Calling On All Crocheters - Summer Draw

Hello everyone!  I've been working on this for aaaaaaages!  I first made one of these bags a few years ago and kept telling myself I'd write the pattern eventually.  It's evolved a bit since I made the first version in black (see blogpost).  I wrote a first draft last year when I made another for myself and one for a friend (see blogpost) but then it ended up on the back-burner when I started my studies.  Well,  at last, I think it's finally ready.  I wanted to explain all the steps as clearly as possible so it took a long time to do all the testing and take all the photographs.  And as this was my first crochet pattern, it was a bit of a learning curve too.

I'm very grateful to my friend Megan for doing a very thorough revision of several drafts of this pattern.  Her help was invaluable.

The pattern shows how to make the bag, the zipper piece, the bobble pull, how to line the bag, to make the adjustable strap and how to stiffen the base.  Armed with this knowledge, you can then use the directions as a guide and change the size or stitch pattern as you wish for example.  So it's a bit of a "crochet-bag-making-tutorial" really.  You can see in the photo above that the pattern on the pink bag is slightly different and I also finished the edge around the zipper with shells as I thought that went well with the soft pink.  The variations can be endless.

If you crochet and fancy having a go at making this bag, I'm having a draw for two patterns... 
I will be sending not only the pattern, but also a kit bag with all the pieces required to make the bag:  two sliders, one adjustable slider for the strap, 4 feet and plastic canvas pieces for the base.  So you won't have to go on the search for all those separate pieces.  You'll just need your cotton yarn of choice and a matching zipper and lining fabric.

I use one of these bags all the time, summer and winter.  They are fully washable and you can easily make a new one to match outfits... or just for a change!

It's fun to choose a nice matching fabric for the lining, subtle or striking, the choice is yours.

If you are interested in winning a copy of this pattern with the kit to make it, please leave a comment below.  I will be holding the draw next Sunday, 7th of July.  As I've not been so active on my blog lately, it may take a while for readers to notice this blogpost, so hopefully 10 days will give people long enough to enter the draw if they so wish.  And once I've got the kit bags organised, it will also eventually go on sale in my Etsy shop.

Best wishes,

Frivole