Crochet Bag Bases: Sturdy Foundations For Creative Purses

When making a crochet bag, it's important to consider the type of base you'll use. A base provides stability and adds dimension to your bag, ensuring it holds its shape. There are several options available, including wooden, leather, and plastic bases, which can be sewn or crocheted onto the bag. You can also crochet a base using various shapes like round, square, oval, or geometric shapes, each offering unique advantages in terms of stability, visual appeal, and ease of creation.

Fabric lining

Adding a fabric lining to your crochet bag can make it look more professional and store-bought. It also adds structure to your bag, making it sturdier and preventing your belongings from falling through the stitches. A lining also protects the yarn from pilling and separating, which could lead to irreparable holes.

Choosing a Lining Fabric

It is important to choose a lining fabric that is a similar weight to your bag. If your bag is delicate and light, opt for a lightweight fabric like silk or cotton. For heavier bags, choose a more durable fabric.

Cutting Your Lining Fabric

Before cutting your lining fabric, iron it to get the most accurate measurements. You can use the following formulas to calculate the width and height of your lining fabric:

• Width of the lining fabric = width of the bag + twice the depth of the bag + 1″ for seam allowance
• Height of the lining fabric = twice the height of the bag + the depth of the bag + 1/2″ for seam allowance

Sewing the Lining

With right sides together, fold the lining in half, letting the top edges meet. Sew the sides using a 1/2″ seam allowance. If your bag has depth, you can create a boxed corner by sewing a triangle in the bottom corner of the fabric.

Attaching the Lining to the Bag

Turn the top of the lining down 1/2″ toward the wrong side and press it with an iron. Place the lining inside the bag with wrong sides out and use sewing pins to hold it in place. Using a needle and thread, stitch the lining to the top of the bag using small running stitches.

Adding a Zipper

If you want to add a zipper to your lining, unfold your fabric and lay one short edge right side down and centered on the upper portion of the zipper. Bring the other short edge up to the bottom portion of the zipper, with the right side of the fabric facing the zipper. Iron the seams and line up the top corners of the fabric. Sew down the sides of the fabric and finish with an overcast stitch. Insert the liner into the bag, pinning it in place, and hand sew the top of the bag to the zipper using an invisible stitch.

Crochet bag bottom

When creating a crochet bag, using a base is great for stability and adds a level of dimension. There are many different shapes to choose from when creating a bag's base, including round, square, oval, and other geometric shapes.

A round base provides stability and helps maintain the shape of the bag. It can also prevent sagging when items are placed inside. The formula for making the base bigger each round is to increase each round by the number of starting stitches used. For example, if you used 8 single crochets, every subsequent increase round would have 8 more stitches.

A square base can prevent the bag from tipping over when it's put down or filled with items. It also maximises the use of space in the bag, making it easier to organise and fit items. When creating a square base, you can either work your stitch multiples back and forth in rows or start with a granny square, which has many different styles.

The elongated shape of an oval base is great for zipper pouches, shoulder bags, or crossbody bags. The curved sides of the bag will fit the natural shape of your body better than a square or round bag. Creating an oval base is simply a matter of working a number of stitches across and increasing around each end. The longer the beginning chain, the longer the oval will be, and vice versa.

Other geometric shapes, such as triangles or octagons, can also be used as bases for crochet bags. These shapes are very customizable, and you can make the bag as large or small as you want by designing a bigger or smaller base.

In addition to the shape of the base, there are also different materials to choose from. You can buy a crochet bag bottom made of wood or leather, which has holes around the edge for you to crochet into. You can also make your own base out of felt material or stiff plastic/cardboard.

Round bases

Creating a round base for your crochet bag has several advantages. Round bases provide stability and help maintain the shape of your bag. They can prevent sagging when you place items inside, as crochet stitches naturally have some stretch, and a round base can help distribute the weight evenly around the bottom of the bag. Using a round base can also create a visual appeal that other shapes don't offer.

One problem designers sometimes encounter when using a round base is getting them to lay flat. There are a few tricks to solve this problem. Firstly, you need to know how many starting stitches will work depending on which stitch you'll work with. For example, if you're using half double crochet, you'll need 8-10 stitches, whereas double crochet will require 10-12. If you're working with a stitch pattern, it's recommended to use the starting stitches for the larger stitch. One factor some designers don't consider is their tension – if they crochet tightly, they'll need to add more stitches for the piece to lay flat.

The formula for making your base bigger each round is to increase each round by the number of starting stitches you used. For example, if you used 8 single crochets, every subsequent increase round would have 8 more stitches.

Here's an example of how to start:

• Start with 8 sc in a magic ring OR ch 4, join with sl st to 1st ch and ch 1.
• R1: Place 8 sc into the magic ring. (8 sc)
• R2: sc 2 (also known as increase-inc) in each stitch around (16 sc). By adding 2 stitches every other stitch, you increase by 8 stitches.
• R3: sc 1 in the next st, inc in the next st. Repeat (sc 1, inc) all the way around. (24 sc)
• R4: sc 2 in the next st, inc in the next st. Repeat (sc 2, inc) all the way around. (32 sc)

You can continue this pattern, adding 8 stitches each round to make the base bigger, and the number of single crochets between the increase stitches will also increase by 1.

To check your math, the total number of stitches added (single crochet and increase) multiplied by the number of increases each round should give you your stitch count for that row.

When it comes to choosing a material for your round base, there are a variety of options. Popular choices include vegan leather, real leather, wooden, woven plant fiber such as rattan, or Plexiglas. You can also find a range of sizes, from small bases for evening clutches to large heavy-duty bottoms for totes and shopper bags.

If you're looking to save time and effort, a store-bought base can be a great option, especially for larger bags. It will help you skip the tricky part of creating a perfect shape and allow you to move directly to the fun part of your pattern. Additionally, a pre-made base can save yarn and money, and it will make your bag more lightweight.

However, for bags worked with plant fiber yarn intended to have a summery, organic look and feel, it's best to crochet the base with the same plant fiber yarn rather than using a ready-made base. Similarly, ready-made bases are not recommended for use with T-shirt yarn, as the holes are rarely large enough, and the weight of the yarn can pull and tear the base.

Square bases

A square base is a fun option for the bottom of your crochet bag. The straight edges of the square can prevent your bag from tipping over when it's put down or filled with items. A square base also maximises the use of space in your bag. You can utilise every corner, making it easier to organise and fit items in your bag.

Using a square base for your bag is especially helpful if you want to carry items with straight edges, such as books or laptops. It can also allow you to add compartments within the bag.

There are a couple of options when creating a square base. One is to work your stitch multiples back and forth in rows, making sure you know how many starting stitches you need to get the right width for your bag. Another option is to start your base with a granny square, which comes in a plethora of different styles, creating a visually appealing base.

When creating a square base, make sure there aren't a lot of large gaps or spaces, as this could cause items to fall through. If you plan on adding a lining to your bag, you don't have to worry about the gaps as much.

Oval bases

To crochet an oval shape, you will work into both sides of a foundation chain. The length of your starting chain will determine how elongated your oval will be. After creating your chain to the desired length, you will work along the chain, rotating the work clockwise and continuing on the opposite side of the chain without turning your work. You will then work into the free loops under each stitch on the opposite side of the chain.

There are many ways to crochet an oval base for a bag, and knowing how to crochet a basic oval shape will be useful for a variety of crochet projects. A basic double crochet oval pattern can be used to make bags, rugs, placemats, and doilies. The base is worked in rounds, making a slip stitch at the end of each round, and you can adjust the number of starting stitches to suit your project.

You can also create a single crochet oval base for bags by starting with a slip knot and working single crochet stitches into the remaining stitches until the last stitch, where you will work three single crochet stitches. You will then continue working on the opposite side, carrying the yarn end along with the working yarn to give a neat finish.

Another method for creating an oval base for a bag is to start with a foundation chain of 24 and work in single crochet and double crochet stitches. This method will create four different-sized ovals, depending on the number of rounds: an oval with two DC rounds is good for a small bag, an oval with three DC rounds is good for a standard-sized handbag, and an oval with four rounds is good for a wider bag.

The overall size of your oval will depend on your yarn weight and tension, so it is recommended to do some samples to determine your desired width.

Frequently asked questions