Leotard for 18-inch Doll

Free Doll Leotard Crochet Pattern

Whether you’re dressing your American Girl Doll to go figure skating, to do gymnastics or to dance, a leotard is a crucial part of the outfit. This is a crochet version of the garment. It features a lace motif across the bodice and sleeves. The colors are easy to customize, and it can be embellished with beads, ribbons, sequins, etc.

Skills Required/Techniques Used:
- Basic crochet stitches: chain (ch), single crochet (sc), double crochet (dc), half double crochet (hdc), slip stitch (sl.st)
- Decreasing with double crochet: double crochet 2 together (one stitch decrease), double crochet 3 together (2 stitches decrease),

FINISHED SIZE: to fit 18-inch dolls, such as American Girl Doll, etc.

Materials: Bernat (affiliate link) Handicrafter crochet thread size 5, 100% acrylic, 85 g/3oz 339/371 yards about 1/2 ball. Bright white.

Hook: 2.25 mm OR SIZE NEEDED TO OBTAIN GAUGE.

Gauge: 7 dc = 1" (2.5 cm)

Notions:
- 4-5 sew-on snaps, size 2/0 (I used plastic snaps)
- Tapestry needle to weave in yarn ends
- 5 stitch markers
- Sewing needle and thread of matching color to attach snaps

Abbreviations:
st, sts - stitch, stitches
sc - single crochet
dc - double crochet
ch, chs - chain, chains
sp - space
sl.st. - slip stitch
V-stitch - here (1 dc, ch1, 1 dc) in the indicated stitch
DV-st - double V-stitch: (1 dc, ch 1) twice, 1 dc - in the same stitch
V-st in V-st - V stitch in V-stitch: V-st in ch-1-space of the V-stitch
DC2tog - double crochet 2 together (one stitch decrease), (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PDvcjM3uUo)
dc3tog - double crochet 3 together (2 stitch decrease)
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhXzx474KP4)
RS - right side
WS - wrong side


Short Overview of the Pattern:

Leotard is worked top-down in one piece with opening on back. 18 rounds are worked back and forth, then leotard is worked in rounds. The crotch is worked in rows. The sleeves are worked in the round.

Leotard

Yoke

Chain 49.

Row 1 : ch 2 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in the forth ch from the hook, 1 dc in each of the next 2 chains, * ch 1, skip one ch, 1 dc in the next chain - repeat from * 21 times, 1 dc in the last 3 chains. Turn.

Row 2 : ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in each of the next 3 dc, * V-st in the ch-1-space, - repeat from * 21 times, 1 dc in each of the last 4 dc. Turn

Row 3: ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in each of the next 3 dc, *DV-st in V-st, 1 V-st in each of the next 2 V-sts - repeat from * 7 times, 1 dc in each of the last 4 dc. Turn

Row 4: ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in each of the next 3 dc, V-st in each V-st 28 times, 1 dc in each of the last 4 dc. Turn.

Row 5: ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in each of the next 3 dc, *V-st in each of the next 3 V-st, DV-st in the next V-st - repeat from * 7 times, 1 dc in each of the last 4 dc. Turn.

Row 6: ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in each of the next 3 dc, 1 V-st in each V-st 35 times, 1 dc in each of the last 4 dc. Turn.

Row 7: ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in each of the next 3 dc, *1 V-st in each of the next 2 V-st, DV-st in the next V-st - repeat from * 11 times, 1 V-st in each of the next 2 V-st, 1 dc in each of the last 4 dc. Turn.

Row 8: ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in each of the next 3 dc, 1 V-st in each V-st 46 times, 1 dc in each of the last 4 dc. Turn.

Row 9: ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in each of the next 3 dc, *1 dc in each stitch of the V-st: 1 dc in dc, 1 dc in ch-1-space, 1 dc in dc - repeat throughout the row, 1 dc in each of the last 4 dc. = 146 sts. Turn


Divide for sleeves and bodice

Row 10: ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in each of the next 22 dc, skip the next 30 dc, fold the work, insert hook in the next dc, 1 dc in the next 40 dc, skip the next 30 dc, fold the work, insert hook in the next dc, 1 dc in the next 23 dc. Turn.

Bodice:

You have 86 stitches for bodice.

Row 11: ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in each of the next 85 dc. Turn.

Repeat row 11 seven more times.

At the end of row 18, close the work into a round in the following way: overlap the last 4 dc with the beginning 4 dc; insert hook in the fourth dc of the right back and make a slip stitch.

Round 1: ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in each of the next 78 dc, 1 dc in each of the last 3 dc in the following way: insert hook through both dc on overlapped parts. Join the round with sl st.

Place a marker between the overlapped parts - 2 dc on both sides of the marker, this is the center of the back.

Please note that the center is 2 stitches before the end of the round.

Work as established 9 more rounds. Tie off.


Crotch:

From the back center marker count in both directions 13 dc and place markers. From each of these markers count 22 dc in each direction and place 2 more markers. Now you can remove the marker from the center of the back.

The bodice is divided in the following way: 26 dc between the back markers, 12 dc between the front markers, and you have 22 dc on both sides between one back and one front marker.

Holding the work with the lower edge up and back facing, attach yarn to the first dc after the right back marker:

Row 1: DC3tog in the beg. of the row, 1 dc in each of the next 20 dc, dc3tog over the last 3 dc. Turn. = 22 sts

Row 2: DC2tog in the beg. of the row, 1 dc in each of the next 18 dc, DC2tog over the last 2 dc. Turn. = 20 sts

Row 3: DC3tog in the beg of the row, 1 dc in each of the next 14 dc, DC3tog over the last 3 dc. Turn. = 16 sts

Row 4: DC2tog in the beg. of the row, 1 dc in each of the next 12 dc, DC2tog over the last 2 dc. Turn. = 14 sts

Row 5: DC3tog in the beg. of the row, 1 dc in each of the next 8 dc, DC3tog over the last 3 dc. Turn. = 10 sts

Rows 6,7 and 8: ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in each of the next 9 dc. Turn.

Row 9: ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in the same dc, 1 dc in each of the next 8 dc, 2 dc in the last dc. Turn. = 12 dc

Row 10: ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in each of the next 11 dc. Tie off. Leave a tail of about 12".

Fold the crotch piece to the front and align it with the 12 dc between the front markers. Thread the thread tail and sew the edge of the crotch to the edge of the bodice.

Sleeves:

Round 1: Starting in underarm, fasten thread, ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc under the edge dc of the row 10 of the yoke, *ch 1, skip 1 dc of the sleeve, 1 dc in the next dc of the sleeve - repeat from * to the end of the round, 1 dc under the edge dc of the yoke, join with sl.st. (30 dc of the sleeve + 3 dc underarm = 33 sts)

Round 2 and all even rounds: ch 3 (counts as 1 dc), 1 dc in each stitch around, join the round with sl st.

Round 3 and all odd rounds: ch 4 (counts as 1 dc and 1 ch), skip the next dc, 1 dc in the next dc, *ch 1, skip the next dc, 1 dc in the next dc - repeat from * to the end of the round, 1 dc in the last dc, join with sl.st.

Work 15 rounds repeating rounds 2-3 or to desired length.


Finishing:

Weave in all thread ends. Sew on snaps on the button bands formed by 4 dc in the beginning and end of each row on the back of the leotard.

Have fun!