When a sweet little boy named Levi puts in a last-minute special request for me to design a baby chick for his Easter Basket, there are no options other than to do it! I was completely honored to get to do something special for him, and it brought just as much joy to my heart as it did his.
I absolutely love creating things that make people feel joy and happiness, and I am glad I got to design this baby chick. God must have connected our imaginations supernaturally because when I got the request at 7:40 a.m. Friday the 8th, I instantly had a picture in my head and I whipped it up miraculously by 10:40 a.m.
When Levi's mom showed him the picture he said it was just the way he wanted it! Whew! Thank you Jesus! I would hate to disappoint a child that early in the morning ha ha!
Since this request came in one week from Easter, my testers and I rushed to get this pattern out in time for everyone to have the chance to make this little cutie too.
Our normal deadlines run like this: I design a pattern, post a link for my testers, giving them 7 days to proofread, tech edit, and crochet the pattern. Then I type it up in a blog post, and my editors have 7 days to proofread and clean up my hot mess lol. Then on Saturdays, I release the post and share it with all of you to enjoy!
This week all those deadlines and schedules got thrown out the window. We wondered if we could do this in 24 hours. And yes we did! We may have aged ourselves a little, but we did it!
So technically, I am writing this blog post today (Saturday, April 9th 2022), and my proofreaders are going to scan the post, while my testers are working on testing the pattern lol. So if you are reading this before (Wednesday, April 13th, 2022), my "technical" due date for the testers, that means you are seeing the pattern before it is actually finished being tested lol.
This means there is the possibility a few minor mistakes may have slipped through the pattern, and I will be coming back to update and edit the pattern once all the testers are finished. Please overlook any little goofs you might find as I really wanted to get this out to you guys as quickly as I could since Easter is right around the corner.
Fortunately, I had a couple of testers who were able to drop what they were doing and work through the pattern on the same day I wrote it (impressive I know, and kudos to them!). I think they were able to help catch the big goofs lol.
If you do happen to catch an error, feel free to message me in the comments, in the website chat, or in the VIP group on Facebook, and I will be happy to log in and correct it on the pattern!
Thankfully, I'm not back in college writing this "paper" on the same morning that it is due! You guys have a lot more grace for me than my college professors lol!
The fun thing about this pattern is there is no wrong way to assemble it! This baby chick can be put together in a variety of ways to fit your theme or project!
Baby Chick had a bit of a "Vogue" photo shoot moment yesterday and had a blast showing us all the fun poses he has ha ha! I wonder what pose your baby chick will choose?
Here is an alternative idea to putting your applique together...
Make all the pieces, sew in all the ends, put the pieces in a little decorative bag, print off the photo above, and let the kids have fun playing with all the parts and pieces posing the baby chick in all kinds of wild imaginative ways!
One of my testers also suggested adding brad clips so the parts are movable!
Ok, ok, that's enough chit-chat! Time to find out how to make this cutie patootie!
“Levi’s Baby Chick”
Crochet Pattern
Materials:
Worsted Weight 4 yarn
Yellow
White
Black
Orange
Pink
Hook - G 4 mm & D 3 mm
Scissors
Hot Glue - optional for assembly
Yarn Needle
Small Safety eyes - about an 8 or 9 mm, or your choice in size
Stitches:
Ch - chain
Sc - single crochet
Sl st - slip stitch
Hdc - half double crochet
Dc - double crochet
Sp - space
St(s) - stitch(es)
Sc2tog - single crochet two stitches together or invisible decrease
#st - complete # number of sts in same space
St # - complete stitch in next # number of spaces
* * - repeat instructions between the asterisks
Pattern Info - This Baby Chick is approximately 6 inches wide by 5 inches tall depending on how you assemble yours. Works great as an applique on blankets, baskets, pillows, and more!
Skill Level / Language
Skill level - beginner. If you are unsure of any stitches, YouTube is a great resource!
This pattern is written in American Standard Terms.
Pattern Instructions
Note: leave long tails if sewing together or weave in ends if gluing together
Note: beginning/turning chains do not count as stitches
Note: start first st of a round in ch sp
Note: all parts are make with G 4 mm hook unless otherwise noted
Head: Yellow - G 4 mm
Begin: MR, ch 1
Round 1: Hdc 10 in MR, pull tight to close, sl st to join, ch 1. (10st)
Round 2: 2hdc in each st around, sl st to join, ch 1. (20st)
Round 3: *Sc, 2sc*, repeat *to* one more time, sc, 2hdc, dc, 2dc, hdc, 2sc, 2sc, hdc, 2dc, dc, 2hdc, sc, *2sc, sc*, repeat *to* one more time, sl st to join, fasten off. (30st)
Tummy: Yellow - G 4 mm
Begin: MR, ch 1
Round 1: Hdc 10 in MR, pull tight to close, sl st to join, ch 1. (10st)
Round 2: 2hdc in each st around, sl st to join, ch 1. (20st)
Round 3: *Hdc 1, 2hdc*, repeat *to* around, sl st to join, ch 1. (30st)
Round 4: *Hdc 2, 2hdc*, repeat *to* around, sl st to join, fasten off. (40st)
Beak: Orange - D 3 mm
Begin: MR, ch 1
Row 1: Sc 2 in MR, pull tight to close, do not sl st to join, this will make a “V” shape. (2st)
Row 2: Turn, sc 2, fasten off. (2st)
Cheeks: Pink - D 3 mm - make 2
Begin: MR, ch 1
Round 1: Sc 4 in MR, pull tight to close, sl st to join, fasten off. (4st)
Sprigs of hair: Yellow
Option 1:
Begin: Cut three strands of yarn about 1 inch each. Tie together at the bottom. Attach during assembly.
Option 2:
Begin: With D 3 mm hook, ch 7
Row 1: Sl st 6, fasten off. Repeat 2 more times. Attach during assembly.
Eyes: Safety eyes or see alternative below
Alternative Option:
Begin: With D 3 mm hook or smaller, make a MR, ch 1, sc 3 in MR, pull tight to close, sl st to join, fasten off, make 2. (3st) *to add a highlight to the eye, put a small white stitch about 1/4 inch or smaller on the top left parts of the eyes
You could also embroider eyes on if you do not want to crochet them
Feet: Orange - G 4 mm - make 2
Begin: MR, ch 5
Round 1: Sl st in 2nd ch from hook, sl st 3, sl st into MR to join, top of leg made, *ch 3, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, sl st into next ch, sl st into MR to join*, one toe made, repeat *to* two more times to make the other two toes, pull the MR tight to close, fasten off. (10st/1 leg and 3 toes)
Wings: Yellow - G 4 mm - make 2
Begin: Ch 11
Row 1: Sl st in 2nd ch from hook, sl st 2, sc 2, hdc 5, ch 1. (10st)
Row 2: Turn, hdc 4, sc, sl st 3, ch 1. (8st)
Row 3: Turn, sl st 4, sc, hdc 3, ch 1. (8st)
Row 4: Turn, hdc 2, sc 2, sl st 2, fasten off, during assembly flip one wing over to the backside so you will have a left and right wing. (6st)
Eggshell: White - G 4 mm
Begin: Ch 9
Row 1: Sl st in 2nd ch from hook, sc, hdc, dc 2, hdc, sc, sl st, bottom of egg is made, continue around to unworked side of chain, 2hdc, hdc 6, 2hdc, ch 1. (18st)
Row 2: Turn, 2hdc, hdc 8, 2hdc, ch 1. (12st)
Row 3: Turn, 2hdc, hdc 10, 2hdc, ch 1. (14st)
Row 4: Turn, hdc 14, ch 1. (14st)
Note: Next Row begins the first peak
Row 5: Turn, sc 5, leave the rest of the stitches from Row 4 unworked at this time, ch 1. (5st)
Row 6: Turn, sc2tog, sc 3, ch 1. (4st)
Row 7: Turn, *sc2tog*, repeat *to*, ch 1. (2st)
Row 8: Turn, sc2tog, fasten off, first peak complete. (1st)
Middle Peak:
Row 1: Join new yarn at the first unworked st of Row 5 in the first peak, ch 1, sc in same sp as ch, sc 3, ch 1, leave the rest of the stitches unworked from Row 4 at this time. (4st)
Row 2: Turn, *sc2tog*, repeat *to*, ch 1. (2st)
Row 3: Turn, sc2tog, fasten off, middle peak complete. (1st)
Third/Last Peak:
Row 1: Join new yarn at the first unworked st after the last stitch of the middle peak, ch 1, sc in the same sp as ch, sc 4, ch 1. (5st)
Row 2: Turn, sc2tog, sc 3, ch 1. (4st)
Row 3: Turn, *sc2tog*, repeat *to*, ch 1. (2st)
Row 4: Turn, sc2tog, fasten off, third/last peak complete. (1st)
Note: if you would like to round out the outer edge of your egg more you can add a sl st or sc border to the edges.
Foot Holes in Eggshell: Black - G 4 mm - make 2
Begin: MR, ch 1
Row 1: Hdc 5, sl st to join, ch 1. (5st)
Final Assembly:
Note: I assemble my appliques with hot glue, which is a fast and safe method. The glue adheres to the fibers quite well and the applique is very secure. The hot glue packaging that I use says it is non-toxic so it is safe, in my opinion, as well. In addition, you can machine wash on cold, and lay flat to dry or tumble dry/lowest heat setting. You may also use other fabric-safe glue or use the traditional method of sewing your pieces together.
Note: There are no wrong ways to assemble the baby chick! Have fun building your own look and playing with different poses! I am going to explain how I assembled the chick in the egg but I have attached photos to give you ideas of different poses that you can do!
Note: Feel free to not attach your parts! You can give them to your kids to play with the parts and see what different ways they can put the baby chick together! Add brads if you would like the parts to move around!
How I assembled the Chick:
I lay out all my pieces to get the look I want first. You can use pins to hold it together if you desire and/or take a picture of your layout with your phone to reference as you are putting it together.
First, I attached my safety eyes approximately 1 inch apart on the second round of the head. Tip - add hot glue to the back of the safety eyes for extra security. Next, I put the nose and the cheeks on just below the eyes. I attached the sprigs of hair to the backside of the head at the top center.
Next, I attached the head to the tummy.
Then I attached the egg on top of the tummy so that I would know how I wanted my wings to be positioned.
Last I attached the “foot holes” and the feet to make it look like his feet had broken through the eggshell.
Here is a reminder of some of the ways you can pose your baby chick!
If you need a last-minute Easter Basket to put your applique on, these baskets work up quickly and the baby chick fits perfectly on them!
Below, is a quick look at how you can assemble your chick to fit the small basket. I am sure the eggshell will fit too! The pieces are not attached, I just laid them on there to give you an idea of how it looks on the small baskets.
If you are making more than one basket and you need another applique, you might enjoy this Spring Bunny Pattern!
And that is all the ideas I have for you today lol! Creative minds seem to never run out of ideas lol! I will not overwhelm you with any more .... that is all for today lol....
I hope you enjoyed this last-minute pattern before Easter! I would love to see your makes! Please feel free to share photos in the comment section of this post or in the VIP Facebook group, #levisbabychick.
We adore getting to see everyone's projects! It's always so fun to see what everyone comes up with!
Thanks again for stopping by and if you are new here be sure to subscribe so you will get email notifications for when new patterns come out!
I pray many blessings find you this Spring! Have a great week!
Love and blessings,
Karen E.
Orchid and Bee's
Comments