Baby Peacoat Crochet Pattern: A Classic Double-Breasted Baby Coat in 8 Steps
Few baby makes look as polished as a little peacoat — the double-breasted front, the two rows of buttons, the neat folded collar. This baby peacoat crochet pattern recreates that classic tailored coat entirely in crochet: simple half double crochet pieces, sewn together, with a proper button band, real buttonholes and a folding collar. It is written in full for size 6–12 months, with three more sizes in the table below. This baby peacoat crochet pattern is a satisfying weekend project that looks far more tailored than its simple stitches suggest.
About This Baby Peacoat
- A timeless, unisex design. The peacoat shape suits boys and girls alike — change the colour and the mood changes.
- Built like a real coat. Separate back, fronts and sleeves are sewn together, so the coat holds a structured shape instead of stretching like a cardigan.
- Double-breasted warmth. The overlapping fronts double the layer across the chest, and the two button columns are the signature.
- One stitch does almost everything. Half double crochet gives a dense, warm, tailored fabric; single crochet appears only in the bands and collar.
- A gift that gets kept. Like our crochet baby dress patterns, this is a piece families photograph, save and hand down. Our crochet cardigan patterns roundup has more shaped garments.
Materials and Gauge
- Light worsted / DK (#3) soft baby yarn, approx. 650 yd (595 m) for the 6–12 month size, in soft navy here. Choose a smooth acrylic or acrylic-wool baby blend. If yarn labels are still a puzzle, the Craft Yarn Council’s standard yarn weight system explains what the “#3” on the band means.
- 4.5 mm (US 7) crochet hook
- Eight buttons, ¾ in (20 mm) — four functional, four decorative
- Stitch markers, yarn needle, sewing needle and thread to match the buttons, scissors, tape measure
Gauge: 16 hdc and 12 rows = 4 inches (10 cm) in half double crochet with the 4.5 mm hook. Gauge matters on a fitted garment — swatch first (Step 1) and change hook size until it matches.
Finished measurements (6–12 months): chest approx. 21 in (53 cm), length approx. 13 in (33 cm), sleeve approx. 10 in (25 cm) cuff to cap top — coat sleeves are worn long, cuff turned back.
Useful Materials from Amazon
A smooth DK or light worsted baby yarn is the heart of this coat — it drapes like garment fabric and washes without pilling.
A soft-grip 4.5 mm hook keeps your hand comfortable through five pieces of dense half double crochet.
Flat 20 mm buttons in a toning colour give the classic peacoat look — buy all eight in one pack so both columns match.
Locking markers track the shaping rows, and hold the double-breasted overlap in place while you position the buttons.
Sizes
The 6–12 month size is written out in full below. For the other sizes, follow the same instructions — every shaping sequence is worked exactly as written — starting from your size’s counts.
| Size | Finished chest | Back (sts) | Each front (sts) | Sleeve start (sts) | Rows to armhole |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–3 months | 19 in (48 cm) | 38 | 25 | 18 | 22 |
| 3–6 months | 20 in (51 cm) | 40 | 26 | 19 | 24 |
| 6–12 months | 21 in (53 cm) | 42 | 27 | 20 | 26 |
| 12–24 months | 23 in (58 cm) | 46 | 29 | 22 | 28 |
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch = chain
- sc = single crochet
- hdc = half double crochet
- hdc2tog = half double crochet 2 together (decrease)
- sl st = slip stitch
- st(s) = stitch(es)
- RS / WS = right side / wrong side
Throughout this baby peacoat crochet pattern the turning ch-2 does not count as a stitch — work your first hdc of each row into the first stitch itself. Pieces are worked flat, in rows.
The Baby Peacoat Crochet Pattern, Step by Step
Step 1 — Materials, Gauge and Sizes
Gather everything above and make your gauge swatch: ch 19, hdc in the 3rd ch from the hook and across (17 hdc), then work 14 rows of hdc. The middle should measure 16 stitches and 12 rows inside 4 inches. Too many stitches? Go up to a 5 mm hook; too few, drop to a 4 mm.
The coat is made in five pieces — one back, two fronts, two sleeves — then seamed. The fronts are wider than half the back: that extra width is the double-breasted overlap, about 3 in (12 sts) shared between them.
Step 2 — The Back
Row 1: Ch 44. Hdc in the 3rd ch from the hook and in every ch across. (42 hdc)
Rows 2–26: Ch 2, turn, hdc in every st across. (42 hdc) The piece measures about 10½ in wide and 8⅔ in long.
Armhole shaping:
Row 27: Sl st across the first 3 sts, ch 2, hdc across to the last 3 sts, turn, leaving them unworked. (36 hdc)
Rows 28–31: Ch 2, turn, hdc2tog, hdc across to the last 2 sts, hdc2tog. (34, 32, 30, then 28 hdc)
Rows 32–37: Hdc in every st across. (28 hdc)
Shoulders and neck:
Row 38: Ch 2, turn, hdc in the first 9 sts, turn. (9 hdc — first shoulder)
Row 39: Hdc across (9), fasten off.
Skip the centre 10 sts (the neck). Join the yarn in the next st and work Rows 38–39 again on the last 9 sts for the second shoulder. The back measures about 13 in long.
Step 3 — The Fronts (Double-Breasted Shaping)
Make two fronts. The armhole is shaped at the side edge only, the neck at the front edge only — mirror the second front by shaping at the opposite ends of the same rows.
Row 1: Ch 29. Hdc in the 3rd ch from the hook and in every ch across. (27 hdc)
Rows 2–26: Hdc in every st across. (27 hdc)
Armhole shaping (at the side edge):
Row 27: Bind off 3 sts at the armhole edge (sl st across them, or work to the last 3 sts and turn, to suit the front you are making). (24 hdc)
Rows 28–31: Decrease 1 st at the armhole edge on every row (hdc2tog at that edge). (23, 22, 21, then 20 hdc) The front now matches the back’s shaping rows exactly.
Neck shaping (at the front edge):
Rows 32–36: Decrease 2 sts at the neck edge on every row — hdc2tog twice at that edge. (18, 16, 14, 12, then 10 hdc) This opens the classic peacoat V below the collar.
Row 37: Decrease 1 st at the neck edge. (9 hdc)
Rows 38–39: Hdc across. (9 hdc) Fasten off. The 9-st shoulder matches the back shoulder stitch for stitch.
Step 4 — The Sleeves
Make two, both the same, worked from the cuff up.
Row 1: Ch 22. Hdc in the 3rd ch from the hook and in every ch across. (20 hdc)
Row 2: Hdc across. (20 hdc)
Increase rows: On Rows 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18, work 2 hdc in the first st and 2 hdc in the last st; every other row is worked even. (22, 24, 26, 28, 30, then 32 hdc)
Rows 19–24: Hdc across. (32 hdc) The sleeve measures about 8 in from the cuff.
Sleeve cap:
Row 25: Sl st across the first 3 sts, ch 2, hdc across to the last 3 sts, turn, leaving them unworked. (26 hdc)
Rows 26–29: Hdc2tog at each end of every row. (24, 22, 20, then 18 hdc)
Row 30: Sl st across the first 4 sts, hdc across the next 10 sts, leaving the last 4 unworked. Fasten off. (10 hdc across the cap top)
Step 5 — Joining and Assembly
Before sewing, pin each piece to its finished measurements, mist lightly and leave to dry flat — blocking first is what makes the seams of this baby peacoat crochet pattern sit as neatly as a bought coat’s.
- Shoulder seams. Wrong sides out, join each front shoulder (9 sts) to its back shoulder (9 sts), stitch for stitch.
- Set in the sleeves. Fold each sleeve lengthways, pin the cap-top centre to the shoulder seam, ease the cap around the armhole, then sew.
- Side and sleeve seams. Sew each side seam from hem to underarm, then continue down the sleeve seam to the cuff in one line.
Lay the coat flat and check: fronts level at the hem, sleeves equal, armholes smooth.
Step 6 — Button Band and Buttonholes
Worked in single crochet along each front edge after assembly, the bands give this baby peacoat crochet pattern its crisp, finished front.
Both bands: With the right side facing, join the yarn at the hem of one front edge. Row 1: Work 39 sc evenly up the front edge (1 sc into the end of each row). Rows 2–3: Ch 1, turn, sc in every st across. (39 sc) Fasten off. Repeat on the other front.
Buttonholes: Work them into the band of the front that will sit on top when the coat is fastened (left front for girls, right for boys). On Row 2 of that band: sc across the first 7 sts, then repeat ch 2, skip the next 2 sc, sc in the next 6 sc until four buttonholes are made, then sc across the remaining sts. (Buttonholes sit at sc positions 8, 16, 24 and 32, counting from the hem.) On Row 3, work 2 sc into each ch-2 space. A 20 mm button passes snugly through a 2-chain hole.
Step 7 — The Collar
The collar is worked directly into the neck edge and folded down.
Row 1: With the right side facing, join the yarn at the top of the top-front band. Work 34 sc evenly around the neck: about 11 sc along each front neck slope, 1 sc in each shoulder seam corner, 10 sc across the back neck. (34 sc)
Row 2: Ch 2, turn, 2 hdc in the first st, hdc across to the last st, 2 hdc in the last st. (36 hdc)
Row 3: Hdc across. (36 hdc)
Row 4: Repeat Row 2. (38 hdc)
Row 5: Hdc across. (38 hdc) Fasten off.
Fold the collar down so the increases sit at the outer edge — it rolls naturally into the classic peacoat fold.
Step 8 — Buttons and Finishing
Overlap the fronts and pin through the buttonholes to mark positions on the under-front band. Sew the four functional buttons there, making a small thread shank so the thick double front sits flat underneath.
Then sew the four decorative buttons onto the top front in a parallel column lined up with the buttonholes — pure tailoring detail, worth aligning carefully.
Weave in every end, and check each buttonhole stretches over its button without straining.
Tips for a Coat That Looks Tailored
- Block before you band. Bands worked onto unblocked edges wave; blocked pieces give a straight edge to crochet into.
- Count the shaping rows, not the inches. Fronts and back must reach the armhole on the same row numbers or the seams will fight you.
- Sew buttons through the band only, not through both fronts, so the coat still drapes.
- Make a matching hat. Our summer baby hat pattern uses the same yarn weight — work it in the coat’s colour for a set.
Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them
- The fronts will not overlap evenly. One front is wider or longer — compare them stitch by stitch before assembly.
- The shoulders pucker. The front and back shoulder counts differ. Both must be 9 sts; recount Steps 2 and 3 before sewing.
- Buttonholes are too small or too big. A ch-2 hole suits a 20 mm button. For chunkier buttons, work ch 3 and skip 3 — test against your buttons first.
- The collar stands up stiffly. It was worked too tightly, or the increases were skipped — they are what let it fold. Rework it looser.
- The coat twists after washing. Hdc in turned rows can lean. Block after washing — pin flat to dry — as with our honeycomb baby blanket.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this baby peacoat crochet pattern suitable for beginners?
It suits a confident beginner. The stitches are basic — hdc, sc and one decrease — but several pieces have shaping, so make it your second or third garment.
How much yarn does the coat take?
About 650 yards (595 m) of DK (#3) yarn for the 6–12 month size — roughly two 100 g balls of baby yarn. Smaller sizes take less; budget an extra ball for 12–24 months.
Which buttons are safe for a baby coat?
Flat, smooth buttons at least ¾ in (20 mm) across — too large to swallow — sewn on very firmly with doubled thread and checked before every wear. For babies under six months, skip the decorative column.
Can I make the coat in a single-breasted version?
Yes. Work each front at 24 sts instead of 27, put buttonholes in one band only, and sew one column of four buttons. Collar, sleeves and shaping stay the same.
How do I wash the finished coat?
Most baby acrylics machine wash gentle and cool; reshape while damp and dry flat. For more baby makes, browse our roundup of crochet baby blanket patterns.
Final Thoughts
A peacoat is a small piece of tailoring, which is why it makes such a satisfying crochet project: real structure, real buttonholes, a collar that folds — all from one simple stitch. Take the shaping rows slowly, block before you band, and this baby peacoat crochet pattern will turn out a coat that looks shop-bought — until someone looks closely and sees it was handmade instead. Keep this baby peacoat crochet pattern handy for baby showers and first birthdays alike.
