I started with the Gnome pattern, made the legs in black, then changed to cream for the pants. For the jacket, I used blue, and took inspiration from the Groom pattern for the two-color section (Napoleon either has large, white lapels, or a white waistcoat). I used light pink for the head, and sort of ad-libbed the decreases (his head turned out a bit pointy before embroidery), based on the Groom pattern.

I made the arms extra long so I could tuck one end into his waistcoat (plus, I like the arms a bit longer).

The hat: I was sort of stumped on how to make a proper hat for Napoleon, and then it occurred to me: Teeny Tiny Sailboat! So, yes, the boat part of the tiny sailboat is the perfect shape and size for Napoleon’s hat. It was knit in black, with an embroidered medallion and cockade. A note on construction: my CO edge was threatening to curl, so I did a single whip stitch a little bit in from each corner of the opening to fit Bonie’s head, and I sewed a running stitch along my CO stitches for stability. If I’d used the long-tail CO instead of the knitted CO, I might’ve avoided the issue.

The embroidery: Not only did I embroider the eyes and hair (I tried for that windswept Regency/Napoleonic look), but I added a red sash for a bit of color, and yellow epaulettes (I couldn’t find my gold thread!).

The last photo is of my tiny Bonie with Kate Beaton’s iconic rendition from the back of her book, Hark! A Vagrant.

Tiny Napoleon was a 2012 MochiMochi Land Photo Contest Semi-Finalist!