Star stitches! Crazy about a pair of twine crochet handbags that I made ‣ MyFixitUpLife

By Theresa Craft HerFixitUpLife How-to Make it sewing Theresa's blog

A pretty hue of twine inspired a fun pair of crochet handbags.

I discovered the star crochet stitch, and I fell hard.

First, I made a bracelet with some brown twine leftover from another project.

Then I spied this green twine at Lowe’s, and was immediately inspired to make a crochet handbag.

Here’s how I crocheted the twine handbag

While I knew the stitch, and the material, I hadn’t set my mind on the shape or size. So I just started crocheting.

When I’d made a decent rectangle of stars, it felt time to make the handbag clutch-size. I lined the inside with denim and used a bold purple zipper around the entire inside so that it can open completely. The strap is a yellow belt that I love, but never choose to wear as a belt.

‣ MyFixitUpLife 1 Twine handbag crochet star stitch myfixituplife — The first step is crocheting a row of star stitches with twine

‣ MyFixitUpLife 2 Twine handbag crochet star stitch row myfixituplife — Two rows of crocheting make up one complete row of star stitches The first row makes the bottom half of the stitch and the second row completes it

‣ MyFixitUpLife 3 Twine handbag crochet Cutting denim lining fiskars myfixituplife — After making a rectangle of star stitches I cut the denim lining for the bag

‣ MyFixitUpLife 4 Twine handbag crochet denim lining pinned myfixituplife — The denim lining is pinned and ready to be sewed to the crocheted twine I left the middle unsewed so that I could slip a belt between the lining and the crochet

‣ MyFixitUpLife 5 Twine handbag crochet denim lining fiskars and zipper sewn inside view myfixituplife — I chose a bold zipper and lined the entire bag with it so that it fully zips open

‣ MyFixitUpLife Twine handbag crochet after myfixituplife — The strap is a little yellow belt that I love but never seem to wear

After finishing the first twine crochet handbag, I was inspired to make another one. This time the bag would be larger and round.

The goal was to create an everyday bag that could fit all of my mom stuff and the odds-and-ends that end up in my bag when out on errands. (Note: It’s well-known that mom actually lovingly translates to ‘kind lady who carries your wrappers, used tissues, papers, and anything-else-you-don’t-want-to-hold’ in kid-speak.)

I started with crocheting one star, and then crocheting the stars in circular rows around the first.

‣ MyFixitUpLife 7 Twine handbag crochet round myfixituplife — Now that i finished the small bag I wanted to up my game with a round version of the twine star stitch

Another twine crochet bag

After finishing one side, I created an identical second circle of twine crochet star stitches.

The next step is creating the lining for the bag. Essentially, it’s like sewing a fabric bag the same size as the crochet panels. The only difference is that there needs to be a strip, the width of the handle-belt that attaches the two sides of the lining.

So, using one completed round crochet panel as a guide, I cut two circles of fabric for the lining, with a 1/4-inch seam allowance.

Then, I used the belt as a width-guide to cut the strip of fabric that would attach to the two fabric panels.

After sewing the lining, and then sewing the lining to the crochets panels, I sewed the belt to the bag.

The second bag has a green cotton double d-ring buckle. It’s a more casual look, and I’m really into green right now. Oh, and I’m very into the star stitch.

‣ MyFixitUpLife Twine handbag crochet round Theresa After belt myfixituplife — The strap for the round bag is a more casual cotton green belt since its meant to be a daytime bag

Theresa

A handy designer and writer, she shares DIY projects, tool how-to, and home makeovers as a book author, home show speaker, DIY workshop coach, and radio host. Plus, she has a degree in journalism with a minor in architecture, and is a Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPs) and certified color consultant. She's created fast-paced makeovers for TV shows, and shares home trends and DIY tips as a freelance writer and guest on news shows and satellite media tours for TV and radio.

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