Lingling the Lunar New Year Girl Doll – Traditional Qipao/Cheongsam Crochet Doll

Lingling the Lunar New Year Doll is my newest amigurumi girl doll free crochet pattern! She’s perfect if you celebrate Chinese New Year and want to make a crochet doll in traditional Chinese dress for the Spring Festival.

Read on to learn more about my design process and inspiration, or scroll to the end to get the free pattern. If you’re in a hurry and need to take this pattern offline, grab the beautifully formatted, ad-free, PDF pattern from Etsy here.

A deceptively easy project for doll beginners!

I’ve been dreaming about creating this design for a long time. Ever since I started designing, every time Lunar New Year rolled around I would think about creating a doll wearing a traditional qipao dress.

Over the years, I’ve considered a couple of different methods for the dress, including a top down construction, bottom up construction, and even a method that is both bottom up and top down. The reasons for all these crazy ideas is because a qipao has a few distinctive features that define it.

First, the collar is a high neck and tends to split apart at the bottom of the neck, which flows down into a layer that wraps over, creating a seam. Usually, there are a couple of decorative Chinese knots here.

From there, the dress goes straight down with cap sleeves.

Traditional qipao （旗袍）
How’d I do?

However, my struggles always came with creating the collar. I had great ideas of adding the collar onto the end with a FLO round, something I’ve done with my Red Panda pattern, but then it would be very difficult to create the seam down the front unless I did a lot of freehand embroidery.

I try to avoid too many techniques in my pattern that rely heavily on freehand techniques, because at that point it becomes difficult to give accurate directions. So I shelved that idea.

Fast forward to a month ago, when I decided to try again, but this time creating the dress as a robe.

I had originally rejected this idea because creating a robe would solve the problem of the seam, but would not create that perfectly defined collar that I imagined. However, on my second attempt, I realized that I could make the robe slightly oversized, which would result in the high neck collar that I wanted.

Slightly oversizing the robe also meant that the front edges would cross over naturally, perfectly replicating the seam present on qipaos!

The other great part about this construction is that it’s so easy!! One of the reasons why I hesitated in my previous iterations is because inevitably the construction would get so complicated that I didn’t want to move forward. I try to keep my patterns as simple as possible, and my favorite ones are the projects that are deceptively easy but achieve a polished look.

This project is AMAZING because the dress is made almost entirely in one piece, with the gold edging worked on as a seamless border. The collar is part of the robe, so no need to use any FLO techniques. It’s easy to adjust along the way if you’re struggling with fit, and easy to customize to your favorite qipao colors.

Honestly, I feel like I knocked it out of the park with this one and I hope you think so too!

I kept the hair simple and easy for beginners — no crocheting hair strands, no blocking. It’s one of my simplest doll patterns, while also being highly effective!

I also threw in a mini lantern as part of it which is a miniature version of my full size Lunar New Year lantern.

Lantern pattern here!

Tips for making your first doll!

If you’re making your first doll, you might be a little apprehensive. However, this is a great first doll project because I’ve kept things as simple as possible.

Structurally, a doll is just like any other amigurumi, except that it takes a little longer since you’ll have to create extra pieces for the hair and clothing.

Sometimes, hair can get really complicated (see my Jackie the Cellist pattern), but for this beginner doll, the hair is just two simple pieces that don’t use any special techniques. I love this hairstyle because the bun is simple and classy and doesn’t look like you cut any corners, but is secretly really easy.

As I mentioned above, the clothing on this project is very simple as well. Most of my dresses tend to be slightly more complex than this, but if you can crochet a square, you can make this dress.

The doll base is pretty straightforward, but if you’ve never made legs that connect into a body, this could be a bit tricky. I have a full video tutorial just for this, but it’s also included in my doll base video tutorial below.

This is a great video to watch if this is your first doll project!

More free crochet doll patterns:

Technical Notes

  • If you want to take this pattern offline, grab the beautifully formatted, ad-free, PDF pattern from Etsy here!

Description

新年快樂! Celebrate Lunar New Year with this simple doll pattern wearing a traditional Chinese qipao (旗袍) or cheongsam. This is a great project for first time doll makers with a simple hairstyle and robe that is worked almost entirely in one piece. The elegant collar and beautiful border are incredibly easy to make and designed with beginners in mind. Looks much more difficult than it is!

Yarn

Confused about materials? For all my personal recommendations of my most-used tools, yarns, and supplies, check out my favorites in this complete guide!

  • Hobbii Amigo (sport)
    • (<1 skein) Cream (or any skin color)
    • (<1 skein) Black
    • (<1 skein) Christmas Red (red)
    • (<1 skein) Yellow (optionally, you can swap in a shiny gold yarn; I used Nurturing Fibers Eco-Bamboo in Sunglow)
    • (scrap) Pink

Notions

  • Size D 3.25mm Clover Amour hook
  • 6.0mm safety eyes
  • fiberfill stuffing
  • tapestry needle
  • stitch markers
  • toothpick
  • (optional) hot glue gun for hair

Abbreviations

  • BLO: back loop only
  • ch: chain
  • dec: decrease
  • FSC: Foundation Single Crochet (tutorial here)
  • FLO: front loop only
  • hdc: half double crochet
  • hdc inc: hdc increase (2 hdcs in same st)
  • inc: increase (work two single crochets in one stitch)
  • MR: magic ring
  • rnd: round
  • RS: right side
  • sc: single crochet
  • sk: skip
  • x sc: work x number of single crochets
  • sl st: slip stitch
  • st(s): stitch(es)
  • WS: wrong side
  • (x sts): total number of stitches for the round
  • (…) x: work all steps within parentheses x number of times

Technical Notes

  1. Crochet in continuous spiral rounds, unless specified otherwise. Use a stitch marker or piece of yarn to keep track of the last stitch in each round.
  1. When filling with polyester stuffing, pull apart each large chunk into many smaller chunks. This ensures an even distribution of firmness within the amigurumi.
  2. To avoid large holes in the crochet fabric, increase tension until the holes cannot be seen, or choose a crochet hook a size down.
  3. Stuff the head and the body firmly at the openings so that the neck is stable upon completion.
  4. Use sewing pins to secure parts of the amigurumi before you sew them.

Special Stitches

  • How to crochet doll base: tutorial here
  • How to embroidery a French knot: tutorial here
  • How to work a single crochet border: tutorial here

Final Size

6″ x 2″

The Pattern

LEGS (in Cream. Click here for a full tutorial of this doll base)

  • Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
  • Round 2: (2 sc, inc) x2 (8 sts)
  • Round 3-11 (9 rnds): sc all around (8 sts)
  • Stuff firmly, using the back of a crochet hook or chopstick to push the stuffing down. Finish off (this is leg 1) and then create a second leg identically, but do not finish off the second leg (this is leg 2).

Connect the legs (full tutorial): With your hook still connected to leg 2, pick up and work a stitch anywhere on leg 1, then work the remaining 7 single crochets all around leg 1. Then, pick up and work a stitch on leg 2 right next to the last stitch from round 11, and then work the remaining 7 stitches around leg 2. The two legs should now be connected with a total of 16 stitches around.

BODY (Continue in Cream)

  • Round 12: sc all around both legs (16 sts)
  • Round 13-20 (8 rnds): sc all around (16 sts)
  • Round 21: (6 sc, dec) x2 (14 sts)
  • Round 22: sc all around (14 sts)
  • Round 23: (5 sc, dec) x2 (12 sts)
  • Stuff firmly. Finish off, leaving a long (~12 inches) tail for sewing. See fig. 1.

HEAD (in Cream)

  • Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
  • Round 2: inc x6 (12 sts)
  • Round 3: (sc, inc) x6 (18 sts)
  • Round 4: (2 sc, inc) x6 (24 sts)
  • Round 5: (3 sc, inc) x6 (30 sts)
  • Round 6: (4 sc, inc) x6 (36 sts)
  • Round 7: (5 sc, inc) x6 (42 sts)
  • Round 8-16 (9 rnds): sc all around (42 sts)
  • Place 6.0 mm safety eyes between rounds 13 and 14, 8 stitches apart.
  • Round 17: (5 sc, dec) x6 (36 sts)
  • Round 18: (4 sc, dec) x6 (30 sts)
  • Round 19: (3 sc, dec) x6 (24 sts)
  • Round 20: (2 sc, dec) x6 (18 sts)
  • Stuff.
  • Round 21: (sc, dec) x6 (12 sts)
  • Round 22: dec x6 (6 sts)
  • Finish off and weave in end. Using the tail from the body, sew the head and body together.

Nose (tutorial here): Using Cream, embroider three horizontal stitches directly between the eyes to form the nose (2 sts long).

ARMS (in Cream)

  • Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
  • Round 2: (2 sc, inc) x2 (8 sts)
  • Round 3: sc all around (8 sts)
  • Round 4: (2 sc, dec) x2 (6 sts)
  • Round 5-9 (5 rnds): sc all around (6 sts)
  • Do not stuff. Finish off, leaving a short tail. Fold flat and then sew to the left and right sides along the seam between the head and body.
Fig. 1: Completed body.

HAIR (in Black)

  • Round 1: 6 sc in MR, slst (6 sts)
  • Round 2: inc x6 (12 sts)
  • Round 3: (sc, inc) x6 (18 sts)
  • Round 4: (2 sc, inc) x6 (24 sts)
  • Round 5: (3 sc, inc) x6 (30 sts)
  • Round 6: (4 sc, inc) x6 (36 sts)
  • Round 7: (5 sc, inc) x6 (42 sts)
  • Round 8-12 (5 rnds): sc all around (42 sts)
  • Round 13: 19 dc, hdc, slst, hdc, 20 dc (42 sts)
  • Invisible finish off, leaving a long tail for sewing (fig. 2). Position the hair piece on the head off center so that the back of the hair falls three rounds away from the neck, and orient the part slightly to the left. Sew or hot glue hair piece to the head.
Fig. 2: Hair cap finished.

BUN (in Black)

  • Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
  • Round 2: inc x6 (12 sts)
  • Round 3: (sc, inc) x6 (18 sts)
  • Round 4: (2 sc, inc) x6 (24 sts)
  • Round 5-8 (4 rnds): sc all around (24 sts)
  • Round 9: (4 sc, dec) x4 (20 sts)
  • Stuff firmly. Finish off, leaving a tail (fig. 3). Sew to the back of the hair.

Fig. 3: Finished bun.

ROBE (in Red. Worked in turned rows.)

  • Begin: Chain 15 (15 sts)
  • Row 1: beginning from the second chain from the hook, (2 sc, 3 sc in one stitch) x2, 2 sc, (3 sc in one stitch, 2 sc) x2, ch and turn (22 sts)
  • Row 2: 3 sc, ch 4, sk 4, 8 sc, ch 4, sk 4, 3 sc, ch and turn (22 sts)
  • Row 3: 3 sc, 4 sc in chain-space, 8 sc, 4 sc in chain-sp, 3 sc, ch and turn (22 sts)
  • Row 4-7 (4 rows): sc across, ch and turn (22 sts)
  • Row 8: 4 sc, inc, 12 sts, inc, 4 sc, ch and turn (24 sts)
  • Row 9: 5 sc, inc, 12 sts, inc, 5 sc, ch and turn (26 st)
  • Row 10: 6 sc, inc, 12 sts, inc, 6 sc, ch and turn (28 sts)
  • Row 11: sc across, ch and turn (28 sts)
  • Row 12: 7 sc, inc, 12 sts, inc, 7 sc, ch and turn (30 sts)
  • Row 13: sc across, ch and turn (30 sts)
  • Row 14: 8 sc, inc, 12 sts, inc, 8 sc, ch and turn (32 sts)
  • Row 15-16 (2 rows): sc across, ch and turn (32 sts)
  • On the last row, do not turn the work. The work should look like figure 4. We will start from the black dot and then work an sc border counterclockwise, following the black arrows.
  • Continue in Red yarn and work a single crochet border all around the outside of the robe (tutorial here). Switch to Yellow and work another single crochet border all around. Sl st to the first st and finish off, weaving in the ends.
Fig. 4: What your work should look like after round 16. Do not turn the work and work an sc border in the direction of the arrows.

SLEEVES (in Red)

  • Round 1: Attach yarn (tutorial here) and pick up 10 stitches at the armhole of the robe. Pick up your first stitch at the bottom of the arm hole, inserting the hook from the outside of the robe. (see fig. 5). (10 sts)
  • Round 2: (4 sc, inc) x2 (12 sts)
  • Round 3: sc around (12 sts)
  • Switch to Yellow. Work a single crochet border all around the outside of the sleeve. Sl st to the first st and finish off, weaving in the end. Repeat with the other sleeve. See fig. 6 for finished robe. Place the robe on the body, pulling it tight so that the front edges overlap, and then sew or glue it in place.
  • Using Yellow, embroider four French knots at rows 6 and 7 on either side of the border (see fig. 6 for positioning).
Fig. 5: Pick up the first stitch at the bottom of the arm hole, inserting the hook from the outside of the robe.
Fig. 6: Finished robe.

LANTERN (in Red)

  • Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
  • Round 2: inc x6 (12 sts)
  • Round 3: (sc, inc) x6 (18 sts)
  • Round 4-6 (3 rnds): sc around (18 sts)
  • Round 7: (sc, dec) x6 (12 sts)
  • Stuff.
  • Round 8: dec x6 (6 sts)
  • Finish off, leaving a tail. Using a tapestry needle, weave the tail through to the top and then back down to create a loop (fig. 7)

CAPS (in Yellow, make two)

  • Round 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
  • Round 2: inc x6, sl st to first stitch (12 sts)
  • Finish off, leaving a tail for sewing.

Sew one cap to the top of the lantern. Thread the tail of the Red yarn weave it through the cap on top and then back down to form a loop (fig. 7). Make another cap, and sew it onto the bottom.

Trim a toothpick until it is 1.5″ long. Lightly glue the tip of the toothpick, then place the lantern’s loop on top of the end of the toothpick so that it is glued in place.

Place the completed lantern in the doll’s hand either by inserting it into the bottom of the hand or by gluing in place.

Fig. 7: Finished lantern.

ROSE (in Red, in turned rows. Refer to Abbreviations for meaning
of *…*. For assistance with the rose, watch the video tutorial here.)

  • Row 1: chain 21 (21 sts)
  • Row 2: working from the second chain from the hook, (sc, 2 ch, sk) x8, sc, 2 ch, slst into last stitch. Chain 2 and turn (10 sts, 9 chain spaces)
  • Row 3: working into the chain space, (3 dc, ch, slst, slst to next chain space) x3, (3 hdc, ch, slst, slst to next chain space) x3, (*3 sc, ch, slst*, slst to the next chain space) x2, *3 sc, ch, slst*. (9 petals)
  • Finish off, leaving a long tail for sewing. See fig. 8.
  • With the single crochet petals in the center, wrap the other end of the work around the single crochet end, until the rose is as flat or conical as you wish. Using the tail end, sew across the bottom of the rose to secure in place (see fig. 9), then sew to the seam between the bun and the hair (see fig. 10).
Fig. 8: Work at the end of row 3 of rose.
Fig. 9: Sewing the rose into place.

Fig. 10: Positioning of rose and blush.

BLUSH (in Pink)

  • Round 1: 6 sc in MR, sl st to first st (6 sts)

Finish off, leaving a tail for sewing. Make another identically. Sew the blush directly under and to the side of both eyes. See fig. 10 for positioning.

Lingling the Lunar New Year Doll is all done! I hope you enjoyed crocheting her and found the pattern helpful. I would love to see your finished amigurumi, so share a picture on Instagram with me by using the #littleworldofwhimsy and tagging me @littleworldofwhimsy.