Hello my fellow crocheters,
I'm so excited to share with you this sweet bunny lovey! It's a dress-up lovey that comes with multiple accessories for your little one to play with.
Design Features
- Three removable accessories are included: a bonnet, a big bow headband, and a sakura cherry blossom flower headband.
- The bunny's arms are designed with wider hands for young children to grip, so they can easily carry this favorite blankie with them!
- The ears are double layered, making them extra plush and also bendable.
- The blanket is a 12-point star that is quick and easy to work up with mostly double crochet stitches. It's a standard lovey size of 16 inches in diameter, but can easily be adjusted to make larger or smaller.
Here's a quick look at the components! The bonnet is a hooded hat with two slots that fit perfectly over the ears.
The flower headband can be tied around the bunny's head. Make a matching one for your little girl and she'll love to be "twinsies" with her favorite bunny lovey!
If bows are more your thing, the bunny has one of these too! The bow headband pattern can easily be adjusted for size, and you can make a larger one for your daughter too.
I do have to say, though... even on its own without any accessories, this bunny is cute as a button!
The Yarn I Used
For this project, I wanted to make sure I use a material that is soft and safe for baby, so I used Lion Brand Basic Stitch Anti Pilling™ Yarn. The colors I used were Ecru (for the bunny's "fur" parts), Baby Pink (as the main color for the clothing), and White (as the secondary color for the clothing). This yarn was easy to work with, and the result is so soft to the touch! I specifically chose it for its anti-pilling properties, and am so glad I did.
Since loveys are intended to be cuddled and loved, they're considered to be very frequently used (and frequently washed) and can go through lots of wear and tear. Thankfully, this anti-pilling yarn is specially treated to continue looking pristine and not break down! With my time invested into making this lovey for my baby, I'm glad I went with this yarn so I can have peace-of-mind in knowing this lovey will definitely hold up with time and use. (Oh, and it also helps that this yarn is quite affordable! A win-win!!)
Make this Lovey for...
Mamas of little ones know that security blankets can be really beneficial for helping baby fall back to sleep quickly, or for helping toddlers feel safe regardless of where they are. Thus, this lovey makes for a wonderful handmade gift that shows your love for the recipient! It's perfect for baby showers, babies' and kids' birthdays, Christmas and holiday gifts, and more!
Pattern Preview Video
Watch it in action! Here's the pattern preview video for the Dress-Up Bunny Lovey.
If you like this design of mine, you can check out the other Amigurumi Patterns or Baby & Kids Patterns I have on my site, or click to see all my Free Crochet Patterns!
Want the PDF pattern?
If you would like to download the beautifully-formatted, ad-free, and easy-to-read PDF version with photo references, you can get a copy from my shop, Ravelry, and Etsy shop. (Thank you for supporting Sweet Softies designs! These funds help offset my craft materials cost and allows me to design more free patterns to share with you all on my blog!)
Dress-Up Bunny Lovey
Free Crochet Pattern
Copyright Notice -- © 2021 Sweet Softies (www.sweetsofties.com). You have permission to sell finished products made from this pattern, but you must credit Sweet Softies as the owner/creator of this pattern by linking to my website (www.sweetsofties.com). No wholesale. You may not translate, copy, alter, or sell my patterns in part or in whole in any way. My patterns may not be used in video tutorials or teaching online classes. My patterns may be used in teaching in-person classes ONLY with written consent from me. You may link to this pattern but you may not copy any part of the pattern instructions on other websites.
Introduction:

This is the perfect crochet project for making a handmade baby shower gift for newborn infants, or as a birthday gift for toddlers and young children. It is easy to customize with different yarn color combinations, and children will love playing with and dressing up this bunny with her accessories. If gifting to a baby, keep accessories out of reach during sleep time, and monitor during play time.
The PDF pattern file is a DIY tutorial that includes complete written instructions for the bunny lovey and each of her three accessories, photo references for the crocheted parts, and step-by-step explanations for finishing details.
Size:
Height: 12 inches, Blanket diameter: 16 inches
Level of Difficulty:
★★☆☆☆ Easy / Familiar Beginner
Requires familiarity with stitches used (below), attaching yarn, changing yarn colors, and sewing parts together.
Stitches/Terms Used:
- FO: fasten off
- MR: magic ring
- Ch: chain
- Sl st: slip stitch
- Sc: single crochet
- Dc: double crochet
- Inc: increase
- Dec: decrease
- BLO: back loops only
Materials:
- Medium weight 4 yarn in desired colors (I used Lion Brand Basic Stitch Anti Pilling™ Yarn in Ecru, Baby Pink, and White)
- 2.75mm hook (for head, arms)
- 3.75mm crochet hook (for ears, bonnet, bow, flower)
- 6mm crochet hook (for blanket)
- Fiberfill stuffing
- Yarn needle
- Scissors
~ CROCHET INSTRUCTIONS ~
Head
Use the 2.75mm hook and cream yarn.
R1: In MR, sc 6. (6 sts)
R2: Inc around. (12 sts)
R3: (Sc, inc) x 6. (18 sts)
R4: (Sc 2, inc) x 6. (24 sts)
R5: (Sc 3, inc) x 6. (30 sts)
R6: (Sc 4, inc) x 6. (36 sts)
R7: (Sc 5, inc) x 6. (42 sts)
R8: (Sc 6, inc) x 6. (48 sts)
R9-R16: Sc around. (48 sts)
R17: (Sc 6, dec) x 6. (42 sts)
R18: (Sc 5, dec) x 6. (36 sts)
R19: (Sc 4, dec) x 6. (30 sts)
R20: (Sc 3, dec) x 6. (24 sts)
Stuff the head firmly.
R21: (Sc 2, dec) x 6. (18 sts)
R22: (Sc, dec) x 6. (12 sts)
R23: Dec around. (6 sts)
Fasten off with a long tail for sewing to the blanket later.
Arms (x2)
Note: Stuff the arms bit by bit as you work.
Use the 2.75mm hook and cream yarn.
R1: In MR, sc 5. (5 sts)
R2: Inc around. (10 sts)
R3: (Sc, inc) x 5. (15 sts)
R4-R5: Sc around. (15 sts)
R6: (Sc, dec) x 5. (10 sts)
Switch to pink yarn.
R7-R22: Sc around. (10 sts)
FO with a long tail for sewing later.
Ears (x2)
Use the 3.75mm hook this section.
Part 1: INNER EARS
Use pink yarn.
Ch 13.
Hdc in 3rd ch from hook. Hdc across next 9 ch. Insert 5 hdc in last ch, bringing you around to the other side of the ch with a row of unworked loops. Hdc across the 10 sts on this opposite side.
Fasten off, no need for a long tail.
Part 2: OUTER EARS
Use white yarn.
Repeat instructions for inner ear, but do not FO. Instead, place pink piece in front of white piece.
Ch 1 and sc around in both loops of the pink and white parts to stitch them together. Go around the sides and tops of the ear (inserting 2 sc in the st at the very tip of the ear), but skip the bottom edge of the ear.
FO with a long tail for sewing later.
Blanket
Notes:
- Shell stitch: (Dc 2, ch 2, dc 2) in same stitch or space.
- Each round starts with a beginning ch-3 (counts as first dc in the round) and ends with a join to the sl st to the top of the starting ch-3.
Use 6mm hook and pink yarn.
R1: In MR, ch 3 (counts as first dc) and insert 11 dc. *Join with a sl st to top of the starting ch-3. (12 sts)R2: Ch 3, dc in same st. Dc-inc around. *Join. (24 sts)
R3: Ch 3, (sk next st, [dc, ch 2, dc] in next st) around. End with dc in base of beginning st. Ch 3. *Join.
R4: Sl st into ch-2 sp. (Ch 3, dc, ch 2, dc 2) in first ch-2 sp. Insert shell in each ch-2 sp around. *Join.
R5: Sl st into next st. Ch 3. (Insert shell in ch-2 sp, dc in next st, sk 2 sts, dc in next st) around. *Join.
R6: Sl st in next st. Ch 3, dc in next st. (Insert shell in ch-2 sp, dc in next 2 sts, sk 2 sts, dc in next 2 sts) around. You will end with “sk 2 sts”. *Join.
R7: Sl st in next st. Ch 3, dc 2. (Insert shell in ch-2 sp, dc in next 3 sts, sk 2 sts, dc in next 3 sts) around. You will end with “sk 2 sts”. *Join.
R8: Sl st in next st. Ch 3, dc 3. (Insert shell in ch-2 sp, dc in next 4 sts, sk 2 sts, dc in next 4 sts) around. You will end with “sk 2 sts”. *Join.
R9: Sl st in next st. Ch 3, dc 4. (Insert shell in ch-2 sp, dc in next 5 sts, sk 2 sts, dc in next 5 sts) around. You will end with “sk 2 sts”. *Join.
R10: Sl st in next st. Ch 3, dc 5. (Insert shell in ch-2 sp, dc in next 6 sts, sk 2 sts, dc in next 6 sts) around. You will end with “sk 2 sts”. *Join.
Switch to white yarn.
R11: Sl st in next st. Ch 3, dc 6. (Insert shell in ch-2 sp, dc in next 7 sts, sk 2 sts, dc in next 7 sts) around. You will end with “sk 2 sts”. *Join.
FO and weave in the ends.
Bonnet
Click here for the bonnet pattern.
Bow Headband
Click here for the bow headband pattern.
Flower Headband
~ FINISHING INSTRUCTIONS ~
- First, we will work on sewing the ears to the head. The ears will need to fit through the bunny’s hood. Position the hood over the head first, and find where the holes are located (Tip: use bobby pins to help mark the spot). Pinch the bottom of each ear before sewing it to the head.
- Sew sleepy eyes with grey yarn, and a “Y” shaped nose with pink yarn to the face.
- You can either sew both arms between R1-R2 of the blanket, or follow the "Tab Arm" adaption below, which will make them more secure if the lovey is thrown about by the child:
"I adapted the tops of the arms, (crocheted across top of each arm closing them, then sc’d a tab, by crocheting 4 sc’s across and 4 rows,) enabling me to sew this tab to the blanket and then putting the head on top." - Adaptation by Herod, Ravelry - Sew the head to the center of the blanket.
- Dress the bunny using accessories (bonnet, flower, bow).
Congratulations on finishing your Dress-Up Bunny Lovey!
Want the PDF pattern?
If you would like to download the beautifully-formatted, ad-free, and easy-to-read PDF version with photo references, you can get a copy from my shop, Ravelry, and Etsy shop. (Thank you for supporting Sweet Softies designs! These funds help offset my craft materials cost and allows me to design more free patterns to share with you all on my blog!)
If you enjoyed this project, you might like my other designs! Simply click on the image below for the pattern, or check out all my free patterns here.
If you made this project and would like to share photos, I'd absolutely love to see! Here are links for sharing your finished creation:
- Sweet Softies Facebook Page
- Sweet Softies Amigurumi & Crochet Community Facebook Group
- Instagram, @SweetSofties
- Email: sweetsofties [at] gmail.com
Best wishes,
