A4 PDF: materials, every round with a tick box, assembly and face
Free crochet bao bun pattern: a Sleepy Bao Bun amigurumi, about 7 cm tall in DK yarn with a 2.5 mm hook. It is a round cream steamed bun with a pinwheel swirl of beige pleats around a little pinched top, closed sleepy eyes, pink cheeks, a light blue drool bubble at the corner of its mouth and two stubby feet.
You need about 40 m of yarn: 30 m cream, 5 m pink and 5 m light blue. Plan on roughly 1 hour.
It makes a soft desk buddy or a small gift for anyone who loves dim sum and naps. Spin the 3D model to see the swirl from every side, then follow the round-by-round pattern.
How to crochet the Sleepy Bao Bun
Beginner-friendly · 7 cm tall · about 2 h · DK yarn · 2.5 mm hook
Crochet the 7 pieces in rounds: Bun, Foot ×2, Drool bubble, Pinched top, Cheek ×2 (39 rounds in all).
Stuff and put it together in 5 steps; each one lights up where it goes on the 3D model.
Add the face: safety eyes by round and stitch, or embroider them for a child under 3.
Every round with its stitch count is in the Pattern tab below, and in the free printable PDF.
What you'll need
Tick things off as you gather them.
0 of 8 gathered
Gauge
1 sc ≈ 4 mm wide, 1 round ≈ 3.6 mm tall (10 cm ≈ 25 sc × 28 rounds); yarn about 1.9 mm thick. The gauge sets the size of the toy; crochet tightly so the stuffing does not show.
Size before assembly: about 7.7 cm at the widest, 6.3 cm long; 25 rounds.
→ Start stuffing (firmly) and keep adding as you decrease.
Top up the stuffing if needed. Fasten off leaving a 15 cm tail; with the needle weave it through the front loops of all 6 stitches of the last round, pull tight and hide the end inside.
Size before assembly: about 1.4 cm at the widest, 1.7 cm long; 5 rounds.
→ Start stuffing (moderately) and keep adding as you decrease.
Press the piece flat to about 10 mm thick (oval cross-section).<!-- press the piece flat by 30 % -->
Top up the stuffing if needed. Fasten off leaving a 15 cm tail; with the needle weave it through the front loops of all 6 stitches of the last round, pull tight and hide the end inside.
Size before assembly: about 1.2 cm at the widest, 1.3 cm long; 4 rounds.
→ Start stuffing (firmly) and keep adding as you decrease.
Top up the stuffing if needed. Fasten off leaving a 15 cm tail; with the needle weave it through the front loops of all 5 stitches of the last round, pull tight and hide the end inside.
Size before assembly: about 1 cm at the widest, 1.1 cm long; 3 rounds.
→ Start stuffing (lightly) and keep adding as you decrease.
Top up the stuffing if needed. Fasten off leaving a 15 cm tail; with the needle weave it through the front loops of all 6 stitches of the last round, pull tight and hide the end inside.
A flat circle about 1.5 cm across; 2 rounds.
Fasten off leaving a long tail (30–40 cm) for sewing.
Do not stuff.
The whole face is embroidered. Order: the eyes (black satin), then the white glints over them, then the nose and mouth, blush last. Mark the centres with pins first and compare with the picture. Bring thread ends out where a sewn-on piece will cover them, or bury them in the stuffing.
Embroidery in black thread (on the bun) (2, symmetric: the toy's left side is described, the right is its mirror image), straight stitches through: (in round 13, 2.5 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's left ) → (between rounds 13 and 14, 3 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's left ) → (between rounds 13 and 14, 3.5 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's left ) → (between rounds 13 and 14, 4 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's left ) → (in round 13, 4.5 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's left ).
Embroidery in dark brown thread (on the bun), straight stitches through: (in round 15, 0.5 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's right ) → (between rounds 15 and 16, 0.5 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's right ) → (between rounds 15 and 16, on the centre front line) → (between rounds 15 and 16, 0.5 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's left ) → (in round 15, 0.5 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's left ).
Satin stitch (on the drool bubble): in white thread, a oval about 2.5 mm wide and 2.5 mm tall, horizontal stitches; centred between rounds 2 and 3, 1 st from the centre top line, toward the toy's left .
Embroidery in beige thread (on the bun), straight stitches through: (between rounds 1 and 2, on the centre front line ) → (in round 3, 0.5 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's left ) → (in round 5, 2.5 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's left ) → (between rounds 6 and 7, 4 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's left ).
Embroidery in beige thread (on the bun), straight stitches through: (between rounds 1 and 2, 1 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's left ) → (in round 3, 3 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's left ) → (in round 5, 6 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's left ) → (between rounds 6 and 7, 8.5 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's left ).
Embroidery in beige thread (on the bun), straight stitches through: (between rounds 1 and 2, 1.5 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's left ) → (in round 3, 5 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's left ) → (in round 5, 10 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's left ) → (between rounds 6 and 7, 5 st from the centre back line, toward the toy's left ).
Embroidery in beige thread (on the bun), straight stitches through: (between rounds 1 and 2, 1 st from the centre back line, toward the toy's left ) → (in round 3, 1.5 st from the centre back line, toward the toy's left ) → (in round 5, 1.5 st from the centre back line, toward the toy's left ) → (between rounds 6 and 7, 0.5 st from the centre back line, toward the toy's left ).
Embroidery in beige thread (on the bun), straight stitches through: (between rounds 1 and 2, on the centre back line ) → (in round 3, 0.5 st from the centre back line, toward the toy's right ) → (in round 5, 2.5 st from the centre back line, toward the toy's right ) → (between rounds 6 and 7, 4 st from the centre back line, toward the toy's right ).
Embroidery in beige thread (on the bun), straight stitches through: (between rounds 1 and 2, 1 st from the centre back line, toward the toy's right ) → (in round 3, 3 st from the centre back line, toward the toy's right ) → (in round 5, 9 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's right ) → (between rounds 6 and 7, 9.5 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's right ).
Embroidery in beige thread (on the bun), straight stitches through: (between rounds 1 and 2, 1.5 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's right ) → (in round 3, 4 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's right ) → (in round 5, 5 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's right ) → (between rounds 6 and 7, 5 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's right ).
Embroidery in beige thread (on the bun), straight stitches through: (between rounds 1 and 2, 1 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's right ) → (in round 3, 1.5 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's right ) → (in round 5, 1.5 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's right ) → (between rounds 6 and 7, 0.5 st from the centre front line, toward the toy's right ).
× scV incΛ dec
Abbreviations
MR
magic ring
sc
single crochet
inc
2 sc in the same stitch
dec
single crochet two stitches together (invisible decrease recommended)
