Crochet your own clutch bag – step by step
Crocheting your own clutch bag is a fun and rewarding project that is both stylish and practical. In this guide, we use our yarn Billy to create a fluffy clutch bag complete with a lining.
If you want to see the process in a video, you can watch our TikTok here.
❯ Materials
- Billy
- Clutch handle
- Ergonomic crochet hook 7.0mm
- Stitch marker to keep track of the start and end of the row
- Blunt metal needle to fasten loose threads
- Scissors
Note: This pattern is based on the same pattern as our clutch bag with a square bottom created with Alma. As a reference, we use a 16cm clutch handle and about 90g of Billy yarn.
Step 1: The Base
Start with a slip knot and make a chain of air stitches as wide as the handle. (Image 1) The last stitch in the chain will be your turning stitch, which makes the second row start at the correct height. Then begin crocheting into the second stitch from the crochet hook on the next row.
For the first row, crochet single crochet stitches along the chain, and when you reach the end, make a new chain stitch as a turning stitch and turn the work. Then continue to crochet back and forth in this way until the base is as large as the open handle. (Image 2) Take your time to ensure the shape is even – the base is the foundation for the rest of the bag, and it's important that it's correct.
Step 2: Crocheting the height of the bag
Note: The height of the bag is crocheted in individual rows and not in a spiral. This means that you start each row by making a chain stitch to gain height. To then close the row, you make a slip stitch into the first stitch you made on the row. (Image 9)
Important: The chain stitch and slip stitch are never counted as actual stitches; they are only there to help close and start a new row. If you have difficulty distinguishing the stitches, we recommend marking them to see them clearly.
Once the base is complete, it's time to start crocheting the sides of the bag. To begin the first row of the sides, make a chain stitch to gain height.
Then crochet single crochet stitches around the entire base: on the sides where we have crocheted back and forth, you crochet into each stitch just as we did before, and on the two remaining edges, you crochet into each chain stitch hole as well as the first stitch from the row. (Image 3) Always mark the start and end points of the row with a stitch marker so you can easily keep track.
Once you have crocheted around the entire base and returned to the first single crochet stitch we made, make a slip stitch in the first stitch to close the row. Then make a chain stitch and crochet your first single crochet stitch into the same stitch as the slip stitch. Both the chain stitch and the slip stitch are "invisible" stitches, meaning they are not counted as a regular stitch in the project.
Continue in this manner until the bag reaches the desired height. Remember that the sides where the handle will close should be able to meet without the base bending upwards; this is the minimum height, but you can always make the bag taller if you wish. (Image 4)
Step 3: Crocheting the handle
Now it's time to crochet the handle into the bag. Many people find it easier to tie the handle in place with a piece of yarn before starting to crochet. (Image 6) When crocheting the single crochet stitches, pull the yarn so that the handle lies within the yarn – in this way, the handle is "caught" in the stitch and crocheted into the work. Continue around the entire row.
Open handle - Optional: Do you want handles on the side of the bag? On the sides where the bag will open and close, start by marking out how large you want the handles to be. (Image 7) Make sure both sides are equal before continuing.
When you reach the marked stitch, continue to crochet single crochet stitches only around the handle. Make the same number of single crochet stitches around the handle as the number of stitches you skip from the work (Image 8) Then continue to crochet the handle in the same way as before.
Step 4: Finishing
Once the handle is in place, it's time to fasten all loose threads. Use a blunt metal needle and make sure the threads are secure before cutting them. Once this is done, your clutch bag is complete!
Do you want a lining for your clutch bag? Follow the instructions for step 4 here.
