Babies Play Mat in Bergere de France Coton Fifty - 72277-27 - Downloadable PDF

Babies Play Mat in Bergere de France Coton Fifty – Crochet Pattern Summary

This downloadable PDF pattern from Bergere de France provides full instructions for crocheting a large, circular babies' play mat measuring 90 cm in diameter. Worked entirely in crochet, this project creates a soft, flat, round mat ideal for infants to lie and play on. The generous size and use of cotton yarn make it a practical and tactile piece for nurseries and play spaces. The pattern is rated intermediate difficulty, making it well suited to crocheters who are comfortable working in the round and managing colour changes across multiple rounds.

Materials Required

Yarn

The pattern uses Bergere de France Coton Fifty, a 4-ply weight cotton-blend yarn. Multiple colourways are called for to create the multicoloured design of the mat. The specific shades and quantities are as follows:

• Squale (shade 54715) – 13 balls (the dominant background colour)
• Coco (shade 22493) – 3 balls
• Bengale (shade 24660) – 2 balls
• Zan (shade 24291) – 1 ball

The total yarn requirement is substantial, reflecting the large finished dimensions of the mat. Coton Fifty is a cotton-rich yarn known for its softness, durability, and washability – qualities that make it particularly appropriate for baby items that will need frequent laundering.

Hook

The pattern calls for a 6 mm crochet hook. Using a larger hook with a 4-ply yarn produces a fabric with a slightly open, flexible drape while still maintaining enough density and structure for a floor mat.

Construction and Techniques

The play mat is worked in the round from the centre outward, a classic method for producing flat circular crochet pieces. This technique involves starting with a small ring or chain loop at the centre and then increasing stitches at regular intervals on each round to keep the work lying flat as the diameter grows. The pattern works outward across at least 17 rounds, with the stitch count growing systematically – for example, reaching 160 stitches by round 16 – to maintain the circular shape without puckering or ruffling.

Each round is closed with a slip stitch (maille coulée) into the third chain of the turning chain at the beginning of that round, which is standard practice when working treble crochet rounds in the round. The turning chain of 3 chain stitches replaces the first treble crochet of each round.

Stitches Used

• Chain stitch (maille en l'air / m.l.) – used to begin rounds and as part of the turning chain
• Slip stitch (maille coulée / m.c.) – used to close each round
• Double crochet / treble crochet (bride / b.) – the primary stitch used throughout the body of the mat
• Single crochet (maille serrée / m.s.) – referenced in the stitch legend, likely used for edging or joining sections
• Two single crochets worked together (2 m.s. fermées ensemble) – a decrease technique noted in the pattern legend

The combination of these stitches, worked across many rounds with careful increases, produces a smooth, even, and fully flat circular surface. The use of bride (treble crochet in UK terms, double crochet in US terms) as the main stitch gives the mat a slightly raised, textured fabric that is comfortable underfoot and beneath a baby.

Design and Colour

The use of four distinct Coton Fifty colourways – Squale, Coco, Bengale, and Zan – suggests a striped or colour-blocked circular design, with the dominant shade Squale forming the majority of the mat and the accent colours adding decorative rings or sections as the rounds progress. This kind of colourwork in the round is achieved simply by changing yarn at the end of a