The other day, I gave the silky cashmere bolero a break and decided to make another bolero to try out a new yarn: Lotus Yarn’s Autumn Wind, a DK/sport weight yarn of cotton (90%) and cashmere (10%).
Autumn Wind - cotton and cashmere yarn from Lotus Yarns.
This time, I made a simple pattern based on my measurements. I drew the pattern on a clean sheet of newspaper. (The newspaper ink didn’t smudge on my yarn, but it may. So it might be better to use craft paper or Manila paper when available).
The first basic shape is a vertical rectangle with a width that’s half my bust measurements and a height that’s from the base of my neck to my waist. I usually add more ease around the arms and bust and less at the waist.
I am assuming that this will be a patter for a top that goes to my waist at the most. If you make a longer rectangle, then it could be a dress.
The bolero pattern as drawn on a newspaper.
The length of the rest of the lines on the pattern are based on my own body measurements, as depicted in the illustration below.
The basic pattern.
Afterwards, I crocheted the motifs and arranged them onto the paper pattern.
I made full motifs and half motifs when necessary.
Then I joined the motifs together using a combination of chain stitches, double crochet, treble crochet and single crochet. What stitches to use and in what number and order really depend on the distances that are being spanned.
Joining the motifs and covering some areas with mesh stitches.
I fasten off and join the yarn to other places to join and to cover, as the motifs are irregular in shape and it isn’t possible to crochet all the motifs together continuously.
Fasten off and start at other parts of the work when needed.
I work the left front, the right front, then the back of the bolero. When done, these parts are to be sewn together at the seams. But remember that before doing any sewing, use some yarn to tie the seams together first and then do a fitting.
The two front sections of the bolero.
Usually I work on the right side of the bolero, sometimes it is necessary to work on the wrong side. It all depends on which direction I need to crochet to join the motifs and to make a good lacy coverage of stitches.
The paper pattern and the bolero - work in progress.
This kind of work may seem daunting but once you have gathered the courage to begin joining the motifs, you will realize that it is fairly easy, especially with dk/sport weight yarn. Doing this kind of work in finer thread is much more difficult. I really recommend thicker yarn like dk/sport weight if you are just beginning to learn free form crochet like this.
A good yarn weight to start learning free form and joining motifs.
The use of a paper pattern has made work much easier for me too. Some people work with a tailor’s dummy. Some people work with dressmaker’s patterns. You can make your own pattern on paper or cheap cloth. You can make separate patterns for the front and the back of the garment.
From a basic pattern, you can easily develop shapes and fittings in crochet.
