Project introduction
Fredbird, the official mascot of the St. Louis Cardinals, is the subject of this crochet amigurumi pattern. The designer, Christjan Bee, created it after a co-worker requested it alongside KC Wolf, the official mascot of the Kansas City Chiefs. At the time the pattern was published in November 2015, the KC Wolf pattern was noted as coming soon. This overview summarizes the construction and materials without reproducing the full step-by-step instructions.
The finished figure captures the mascot’s look through color blocking and small accessory details. The designer works the body in red, the beak in yellow, and the shoes in white, then tops the head with a red baseball cap. The jersey carries embroidered lettering and numbers, including the team name and the identifiers FRED and BIRD. Fredbird and the St. Louis Cardinals are identified in the pattern notice as copyright Major League Baseball Properties, Inc. and their respective creators.
The pattern notice also states that the design is an original pattern copyright by Christjan Bee (November 2015). It asks that the pattern not be claimed as someone else’s work, permits linking to the pattern, asks that it not be reprinted or reposted on another site, allows printing and keeping a copy for personal use, and prohibits selling or distributing the pattern or selling items made from it. Anyone planning to make the figure should read those terms before starting. This overview describes the pattern only and does not reproduce its row by row instructions.
Pattern format and preparation
The pattern is written in US crochet terms and uses standard abbreviations such as sc, sc2tog, ch, hdc and dc. It is built from many separate pieces that are joined or sewn together later, so a maker who is comfortable with a magic ring, single crochet in rounds and rows, and working through both thicknesses will find the structure easier to follow. The source does not state a skill level, so no experience rating is claimed here.
The pattern is available to read free on the designer’s blog; the source does not mention a paid printable or PDF version, and the notice asks that it not be reprinted or reposted on another site.
Preparation begins with gathering the listed materials. The designer specifies worsted weight yarn in four colors: red, white, yellow and black. You will also need an E crochet hook, polyester fiberfill for stuffing, a tapestry needle, black and red craft felt, and two 20mm oval goggle eyes.
Supplies checklist:
- Worsted weight yarn in red, white, yellow and black
- E crochet hook
- Polyester fiberfill
- Tapestry needle
- Black and red craft felt
- Two 20mm oval goggle eyes
Construction starts with the extremities. The arms are made as two pieces, beginning in yellow in a magic ring and switching to red partway through before being stuffed firmly. The shoes are also made as two pieces, worked in white with a heel flap formed in rows, then whipstitched to the opposite side of the work and sewn across the bottom of the heel. Shoe cuffs are added separately in red, starting at the back, and the second round is worked in front loops only.
The legs attach in yellow to the free loops of the first round of the shoe cuff. Leg feathers are worked on both legs in front loops only, attaching red and repeating a feather sequence six times.
The body is the central piece, worked in red from a magic ring. The first and second legs are joined to the body by holding the pieces right sides together and working through both thicknesses, and the arms are joined in the same way at a later round. The pattern also works around the legs and arms to shape the joins. The pattern instructs the maker to begin stuffing the body firmly at a stated point and to continue adding stuffing as you go.
Decreases shape the head and torso, and the body rounds continue through a final round ending with four stitches.
Facial features add character. The face is worked in rows with black yarn, shaped with increases and decreases, then sewn to the head of the body. The beak is worked in yellow, beginning in rounds and then transitioning to rows, and it is flattened and sewn to the face. A black craft felt triangle matching the lower half of the beak is cut and glued in place, and a red felt triangle is cut and glued for the tongue.
Accessories complete the look. The hat is worked in red in rounds, then in rows for the bill, with the bill round worked in back loops only. White yarn is used to backstitch the STL on the hat, and the hat is sewn to the head with the bill facing forward, overlapping the black face a little, with stuffing added before closing to keep the dome shape.
The jersey is worked in rows with white, red and yellow, using color changes and decreases, then divided into left side, center and right side sections that are joined together. Lazy daisy stitch is used for the tails of the Cardinals on the bat on the front, black yarn backstitches Cardinals, and red yarn backstitches FRED above the right side zero and BIRD above the left side zero.
Sleeves are worked around each armhole, beginning in white and continuing in single crochet, then repeated in the second armhole with the stitch order reversed. The tail is a simple chain based piece in red, and its connected edge is sewn to the body. Assembly involves sewing all parts securely and weaving in ends for a polished finish. For the complete row by row instructions, please refer to the Original designer’s pattern and instructions.
