrefill or other suitable stuffing (I used matching leftover yarn tails from other projects whenever possible as well as fibrefill or small plastic containers or bubble wrap as filling)
DK yarn in whatever colours you like for the bed bases,pillows and mattresses
I used “4 Seasons Marvel 8 ply” in the following quantities:
Single bed base 82 m, 90 yds (29 g)
Single bed mattress 54 m, 59 yds (19 g)
Baby weight yarn in the colour you wish to use for your pillows. I used “4 Seasons Pony 4 ply” yarn:
Per pillow 8 m, 9 yds (3 g)
Optional: a solid material such as leftover razor blade containers or bubble wrap or other suitable solid material to use as stuffing for the base and headboard instead of fibrefill.
Size and Gauge
Gauge” 10 stitches and 10 rows = 5 cm (2”)
Sizes:
|
Component |
Length |
Height |
Width |
|
Single bed base and headboard |
17.5 cm (7”) |
7 cm (3”), |
9.5 cm, (3 ¾”) |
|
Single bed mattress |
15 cm (6”) |
1.5 cm (0.5”) |
8 cm (3 ¼”) |
|
Pillow |
4 cm (1.5”) |
6.5 cm (2.5”) |
Depends on stuffing |
Difficulty Level
The bed base and headboard plus pillows are easy, the mattress is a little trickier but there is an easy option included.
Abbreviations
US terminology used
BLO Back loop only
ch Chain
dc Double crochet
FLO Front loop only
hdc Half double crochet
hdc3tog Half double crochet three together
Rnd(s) Round(s)
sc Single crochet
sk Skip
sl st Slip stitch
st/st's Stitch/stitches
sc2tog Single crochet two together
WST Waistcoat stitch
* - * Repeat instructions between asterisks the amount of times specified
[....] Repeat instructions between parenthesis the amount of times specified
Special stitch
Waistcoat single crochet stitch (WST)
|
This stitch is almost identical to a single crochet except for where you place the stitch. You will be working into the post of the stitch rather than under the front and back loops. The purple arrow below shows where to make the stitch when you are working in continuous rounds (the stitches look different if working in rows). One of the most important tips for making WST is to relax your tension or you will not be able to make your stitches easily. |
 |
General instructions
The ch 1 at the beginning of each row or round does not count as a st.
Where a row or round begins with “BLO” or “FLO”, all the stitches in that row/round are worked in the back loop only or the front loop only, respectively unless otherwise stated. The next row/round all stitches are then worked in both loops again.
Single bed Mattress
Use a 2.75 mm hook and DK weight yarn
With yarn in your chosen colour, ch 17
Rnd 1 3 Hdc in the 2nd ch from hook, [(sc, dc) in the next ch, sk next ch] 7 times, 6 hdc in the last ch. Working around the other side of the ch, [(sc, dc) in the next ch, sk next ch] 7 times, 3 hdc in the last ch. Join to the first st with a sl st, sl st to the next st {this is the middle hdc} ch 1 and turn. (14 sc, 14 dc, 12 hdc)
Rnd 2 *3 Hdc in the same st, (sc, dc) in the next st, sk next ch, 3 hdc in the next st, [(sc, dc) in the next st] 8 times, sk next st*, sl st to the first st, sl st to the next st {this is the middle hdc}, ch 1 and turn. (18 sc, 18 dc, 12 hdc)
Rnd 3 *3 Hdc, [(sc, dc) in the next ch, sk next st] 9 times, 3 hdc in the next st, [(sc, dc) in the next st, sk next st] 2 times* 2 times, sl st to the first st, sl st to the next st {this is the middle hdc}, ch 1 and turn. (22 sc, 22 dc, 12 hdc)
Rnd 4 *3 Hdc, [(sc, dc) in the next ch, sk next ch] 3 times, 3 hdc in the next st, [(sc, dc) in the next st, sk next st] 10 times* 2 times, sl st to the first st, sl st to the next st {this is the middle hdc}, ch 1 and turn. (26 sc, 26 dc, 12 hdc)
Rnd 5 *3 Hdc in the same st, [(sc, dc) in the next ch, sk next ch] 11 times, 3 hdc in the next st, [(sc, dc) in the next st, sk next st] 4 times* 2 times, sl st to the first st, sl st to the next st {this is the middle hdc}, ch 1 and turn. (30 sc, 30 dc, 12 hdc)
Rnd 6 *3 Hdc, hdc in the next 10 sts, 3 hdc in the next st, hdc in the next 24 sts* 2 times. Sl st to the first st, ch 1 and turn. (80 hdc)
Rnd 7 Working in BLO, hdc in each st around, join to the first st with a sl st, ch 1 and turn. (80 hdc)
Rnd 8 Working in FLO, *hdc3tog, hdc in the next 10 sts, hdc3tog, hdc in the next 24 sts* 2 times. Join to the first st with a sl st, sl st to the next st, ch 1 and turn. (72 hdc)
Rnd 9 *Hdc3tog, [(sc, dc) in the next st, sk next st] 11 times, hdc3tog, [(sc, dc) in the next st, sk next st] 4 times * 2 times. Join to the first st with a sl st, sl st to the next st, ch 1 and turn. (30 sc, 30 dc, 4 hdc)
Rnd 10 *Hdc3tog, [(sc, dc) in the next st, sk next st] 3 times, hdc3tog, [(sc, dc) in the next st, sk next st] 10 times * 2 times. Join to the first st with a sl st, sl st to the next st, ch 1 and turn. (26 sc, 26 dc, 4 hdc)
Rnd 11 *Hdc3tog, [(sc, dc) in the next st, sk next st] 9 times, hdc3tog, [(sc, dc) in the next st, sk next st] 2 times * 2 times. Join to the first st with a sl st, sl st to the next st, ch 1 and turn. (22 sc, 22 dc, 4 hdc)
Rnd 12 *Hdc3tog, (sc, dc) in the next st, sk next st, hdc3tog, (sc, dc) in the next st, sk next st * 8 times. Join to the first st with a sl st, sl st to the next st, ch 1 and turn. (18 sc, 18 dc, 4 hdc)
Rnd 13 *Hdc3tog, [(sc, dc) in the next st, sk next st] 7 times, hdc3tog* 2 times. Join to the first st with a sl st, fasten off leaving a long tail to sew the hole closed. (14 sc, 14 dc, 4 hdc)
Weave in your starting tail on the inside to close any gaps before, lightly stuffing the mattress and sewing the hole on the bottom closed.
Alternative mattress pattern
If you would prefer a more tightly woven mattress, I would suggest making Rnds 1-33 of the bed base and then working a round of single crochet in the front loop only with sc3tog in the corners (essentially creating the opposite of your starting round) to create a plain mattress (ie Rnd 34 would read: Working in FLO, sc3tog, sc in the next 10 sts, sc3tog x 2, sc in the next 10 sts, sc3tog, sl st to the first st. Fasten off leaving a long tail to sew together. Stuff and sew the hole closed).
Pillow
I tried to make the pillow the right size to work both as a single pillow on the single bed and as 2 pillows on the double bed. It does look slightly short on the single bed so feel free to add extra rounds if you want your pillow to be a little longer (you will have to adjust the pillowcase pattern if you intend for the pillow to be longer.
baby weight (fingering) yarn, 2.25 mm hook
With your chosen colour, ch 9
Row 1 Sc in the 2nd ch from hook, sc in each ch across, ch 1 and turn. (8 sc)
Rnd 2 Working in FLO, loosely sc in each st across, turn, working in the unworked back loops, loosely sc in each st across. (16 sc)
You are now working in continuous rounds. You may want to use a stitch marker or a scrap of yarn as a running stitch marker.
Rnds 3-15 WST in each st around. (16 WST)
Lightly stuff the inside.
Row 16 Ch 1, fold in half and sl st the sides together. Fasten off and weave in the ends. (8 sl st)
You can find the instructions for making the sheet set here.