Free small crochet bag pattern – The Barley Seed Bag

Easy, cute, and small crochet bag pattern for your essentials only!

Sun-soaked days call for a bag that’s as breezy as your summer plans. This crochet summer bag pattern combines a fine cotton yarn with an open, airy stitch that keeps things casual and effortlessly chic.

Pin now, make later…

This easy crochet purse pattern is perfect for summer! Made with worsted weight cotton yarn and simple double crochet stitches, this no-sew crochet bag comes together almost in one piece. A small crochet shoulder bag with big handles, ideal for beach trips, shopping, or everyday essentials.

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Perfect for beach trips, shopping, or everyday errands, its roomy interior easily fits your essentials—sunscreen, sunglasses, and a snack for the road.

It’s quite small in size, but easily adjustable if you want it bigger. I really wanted a smaller shoulder bag than the ones I have designed before.

For example, my Market Bag is massive, and my Natural Nomad Tote is very roomy, too. So, I wanted this one to be different. Something just for the truly essential items you want to carry with you. Something small and cute, but something that can also carry a bit of weight.

What yarn to use for a crocheted bag?

And this is where the yarn comes in. I used a cotton yarn that is 200 grams and 226 meters (247 yards). I always recommend cotton for these kinds of projects because cotton can hold weight without stretching a lot.

You could use acrylic for this pretty little crochet purse, but it may stretch quite a lot if you fill it up. Just keep this in mind.

The stitch pattern for this small crochet bag

When I fall in love with a stitch, I am envisioning all the different projects it could look nice in. And this is how some of my patterns share the same name. They have the same basic stitch pattern.

On this occasion, I used the same stitch pattern with the Barley Seed Shawl, but with a small twist. I used double crochet stitches instead of half double. But the overall look is the same.

Also, the yarn I used for the Barley Seed Bag, although worsted weight cotton like the shawl, is a bit on the heavier side of worsted. That’s why I needed bigger stitches to accommodate the slightly thicker yarn.

More free crochet patterns you may like:

In order of appearance: The Japanese knot bag, the Milos shawl, and Raffia Summer hat.

Construction

The Barley Seed Bag is a small shoulder bag with big handles that is almost done in one piece. You’ll have to cut your yarn and rejoin it once, but that’s it! No seaming whatsoever!

I don’t know about you, but that tells a lot to me. I love no-sew crochet patterns!

The making process is very easy. You start making a rectangle and then continue with single crochet stitches and decreases to cinch the top of the bag. At this point, you cut the yarn and rejoin it at the other -narrow- side of the rectangle and repeat the same process.

Then you continue, with the same yarn, going down the long side of the rectangle with single crochet stitches, and when you reach the narrow side you start creating the first handle. Slip stitch to join the handle with the bag, and then repeat the same for the other side.

Finally, you just go around the whole rectangle with slip stitches while creating both handles at the same time.

I know it sounds very complicated when I explain it this way, but it’s really not. Just follow the instructions below, and you’ll have your small summer bag ready in no time.

Let’s dive in!

How to get this crochet bag blanket pattern:

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Materials

Crochet hook: US 7/4.50 mm
Yarn: Worsted #4 cotton, approximately 320 yds (290 m)
Yarn needle
Scissors

Notes

– All my patterns are written in Standard US terms.

– Keep your slip stitches loose while crocheting.

– You may want to place a stitch marker in the first sl st of the row when you are making the handles.

– This pattern is rated as Intermediate.

Gauge: 19 sts x 12 rows in pattern is 4″ (10 cm). Check how to measure your gauge in the photo below.

Final size: 14.5″ x 10.5″ (37 x 16 cm)
Handles: 19.75″ (50 cm) long
Open space between bag and handle is 6.5″ (16 cm)

Abbreviations

R: row
RS: right side
WS: wrong side
dc: double crochet
ch: chain
sk: skip
sl st: slip stitch
blo: back loop only
st: stitch
sc: single crochet
dec: decrease

Free crochet bag pattern – Barley Seed

R1 (RS): ch 73, dc in the third chain from the hook * ch 1, sk 1 st, dc *, repeat from * to *, ch 1, turn (71)
R2 (WS): sl st in blo in each st across, ch 2, turn (71)

Note: For straight edges, you can skip the chain 2 and use the chainless starting double crochet method. You can find it here.

R3: dc in first st, * ch 1, sk 1 st, dc * repeat from * to * across, ch 1, turn (71)
R4-51: repeat R2 and R3

You will end up with a rectangle 15″x17″ (38 x 43 cm).

R52: sc dec in the first two ch-sps, sc in each ch-sp across, sc dec in the last two ch-sps, ch 1, turn (33)
R53: sc across, ch 1, turn (33)
R54: sc dec, sc across until last two sts, sc dec. ch 1, turn (31)
R55: sc across, ch 1, turn (31)
R56: sc dec, sc across until last two sts, sc dec. ch 1, turn (29)
R57: sc across, ch 1, turn (29)
R58: sc dec, sc across until last two sts, sc dec. ch 1, turn (27)
R59: sc across, ch 1, turn (27). Cut the yarn and rejoin at the opposite side of the rectangle, on the wrong side of the fabric.

Repeat R52-59. The photo above is how your bag will look when you have finished R52-59 on both sides. Do not cut the yarn. You will continue all the way around the rectangle, creating both handles of the bag at the same time.

Handles

R1: sc at the side of each sc row you just made. Continue with sc sts at the long side of the rectangle, but only on the dc rows (ignore the sl st rows). This will cinch your fabric. When you reach the sc rows, make 1 sc at the side of each sc row.

Now it’s time to create the actual handle. Chain 80 and connect with a sc at the other side of the sc rows. Continue in the same way as the other side of the rectangle, chain 80 again for the other handle, and finally st st in the blo of the first sc you made for this round. You should have around 244 sts.

R2- 8: sl st in blo in each st around (244)