apricot bag – tutorial

May 22, 2011 by elisabeth andrée 28 Comments

at the request of betty and a few other enthusiasts, you can find the pattern of the apricot bag here on my blog. it’s been a while since i’ve made the bag myself so i cannot show you pictures of the creative process. hopefully the manual is clear enough.

sizes (please keep in mind that i’ve already used my bag and that he is washed in the washing machine, that affects the sizes).

• a square is about 11 cm
• front and back: from edge to edge (from left to right) about 44 cm and 28 cm high
• sides and bottom: 12 cm (width)
• handles: about 41 cm (length)

used materials

• punto (schachenmayr nomotta) – mix of cotton 55% and 45% acrylic – 50 gr = 90 m because it is a while ago i made this bag, am not 100% sure about how much yarn you need, but keep into account a number of 10 – 11 skeins.
• crochet hook size 4 mm
• 6 matching buttons or 4 extra if you like to replace the metal things named under point 4 (i explain this later in the pattern) (my buttons are about 2 cm – they were a bargain on the local market)
  
• 4 metal rings, key hangers, or something you can click together (available from hobby shops, hardware stores)
• optional: for decoration i used vintage metal buttons which i attached to a smaller size key hanger and metal rings

 

lining

if you want to line your bag too: i used shiny fabric from the local market in a brownish shade. 

(i dislike the job of lining very much and to make it as simple as possible is: measure all sides of the inside of the bag, cut a piece of fabric that fits the front, back and bottom with some cm extra for the hem. then cut two pieces that fit the left and right sides with some cm extra for hem and seams and sew it to the large piece, make the hem on top in one go. make one or more pockets from the same or contrasting fabric, sew it on the lining on the right side. zigzag all edges neatly, tie off threads and at last sew the lining by hand into the bag.)

 

used stitches (american terms)

ch – ss – sc – h dc – dc

 

pattern for the squares

you need to make 24 squares: 8 front – 8 back – 8 for sides and bottom

start with a magic ring

• row 1. 2 ch and 15 h dc into the ring, ss to top of starting ch (= 16 h dc)
• row 2. 3 ch (= first h dc and 1 ch), 1 h dc in next h dc, 1 ch, 1 h dc in next h dc, 1 ch, repeat this till end of row, ss to top of starting ch (= 16 h dc and 16 1 chain spaces)
• row 3. ss to first 1 ch space, 2 ch and 1 h dc in the first space, 1 ch, *2 h dc into next 1 ch space, 1 ch*, repeat between * * till end of row, ss to top op starting ch (= 32 h dc and 16 1 ch spaces)
• row 4. ss to first 1 ch space, 2 ch and 1 h dc in first space, (1 ch, 2 h dc in next 1 ch space) 3 times, 2 ch, ((2 h dc in next 1 ch space, 1 ch) 3 times, 2 h dc in next 1 ch space, 2 ch)) twice, ss to top of beginning chains. the 2 chain spaces are the corners.

• rows 5, 6 and 7.
  these 3 rows you make like this:
  
  • you start the rows with: ss to first 1 ch space, 2 ch and 1 h dc in first space, 1 ch
  • you end the rows with a ss to the top of the beginning chain
  • in every 1 chain space you make 2 h dc, 1 ch
  • in every corner you make 2 h dc, 2 ch, 2 h dc, 1 ch, 2 h dc in next 1 ch space
    (it is an unusual way to describe a pattern but i think it is compact and – hopefully – clear).

• row 8. ss between first 2 h dc, 2 ch, 2 h dc in next 1 ch space, 1 h dc between next 2 h dc, 2 h dc, in next 1 ch space, repeat till first corner, make 2 h dc, 2 ch 2 h dc in first corner, 1 h dc between next 2 h dc, 2 h dc in next 1 ch space till corner, make 2 h dc, 2 ch 2 h dc in corner, keep repeating this until end of row, ss to top of beginning ch. fasten of.

one square ready.

 

how to put the bag together

hold two squares with the right sides together and ss them together through the outside loops only, you get this effect.

make 5 rows of 4 squares and crochet the 2 squares on the sides at last.

 

top edge of the bag

• attach the yarn to any h dc, 1 ch and crochet 1 sc in every h dc, work in the bag loops only and don’t crochet in the stitches between the squares. at the end of the row you don’t need to ss to the first stitch but you keep crocheting sc until you have a height of about 3 cm (8 rows).
• then you make buttonholes about 3 cm from the corner on all sides (front, back, left and right side: 2 buttonholes each). the buttonholes should be so small that the buttons, metal rings and/or key hangers cannot go through. the openings are there only to fix the parts together.
• crochet another two rows of sc. 
• do not fasten of.

 

handles

• the next row you crochet sc in every stitch until you are about 12 cm from the edge, then you start with the first handle. crochet chains until you have the length you like – i made 80 ch – then attach with a ss to the same side of the bag, 12 cm from the edge. keep crocheting sc to the other side of the bag and make the second handle in the same way as the first. keep crocheting sc until the end of row, ss to first stitch.
• next row: 1 ch, 1 sc in every sc and 1 sc in every chain of you handles till end of row, ss to first stitch.
• next row: repeat previous row but now you crochet the sc over the sc of the last row, it gives your bag a real edge (see photo’s below).
• next row: make 1 ss in every stitch of the previous row.
• fasten of.

 

the inside of the handles

• attach the yarn at the beginning of a handle and crochet 1 sc in every stitch (that are the loops of the chains you have made).
• at the end of the handle you then have the part between the beginning and the end of the handle, there you crochet 1 sc over every sc till you reach the beginning of the handle again.
• at the beginning of the handle you start crocheting 1 sc over all the sc you made till you reach the end of the handle, ss in first stitch.
• last row: 1 ss in every stitch, in both, the section between the beginning and end of the handle as the handle itself.
• fasten of.
• repeat this with the second handle.

 

finishing touches

please use the next photo’s as you guideline. sew button and key hangers (or metal rings) to each other through the buttonholes (do not sew to the buttonholes themselves). if you prefer to use buttons only, replace the key hangers or metal rings but the corners of the bag will stuck tighter together.

 

closure

the ends of the closure are large enough to serve as buttonholes. measure where you want to sew the buttons of the closure and sew the closure and one button on one side. on the other side of the bag you only attach the button.

 

you are done, congratulations! enjoy your bag!

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