It's hard to believe that we're already in August, it seems like this Summer has just flown by! This Summer has been the Summer of bag patterns for me; Something about an earthy and lightweight bag in the warm of the sun just makes me happy! (PS, that was a lot of "Summers" packed into one sentence; Am I right?)
The Summer Soleil Bag pattern is so stinkin' easy to whip up, you'll literally finish it in under an hour!
If you're familiar or have made the Sunburst Cross-Body Bag, then you'll be very familiar with the start of this bag, as it resembles the same starting rows. (If you're not familiar with that pattern, you can check it here on my blog for FREE right here, or you can purchase a PDF of the pattern on my Etsy shop here!)
Alright enough talking, let's get on to it shall we!
The breakdown (aka what supplies you'll be needing!):
- An M 9mm Hook
- 106yds of any Super Bulky (6) weight yarn. (I used Lion Brand's Wool-Ease Thick and Quick in the color Butterscotch. You can find it on their site here.)
- One yard of any rope of your choice. (I purchased mine pictured above from Joann's!)
- Yarn Needle
- Measuring Tape
- Sewing Pins (2-6)
Optional: Hot Glue Gun or Thread/Sewing Needle
Abbreviations:
Sc - Single Crochet
Sl St - Slip Stitch
Ch - Chain
Hdc - Half Double Crochet
Dc - Double Crochet
PuffSt - Puff Stitch
To complete a puff stitch, yarn over and insert your hook in the st and pull up a loop, yarn over and pull up another loop, yarn over (3times total), then pull through all 7 loops on your hook, ending with a sc.
Sizing: Your completed bag should measure 11in across x 11in high.
Pattern:
Round 1: Ch 5, sl st together to form a ring.
Round 2: Ch 3 (this will count as our first dc st) then dc 15 more around the ring. Sl st to the top ch once complete. You should have 16 total dc, including the ch 3.
Round 3: Ch 2, puff stitch in each dc stitch around. Then sl st together To puff st, yarn over and insert your hook in the st and pull up a loop, yarn over and pull up another loop, yarn over (3times total), then pull through all 7 loops on your hook, ending with a sc.
Round 4: Ch 2, yarn over and insert hook in the st and pull up a loop, yarn over and pull through 2 loops, repeat this 4 times. End by pulling though all 5 loops on your hook and ch 2. Repeat this by making cluster stitch in each ch 1 space from the previous row.
Round 5: Repeat round 4.
Round 6: Ch 1, hdc into each stitch around. When you've reached the first st, sl st together and leave a long working tail.
Repeat round 1-6 for the back side of our bag!
Attaching the Strap and Piecing Together:
First things first, we need to sew together the front and back of our bag, I promise this is super easy!
If you need to, take some sewing pins and place each side facing together. Making sure that the "pretty sides" (or the sides you want on the outside, are facing together.
Take some leftover yarn and your yarn needle and weave in and out of the stitches, creating a whip stitch for closure. Stop when you have an opening of 7in. Remove your sewing pins and flip you bag to the correct side.
To attach your straps, I opted for the old 'ole hot glue gun. (if you're handy with a sewing machine or thread and needle, by all means, your strap can also be attached this way.
In each corner, pin each strap down, leaving about 2" below where you put your pin. Add a decent amount (but not too much!) of hot glue on the 2" of your strap, then firmly leave in place. Move on to complete the other side strap. Once the glue has dried and it feels sturdy, take out the pins, sew in your ends and you're ready to rock-'n'-roll.
I hope you enjoyed working up this quick bag, and don't forget to share your Summer Soleil Bag with me on Instagram and Facebook by using the hashtag #SummerSoleilBag and be sure to tag me on Instagram @MIHandmadeHome so I can see all your beautiful creations!
xo,
Lauren