This curtain fills a doorway with cozy holiday baking. A brown scalloped header hangs from a wooden rod by tab loops. Below it, cream chain strands carry flat gingerbread men and small puffy stars, so the doorway looks decorated but still lets light and people through.
The palette is two colors. Gingerbread brown is used for the header and the cookie bodies. Cream is used for the strands, the stars, the cookie edging and the “icing” details. The style is cottage-cozy and works in a hallway, a kitchen door or a wide window.
The pattern uses US crochet terms. The header measures 31.5 in (80.0 cm) wide and about 2.75 in (7.0 cm) deep, not counting the tabs. The strands hang 60 in (152.4 cm) below the scallops, for a total drop of about 62.75 in (159.4 cm).
You make 9 half-circle scallops and join them with a single crochet band that has tabs on top. Then you chain 11 cream strands, crochet 12 gingerbread men and 43 stars, edge each man in cream, embroider the faces and sew everything in place.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 31.5 in (80.0 cm) wide × about 62.75 in (159.4 cm) long, excluding tabs
- Skill level: Intermediate
- Terminology: US
- Yarn weight: Worsted (#4)
- Hook: 4.0 mm (G-6)
- Number of pieces: 75 (9 scallops, 11 strands, 12 gingerbread men, 43 stars)
- Layout: 1 header and 11 strands (3 gingerbread strands, 8 star strands)
- Gingerbread size: 5.5 × 5.5 in (14.0 × 14.0 cm)
- Gingerbread size before border: 5 × 5 in (12.7 × 12.7 cm)
- Border depth: 0.25 in (0.6 cm) on every edge
- Star size: 1.75 in (4.4 cm) from tip to tip
Materials
Use a smooth worsted cotton or cotton blend. Cotton keeps the gingerbread men flat and the strands from stretching. Avoid fuzzy yarns, because they hide the edging.
- Gingerbread brown: 150 g / 270 m (295 yd)
- Cream: 150 g / 270 m (295 yd)
Tools:
- 4.0 mm (G-6) hook
- Tapestry needle
- Stitch markers
- Measuring tape
- Blocking mat and pins
- Spray bottle
- Scissors
- Wooden rod up to 1 in (2.5 cm) in diameter, with brackets
Both quantities include a margin of about 25% for swatching, tails and sewing.
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- hdc – half double crochet
- dc – double crochet
- sc2tog – single crochet 2 together
- fsc – foundation single crochet
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- RS – right side
Special stitch – fsc: Insert the hook in the base ch of the last stitch, yarn over and pull up a loop, yarn over and pull through 1 loop (this is the new base ch), then yarn over and pull through 2 loops. This makes one sc with its own chain underneath.
Gauge and Checkpoints
- Gauge: 16 sc × 18 rows = 4 in (10.2 cm), and 16 dc × 9 rows = 4 in (10.2 cm)
- Chain gauge: 4 ch = 1 in (2.5 cm)
Make one gingerbread man first and treat it as your test piece.
Checkpoints:
- Row 5 (one leg): 1 in (2.5 cm) wide
- Row 14 (arms): 5 in (12.7 cm) wide
- Row 23 (head top): about 5 in (12.7 cm) tall
- After the border: 5.5 × 5.5 in (14.0 × 14.0 cm)
- One scallop: 3.5 in (8.9 cm) across its straight edge
- Strand: 40 ch measure 10 in (25.4 cm)
If your pieces come out too big, go down 0.5 mm. If they come out too small, go up 0.5 mm. Check again after the change.
Gingerbread Man (make 12, brown)
You work this piece flat in rows, from the feet up. Every row starts with ch 1 and turn. The ch 1 does not count as a stitch.
First leg: Ch 5.
- Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across. (4)
- Rows 2–5: Sc across. (4)
Fasten off.
Second leg: Work Rows 1–5 the same way. Do not fasten off.
Body:
- Row 6 (joining): Sc in 4 sts of the second leg, ch 2, then sc in 4 sts of the first leg. (8 sc + 2 ch = 10 sts) The ch-2 creates the gap between the legs.
- Row 7: Sc in each sc and in each ch. (10)
- Rows 8–10: Sc across. (10) At the end of Row 10, ch 6.
Arms:
- Row 11: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and next 4 ch (5), sc across the body (10), then fsc 5. (20)
- Rows 12–14: Sc across. (20)
Width checkpoint: 5 in (12.7 cm).
Shoulders and neck:
- Row 15: Turn without a ch, sl st in the first 5 sts, ch 1, sc2tog, sc 6, sc2tog. Leave the last 5 sts unworked. (8)
- Row 16: Sc2tog, sc 4, sc2tog. (6)
Head:
- Row 17: 2 sc in the first st, sc 4, 2 sc in the last st. (8)
- Row 18: 2 sc in the first st, sc 6, 2 sc in the last st. (10)
- Rows 19–21: Sc across. (10)
- Row 22: Sc2tog, sc 6, sc2tog. (8)
- Row 23: Sc2tog, sc 4, sc2tog. (6)
Fasten off and weave in the ends. The piece is now 5 × 5 in (12.7 × 12.7 cm), ready for the border below.
Star (make 43, cream)
- Rnd 1: Magic ring, 5 sc in the ring, sl st to the first sc. (5)
- Rnd 2: Ch 1, 2 sc in each st, sl st to the first sc. (10)
- Rnd 3: *Ch 4, sl st in 2nd ch from hook, sc in next ch, hdc in next ch, skip the next sc, sl st in the next sc; repeat from * 4 more times. (5 points)
Each point uses 2 sts of Rnd 2, and 5 × 2 = 10. Fasten off and leave an 8 in (20.3 cm) tail for sewing.
Header Scallop (make 9, brown)
The scallops are worked in rows. Each row starts with ch 3, which counts as a dc.
- Row 1: Magic ring, ch 3, 6 dc in the ring. (7)
- Row 2: Turn, ch 3, dc in the same st, then 2 dc in each remaining st. (14)
- Row 3: Turn, ch 3, dc in the same st, dc in next, *2 dc in next, dc in next; repeat from * to end. (21)
- Row 4: Turn, ch 3, dc in the same st, dc in next 2, *2 dc in next, dc in next 2; repeat from * to end. (28)
Fasten off 8 scallops. Keep the last scallop live if you like, or rejoin later.
Header Band (brown)
Row A (joining row): Hold the scallops with the RS facing and the straight edges on top. Join brown at the right corner of the first scallop and work across its straight edge:
- 2 sc in the Row 4 end, 2 sc in the Row 3 end, 2 sc in the Row 2 end, 1 sc in the Row 1 end (7 sc)
- Skip the ring, then 1 sc in the Row 1 end, 2 sc in the Row 2 end, 2 sc in the Row 3 end, 2 sc in the Row 4 end (7 sc)
That is 14 sc per scallop. Continue straight onto the next scallop and work it the same way. Repeat across all 9. (9 × 14 = 126)
- Rows B–D: Ch 1, turn, sc across. (126)
Width checkpoint: 31.5 in (80.0 cm). Depth checkpoint: about 2.75 in (7.0 cm).
Tabs (make 9): Count the stitches of Row D in groups of 14, one group above each scallop. With RS facing, join brown in the 5th st of a group.
- Row 1: Ch 1, sc in sts 5–10. (6)
- Rows 2–12: Ch 1, turn, sc across. (6)
Each tab is about 2.75 in (7.0 cm) long. There are 4 free sts on each side of every tab, so each tab sits centered over its scallop.
Fold each tab to the back and sew its last row to the back of Row A. This makes a loop that fits a rod up to 1 in (2.5 cm) in diameter.
Strands (make 11, cream)
Ch 241. Sl st in the back bump of the 2nd ch from hook and of each ch across. (240 sl st)
Each strand is 60 in (152.4 cm). Leave a 12 in (30.5 cm) tail at both ends.
Make All Pieces
Pieces by color:
- Brown: 9 scallops (joined into the header) and 12 gingerbread men
- Cream: 11 strands, 43 stars, and the 12 gingerbread borders
Layout from left to right. S = star strand, G = gingerbread strand.
Position: L-end Sc1 Sc2 Sc3 Sc4 Sc5 Sc6 Sc7 Sc8 Sc9 R-end
Strand: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Type: S S G S S G S S G S S
- Gingerbread strands (3, 6, 9): 4 men each (12 total) plus 1 bottom star (3 total)
- Star strands (1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11): 5 stars each (40 total)
- Total stars: 40 + 3 = 43
Joining
Strands to header:
- Sew the top tail of strands 2–10 between sts 14 and 15 of Row 4 of their scallop. This is the lowest center point of the scallop.
- Sew strand 1 to the first st of Row A, and strand 11 to the last st of Row A.
- Pass the tail through two stitches and knot it on the back.
The strands at the scallop centers are 3.5 in (8.9 cm) apart. The end strands sit 1.75 in (4.4 cm) from the nearest center strand.
Gingerbread men: Measure each position from the top of the strand.
- Center the men at 9 in (22.9 cm), 23 in (58.4 cm), 37 in (94.0 cm) and 51 in (129.5 cm).
- Lay the strand down the back of each man, from the top of the head to the ch-2 gap between the legs.
- Whipstitch the strand to the back loops of the center column of stitches, catching one loop every 2 rows.
Stars on star strands:
- Center the first four stars at 2 in (5.1 cm), 16 in (40.6 cm), 30 in (76.2 cm) and 44 in (111.8 cm). These heights fall between the rows of gingerbread men, so the stars never collide with them.
- Sew a fifth star 1 in (2.5 cm) above the strand end.
- On each gingerbread strand, sew a star 1 in (2.5 cm) above the end in the same way.
- Tack each star through the center of Rnd 1 and through one point behind the strand. Tuck the strand ends into the back of the bottom star.
Tension: Sew loosely enough that the pieces stay flat, but firmly enough that they don’t slide. Do not pull the strand tight behind a man. If you do, he will curl.
Size checkpoint: Hang the curtain. The header should measure 31.5 in (80.0 cm), and every strand should hang 60 in (152.4 cm) below the scallops.
Border (Gingerbread Edging, cream)
Border gauge: Same as the body, 16 sc = 4 in (10.2 cm). One round adds 0.25 in (0.6 cm) on every edge.
Rnd 1: With RS facing, join cream at the outer corner of the right foot. Sc evenly around, going up the right side first.
| Segment | Sc per side | Both sides |
|---|---|---|
| Leg bottom (4 foundation sts: 3 sc in the corner, 2 sc, 3 sc in the corner) | 8 | 16 |
| Outer leg side (Rows 1–5) | 5 | 10 |
| Inner legs and crotch (5 + 2 sc under the ch-2 + 5) | – | 12 |
| Body side (Rows 6–10) | 5 | 10 |
| Arm underside | 5 | 10 |
| Arm end (2 sc in Row 11 end, 1 sc each in Rows 12–13, 2 sc in Row 14 end) | 6 | 12 |
| Arm top | 5 | 10 |
| Shoulder and neck (Rows 15–18) | 4 | 8 |
| Head side (Rows 19–23) | 5 | 10 |
| Head top (2 sc, 4 sc, 2 sc) | – | 8 |
Sl st to the first sc. (106 sc)
Why the math works:
- At 18 rows per 4 in, one sc per sc row-end matches the row height, so the sides stay flat.
- Working 1 sc per stitch along the top and bottom edges keeps the width unchanged.
- The extra stitches go only at the convex points (feet, arm ends, head) so the edging turns those curves without cupping.
- Total: 16 + 10 + 12 + 10 + 10 + 12 + 10 + 8 + 10 + 8 = 106.
Faces and buttons:
- Eyes: Two cream French knots (3 wraps each) on Row 21, 4 sts apart.
- Smile: A curved backstitch across the center 4 sts of Row 19.
- Buttons: Three French knots down the body center, on Rows 13, 10 and 7.
Final Blocking
- Lightly mist each gingerbread man.
- Pin it to 5.5 × 5.5 in (14.0 × 14.0 cm), with a pin at each foot, arm end and the top of the head.
- Pin the stars to 1.75 in (4.4 cm) and open each point.
- Pin the header to 31.5 in (80.0 cm). Pin each scallop into a smooth half-circle 3.5 in (8.9 cm) wide.
- Let everything dry completely.
- Hang the strands with a light weight at the bottom overnight so they settle straight.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- The header is 31.5 in (80.0 cm) wide and all 9 scallops are the same size.
- All 9 tabs are centered and securely sewn.
- There are 11 strands, each 60 in (152.4 cm).
- Each gingerbread man has a 106-sc border and measures 5.5 in (14.0 cm).
- The faces and buttons are aligned and their knots are secure.
- The gingerbread men are level across the three strands, and so are the stars.
- All ends are woven in on the back.
Troubleshooting
- Gingerbread curls: The strand is pulled too tight behind it. Re-sew the strand more loosely.
- Border ruffles: The corners have too many stitches. Use 2 sc instead of 3 sc there.
- Border pulls in: Add 1 sc at each arm end.
- Scallops cup: Block them flat, or go up 0.5 mm on the hook for Rows 3–4.
- Strands stretch: Use cotton yarn, and keep the slip stitches firm.
- Header too narrow: Check that Row A has 14 sc per scallop.
Care
Hand wash in cool water, then reshape and dry flat. Store the curtain rolled around a tube so the strands don’t tangle.
Final Notes
The measurement chain runs like this:
- Gingerbread men: 16 sc to 4 in (10.2 cm) gives a 5 in (12.7 cm) man, and the 0.25 in (0.6 cm) border brings him to 5.5 in (14.0 cm).
- Header: 14 sc per scallop × 9 scallops = 126 sts, or 31.5 in (80.0 cm).
- Strands: 4 ch per inch × 60 in (152.4 cm) = 240 ch.
Check each link in that chain and the whole curtain falls into place.
Happy crocheting!