Crochet piece is bulging

Good morning, everyone

I’m a crochet beginner and have successfully crocheted a cute little Santa Claus. Thinking I was being clever, I thought, “Sure, now you’ll make a big one for the front door…” It is big, but it’s no longer flat. It’s bulging—there’s no way to hang it flat on the door.
Now I thought I’d make a sort of counterpart for the back and stuff it lightly. But how do I keep the same thing from happening to the counterpart? Otherwise, Santa would end up very, very round…

Thanks for your help!

Warm regards
P

Either you didn’t make enough increases, or maybe you crocheted it too tightly? That can happen sometimes.

If you want to crochet a round piece, you need to increase evenly.
Generally, in the 1st round you double every stitch, in the 2nd round every 2nd stitch, in the 3rd round every 3rd stitch, and so on.
Maybe you didn’t increase enough in one place - check that again. :-)

Best regards, Michaela 

Thanks, everyone :-(
I guess I’ll have no choice but to undo my “work” again :-(

Starting out is always hard, and I’m sure everyone here can tell a thing or two about unraveling...

Before you unpick it, I’d try stiffening it with cornstarch: Mix cornstarch into cold water, bring it to a boil, and let it cool down a bit. Soak the piece, squeeze out the excess water well, then lay it flat and cover it with a towel, for example, until it’s dry. Or pin the wet piece smoothly onto a Styrofoam board with straight pins and let it dry. That’s how I starch my crocheted stars, trees, window hangings, etc., too.