Crochet Cross-Body Bag - Free Crochet Pattern

Who says crochet has to look handmade? I mean… I don’t! I love trying to whip up designs that look tasteful and professional— and this one totally fits the bill. It’s the perfect cross-body purse… and pairing it with a beautiful suede leather and antique brass notions? Possibly my favorite combo yet 😏

The actual bag itself is made up using the waistcoat (or knit) stitch, and creates a super simple texture that I love. And the fact that it’s made with super bulky yarn means incredibly fast work-up. Holla!

In this post you’ll get the pattern for the bag, along with a full photo tutorial showing how I assembled this entire bag. Yup, it’s a lot! But I wanted to give you as much help as possible for creating this beauty yourself.

What I think is so fun about this bag is that it could be so customizable. You could personalize it to your own style very easily.

Don’tcha love the lovely vintage floral fabric lining? Found my fabric at Joanns, and I love how it pairs with the olive colored yarn.

I hope this is a bag you get to create! I’m excited to switch all my stuff over into it, and wear it proudly. Oh and can’t forget about the fun part: answering, “hey thanks, I made it!” when people compliment it. 😉

What you’ll need:

For the crocheted purse only:
-approximately 130 yards of 6 weight super bulky yarn, I used Yarn Bee Astounding in Olive (3 skeins)
-10mm hook, or size needed to obtain gauge
-stitch marker
-yarn needle with large eye

For the assembly of the purse, as I did it:
-8.5” x 11” piece of suede leather (linked here). I also used a piece of Pellon fabric stabilizer Ultra Firm (one side fusible), also 8.5” x 11”, to make the top leather piece more sturdy. You can find this at any fabric store.
-1/3 yard of fabric of choice to line bag, optional
-iron
-all purpose cement or strong glue, and paint brush. I found this one by the leather crafts
-bag closure of some sort, and pliers to tighten them. I used this press lock in antique brass. I will say I’m kinda disappointed by how difficult it is to unlock this particular one, but it’s already installed sooo.. yeah. Just thought I’d tell you which one I used, perhaps for an example if nothing else
-sewing machine with heavy duty needle, sewing pins, needle, thread that matches bag/fabric color
-d rings to attach to purse strap, I used these antique brass ones
-approximately 3.5-4 feet chain for strap (found at hardware store)
-jump ring/lobster clasp to attach strap to d rings, I used these
-super glue
-rotary hole punch or awl, I used this rotary punch

Finished Measurements:

Approximately 11” wide, 9” tall, and bottom (depth) is 2” wide

Gauge:

7 sc (regular, not waistcoat stitch) by 7 rows equals a four-inch square

Notes:

-this bag is worked starting at the base, which is an oval, then worked upward in the continuous round

-the stitches are worked in the bottom part of the sc, in between the little v of each stitch (the post), not in the two loops on top you usually work in (this is called the waistcoat stitch, or knit stitch), see photo below for assistance on where to insert hook

Pattern:

—-oval purse bottom:

Round 1) ch 15, then work 2 sc in BLO of 2nd ch from hook, then sc into BLO of next 12 ch, work 2 sc in BLO of last ch. Next you’ll be working into the other side of the chain you just worked into (the front loops), see photo below for assistance. work 2 sc in 1st ch (of other side), sc into next 12 ch, 2sc in last ch (32 total sts)

**At this point you will be working in continuous rounds, using a stitch marker on the first st of the round will help.

Round 2) (***working all sts into the post of each sc from prior round, doing the waistcoat st, see photo in notes for assistance) starting into 1st st of round 1: work 2 sc, 2 sc in next st, sc in next 12 sts, 2 sc in next four sts, sc in next 12 sts, 2 sc in last two sts (40 total sts)

—-now moving onto the top portion of the purse

Round 3) sc in BLO of each st around, NOT working into the bottom post (40 total sts)

Rounds 4 - 19) (***working all sts into the post of each sc from prior round, doing waistcoat st) sc in each st around (40 total sts)

to finish off, sl st into top two loops of next st and weave in ends

—-assembly of purse

I’m just showing how I made it, there’s tons of ways you could finish off this purse!

Since my leather piece wasn’t as sturdy as I’d like, I decided to add some stabilizer to the back of it, along with fabric behind it.

So I cut my fabric stabilizer a hair smaller than the leather, and then cut my fabric 1/2 inch bigger for sewing. Then working with only the stabilizer and the fabric, I fused the two together, fusible side to the wrong side of the fabric.

Next I folded my fabric over the stabilizer, ironed it, then sewed it with my sewing machine about 1/4 inch from the edge.

Then I adhered the fabric + stabilizer to the leather piece (wrong sides together) by using the all purpose cement + brush, and let it dry. Make sure the area is well-ventilated, it’s strong! Then I sewed the fused fabric to the leather with my sewing machine, using the stitches of the fabric as my guideline (you’ll need a heavier duty needle, since it’s so much material).

Next you’ll use your rotary punch, and make holes where you’re going to attach the leather to the bag (this will be the back side). Align the leather piece onto your crocheted bag and see where you’d like it to be, then make holes about 1/4 inch from the edge (I used the sewing stitches as my guideline). The holes will need to be big enough for your yarn needle and yarn to go through. (I was thinking you could even put holes around the entire piece of leather, and sew around the edges of the front also if you liked the look, I really considered doing it!)

Set your leather piece up how you’d like it on your purse, then you’re ready to sew them together (using yarn needle and extra long piece of yarn) Come up from the inside of the crocheted purse, through the hole, then over the edge of the leather piece and back down into the purse. Repeat around the entire “back side” to attach your leather to the purse. Then, to finish off, tie a couple knots on the back sides of the leather, and weave in your ends into the crocheted purse.

Next you’ll want to set your bag closure (I used a press lock). Depending on what kind you have, you’ll probably need to create holes to connect it to the middle of the leather piece, like shown in photo above. For mine, I decided where it should be by closing the leather over the top, eye balling where the top of the press lock should be set so the bag would close securely— then I punched holes where the prongs laid on the leather piece. I inserted the prongs into the holes, then tighten with pliers. Since the crocheted purse already has “holes” in between each stitch, I just lined it up where the bag would close, and inserted the prongs of the bottom part of the press lock into the stitches of the bag, then tightened with pliers again.

Next up is the bag lining. I cut two pieces of fabric that were 12” by 9”, and one piece that was 12” by 2.5” (allowing for seams). You could really just account for the smaller piece and make this all one big piece if you wanted, I just thought I’d make a “bottom” to the lining. I first sewed the pieces together with sewing machine, like shown in the photo above to make one big piece (sew right sides together).

Once I had one big piece for the lining, I folded it in half like shown in the photo above. Then sewed the side closed with my sewing machine.

For the top seam of the lining, I made a line, one inch from the top of the lining. Then I folded over the top to match up with the line, then ironed and sewed it about 1/4 inch from the edge with my sewing machine.

Next you’re ready to sew the lining into the crocheted bag. I lined up the lining one row below the very top of the bag, then pinned them together.

Now you’re ready to hand-sew the lining in. Grab a long strand of sewing thread and needle. You will be using the seam of the lining as a guideline for your hand stitches. I started by going in through the crocheted bag, and into the back of the lining, coming up on the seam of the lining.

When I sewed, I made a running stitch along the seam guideline, and through the crocheted bag. I didn’t go all the way through to the outside of the bag, just through the middle of the stitches of the crocheted bag because I didn’t want it to show on the outside. I made multiple rounds, hand stitching around the top of the lining, making sure it was stable and all sewed. Make sure not to pull too tightly or the fabric will bunch up. I finished off through the back of the fabric, tied a couple of knots then weaved into the crochet purse a bit.

Then I sewed on my d ring on the sides of the purse using yarn needle and piece of yarn, these hold the strap, so they need to be super secure to the bag.

For my cross-body strap, I took the chain, and wove the yarn in and out of it using my yarn needle. For the ends, I came back through one chain, then tied and knot and put a couple of drops of super glue to secure. I loved the look of the two materials together!

I connected the strap to the purse using the jump ring/lobster clasps. I attached the ring to the chain, then clipped the clasp onto the d ring that was sewed onto the purse.

Whew! And that, my friend, is the conclusion of this tutorial! I know it looks like a lot, but truly.. focusing on one step at a time makes it totally doable. And you could even add so many more things to the bag, like tassels, buttons, studs… possibilities=endless. It’s fun to personalize things to make them “you”. Hope you like this design, it is one I’m very proud of completing. If you make one, be sure to tag me over on Insta!

Happy hooking my friends!
Meg

Crochet Pattern + Tutorial for Crocheted Recipe Towels

I've always thought the towels I've seen online were so cool--the ones with recipes transferred onto them, and that they'd be a great Mother's Day gift one day. But then it dawned on me they'd make an AWESOME gift if I took it one step further and crocheted on the top of it. And even MORE awesome if I wrote a post/pattern on it! So that's what this post will cover... both how to transfer those favorite recipes to a flour sack towel, and how to crochet on the top of the them. With Mother's Day next weekend, this pattern would be the best last-minute DIY gift for good old mom. :)

This project does require a little stealthiness... you'll have to rummage through your mom's favorite recipe cards (I guess that's if you don't have your own copy, and as I was visiting my mom last month, I thought I'd see if I could find one of hers). She has this Sour Cream Banana Cake recipe I believe is from her mom, my grandma... and it is THE bomb. We'd always ask for that cake on our birthdays, and have it topped with cream cheese icing, oh man. Droolin'...

Someone suggested on Instagram that it would be cool to wrap the towel around a mason jar containing all the dry ingredients of the recipe-- which I thought was a great idea! 

For this post I'll start out with how to transfer the recipe onto the towel and then the pattern for the crocheted top will follow after that, towards the bottom. I hope you get to make one of these fun little towels!

What you'll need:

-handwritten recipe
-28" by 29" flour sack towels (I found mine at Walmart, these are also in craft stores in the embroidery section.)
-fabric transfer paper (It's important to use the "Light" kind, if you're transferring onto a white towel, I found mine at Walmart, Avery brand. You can also purchase on Amazon here)
-inkjet printer (laser printer will not work) & scanner
-computer, with photo editing program (I used Adobe Photoshop, which has a free trial version I believe, or you could use a free online program like Pixlr  )
-iron
-sewing pins
-ruler and pencil
-worsted weight (4) cotton yarn
-size b hook (2.25 mm)
-size i hook (5.5 mm)
-yarn needle
- 1"- 1.25" button
-thread and needle (for sewing button)

Transferring the Recipe:

To begin, scan in your recipe and save it to your computer.

Above is what my recipe looked like scanned in. It had pencils marks on it, as well as other marks and creases that I didn't want to show up on the towel so I edited it in Photoshop. Editing it will also make the recipe more contrasted and look more clear when ironed on.

To begin I adjusted the "levels" of the recipe. In the image above you can see the two pink arrows-- these are the two tools that make the "whites" more white and the "blacks" more black. You can start by clicking the white dropper-- the one on the far right. Next you will click in your recipe, an area that is supposed to be "true white", like the background. Once you click on the spot that's supposed to be white, it'll adjust your image for you and the background should appear more white. It works the same for the black dropper, just click a point in the text to make the writing look darker and "stick out" more.

Once you get your background to a good color, and the text to the darkness you'd like, then it's time to touch up your recipe. This can get as detailed as you'd like it to. I chose to remove all the blemishes and pencil marks, along with the outside edges of the recipe (I did decide to leave the lines). It would probably still look cool with all the blemishes too, it would give it some character! It would probably be smart to make the image black and white (desaturated), but then again, if you wanted it to be colored more power to you!

To remove the blemishes and edges I used the "clone brush tool" and the "brush tool"-- both are pointed to in pink in the image above. First I used the clone tool, this tool basically picks up an area of your image and covers a different area with it-- kinda like a touch-up. To use this tool I held the option key (alt key for Windows computers), and clicked on the area I wanted the blemished part to look like, usually an area very close to the blemish. Then you'll just click on the blemish until it looks natural. If you'd like a more in-depth tutorial for how to use the clone stamp brush, you can view this video.

Once I had all the blemishes touched up, I used the paint brush-- set to true white (#FFFFFF). Then I just painted all around the background of the recipe to make it all one color--white. Like I said above, it's not 100% necessary to have the background look perfect, it's just something I wanted to do.

After you're finished making your recipe look the way you'd like it to, it's time to flip it. *This is important when ironing on your recipe because if you don't, it will come out backwards. To do this in Photoshop, you'll click "Image", "Image Rotation", and "Flip Canvas Horizontal". 

You will also want to decide how big you would like the recipe to be on your towel. For this pattern and the way I fold the towel for it, the maximum width for the recipe would be 8.5 inches. I chose to resize my recipe to 6 inches wide.

Next I created a new document, one that is 8.5 inches by 11 inches and 300 pixels per inch resolution (white background). This is for printing the recipe on your transfer paper and is the size of the piece of paper. Once your new document is open you will copy and paste your recipe onto it. 

To do this is Photoshop you'll select all of your recipe (command + A), copy (command + C), then go over to your new document and paste (command + V). I chose to paste the recipe twice into the new document just in case, plus it would waste less paper. If you're making more than one recipe towel, you could put different recipes on one page.

Next you'll insert your transfer paper into the printer and print your recipes. Your paper may have special instructions that you need to follow on printing, just be sure to read up on those just in case.

Then you'll grab your towel. I chose to wash and dry my towel before transferring. It didn't say it was necessary, but I just thought I would. In the image above you can see the towel folded up-- I was planning where I'd place the recipe. To fold the towel, first you'll fold in half, and then into thirds. I chose to iron my towel before transferring the recipe because it was pretty wrinkled up. You'll want it to be nice and flat for the image to go on well.

Grab your recipes, then cut them out. I cut pretty close to the edges. 

Now you're ready to iron on your recipe. I unfolded the "thirds" folds and then placed my recipe faced-down in the center, a little towards the top (totally up to you where you want it to be!). 

The directions on the transfer paper said not to use a ironing board, so I just used a countertop. It also instructed to use the "cotton" setting on your iron. 

My transfer paper directions specified to not use water in the iron and to apply pressure slowly from left to right then top to bottom, and over the edges. I ironed for about 2 minutes, then let it cool for a couple of minutes. 

After the towel is cool, slowly peel the corner backing off the recipe away from the towel. I'm not gonna lie, I was kind of surprised mine worked out perfectly the first time.

This concludes the tutorial for how to transfer the recipe to the towel!

Crochet Pattern

Notes:

-ch's at the beginning of the rows do not count as sts

-it's not incredibly important to have a specific amount of stitches-- just that you try to work your stitches into the towel 1/4 apart. 

-you will start out with the 2.25 mm hook for the first row, and then you will switch to the 5.5 mm hook for the remainder of the towel. This is because the 2.25 mm hook allows you to work into the towel because it's so little. You could also sew a blanket stitch along the top and work stitches into that, or you could use a skip stitch blade-- just some additional options.

Abbreviations:

ch=chain, sc=single crochet, st(s)=stitch(es), hdc=half double crochet, hdc2tog=half double crochet two together (or hdc decrease), sk=skip, BLO=back loop only

Row 1) To crochet the top, you'll fold up your towel back into the "thirds" and pin the top folds all together with sewing pins.

Next I drew a line across the very top of the towel with a pencil about 1/4 of an inch down from the top. This will be a guideline for the first row of stitches to be worked into the towel.

Now you're ready to work stitches into the towel. Grab your 2.25 mm hook and yarn, and insert the hook into the very edge of the towel (on the line you drew) and grab your yarn on the back side. It helped me to work my hook into one layer at a time, and to wiggle it while pushing into the fabric. 

Bring your yarn back through, and sc. Then ch 1.

Insert your hook 1/4 away from the previous spot you inserted, and do the same thing-- sc, ch 1. Repeat this all the way across the top, when you work the last sc -- don't ch 1 at the very end.

The image above shows the first row worked. Now you will switch to your i hook (5.5 mm).

Row 2) ch 1, turn, work hdc's into the "ch 1" spaces across the row 

Row 3) ch 1, turn, all BLO: hdc2tog, hdc2tog, hdc across row until there are four stitches left, hdc2tog, hdc2tog 

Row 4) ch 1, turn, all BLO: hdc across row

Row 5) repeat instructions from"row 3"

Row 6) repeat instructions from "row 4" 

Row 7) repeat instructions from "row 3"

Row 8) repeat instructions from "row 4" 

Row 9) repeat instructions from "row 3"

Rows 10-15) repeat instructions from "row 4"

Row 16) ch 1, turn, all BLO: hdc until you reach two middle stitches, ch 2, sk those two middle sts, hdc into remainder of sts

Row 17) ch 1, turn, all BLO: hdc2tog, hdc2tog, hdc until there are four stitches left (working hdc's into previous row's ch's) hdc2tog, hdc2tog

Row 18) ch 1, turn, all BLO: hdc across row

Finish off, weave in ends

Now you're ready to sew on the button...

Place the button on the front side of the towel so it matches up with the hole you created in the crochet topper. I ended up placing mine about row 4.

Sew on your button with needle and thread.

At this point I decided I wanted the edge to look a little neater, so I drew up my yarn with my 5.5 mm hook and worked sc's around the entire edge of the crocheted topper.

I thought the sc edge looked so much nicer! Finish off and weave in all the ends.

That concludes the Crocheted Recipe Towel tutorial! What a neat little project that is truly so special-- especially if the recipe is a family favorite. I hope this tutorial was helpful, and that you enjoy making these gems as much as I did. If you end up making one, please do share with me over on Instagram , I'd love to admire it! :) 

Happy hooking!
Meg