Zippy Bag

In this tutorial I'll be showing you how to crochet these cute little zippy bags. They are a brilliant stash-busting project and work up really quickly, making them very satisfying and dare I say it, rather addictive.

I used small oddments of DK weight yarn in a cheerful mix of bright shades, but they would also look great using fewer colours and a more curated colour palette.

In the above photo, I made the bottom zippy bag using Ricorumi cotton DK which is one of my favourite yarns for decorative crochet projects.

The top bag I made using Stylecraft Special DK which is a premium acrylic yarn leftover from my obsessive blanket making.

Both yarns worked well, but I think my preference would be for the cotton - it was slightly easier to work with for this project and I love the stitch definition it gives and the satisfying texture of the crochet.

MATERIALS 

Yarn - small quantities of DK weight yarn. I love Ricorumi DK for these sorts of projects (pictured above) as it comes in small 25g balls meaning you can gather together a good colour palette. But as mentioned above you can also use any scraps of DK weight yarn left over from other projects. The zippy bag that I made using Stylecraft Special DK only used 1g of yarn per stripe (so less than 30g yarn in total).

Canvas Zipper Bags - these measure 21 x 12 cm and serve as both zipper and lining. I bought mine from Amazon where you'll find a lot of very similar listings and various pack sizes for this product. If you are ordering from Amazon, please just double-check the delivery date because this varies a lot between listings.

Here is a link I've used on Amazon UK {{ https://amzn.to/45eG6Xg }}, or search for "canvas zipper bag" to choose the pack size and zip colours that you prefer.

Hook size - I used a 4mm for the first round, but then found that my tension was quite tight so I switched up to a 4.5mm to work the rest of the stripes. Please use whichever hook size you find works with your own personal crochet tension with DK weight yarn. For example, if you crochet loosely, you might want to drop to a 3.5mm.

Sewing Needle - You will need a CHENILLE NEEDLE for this project. This is a needle that has an eye large enough to thread a DK weight yarn and a very sharp point that will easily pass through fabric. NOTE - a tapestry needle or darning needle will most likely be too blunt, so please do take the time to get the right needle otherwise you'll have a fight on your hands!

When looking for Chenille needles, note that the smaller the number, the bigger the eye. So a size 18 needle will have a bigger eye than a size 24.

For this project I recommend a size 18 Chenille needle (pictured above - note the super-sharp point). I bought mine locally, but you can find them online at Amazon - these are the ones I use {{ https://amzn.to/3DF8rdh }}

Right, I think we're ready to begin...............

We are going to start by stitching a foundation chain directly into the zipper at the top of the bag. The stripes are then worked from the top (zipper) down, with a final closing seam stitched along the bottom edge.

PLEASE CHOOSE A YARN COLOUR THAT CLOSELY MATCHES YOUR ZIP COLOUR for the foundation stitching and first round.

Start by cutting a piece of yarn roughly five times the width of your bag. Note - I've used a pale pink yarn here to contrast with the yellow zipper. This is so you will be able to see my stitches clearly in the tutorial, but you should choose a matching colour.

Thread your chenille needle with the yarn, open the zipper and insert the needle to bring the yarn to the outside directly below the end of the zip as shown above. You should aim to be pretty close to the canvas edge without actually catching the canvas with your needle.

Leave a decent tail end hanging (this will be on the inside of the bag) as you will be darning this in later once you've got some crochet stripes to darn into.

A stitched foundation chain is exactly what it sounds like - we're going to stitch a horizontal row of chain stitches which mimic a crochet chain. Work from right to left, using the top of the canvas as a straight line guide....

1. position your yarn out to the left, bending it around to form a large loop. Insert your needle into the same hole that it came out of, then bring it back out approximately 7 mm along to the left. The yarn loop should be under the needle as shown.
2. Pull the needle through the zipper fabric and pull until the loop tightens and becomes smaller and smaller.
3. stop pulling once a neat chain has formed - take great care not to pull too tight - the chain needs to sit gently on the surface of the zipper fabric, but there needs to be a little give underneath it. 

Now repeat for the next chain stitch - yarn goes out to the left and round in a big loop. Insert needle into the same hole where it cam out (this will be inside the first little chain you created), then pop it back out around 7 mm to the left, keeping the loop of the yarn underneath the needle. Pull the needle out and keep pulling until you've made another neat chain stitch.

Continue making your chains - work slowly and mindfully. Try and keep your chains roughly the same size (think about how a crochet chain might look) and remember not to pull them too tightly - there needs to be room under each chain for your crochet hook to slide under. Aim to sit your row of chain stitches just above the canvas line, as shown above.

If it would help, you can watch a short video of a chain stitch being worked - I know sometimes videos can help clarify when you are learning something new.

Here's one that is clear and easy to watch {{ chain stitch video on YouTube }}

The back side of a chain stitch row will look like a very close running stitch. I've photographed the inside of my zipper to show you - it's not the neatest, but if you were stitching this in a yellow yarn it would look much better!

When you reach the end of the first side, you should be able to continue your chains over the zipper join, as shown above. Remember not to pull them too tight. You will most likely be running short of yarn at this point, so you can finish off and join a new length. Simply insert your hook directly to the left of the last chain (just outside of the chain loop) and draw the yarn through to the back. 

You can leave this tail end dangling inside the bag, and darn it into the back of your crochet later.

Cut another length of yarn approx. 5 times the width of your bag, thread up the needle, and bring the needle up through the zipper to the outside, making sure you emerge just inside the last chain loop you made (as shown above). Remember to leave a decent tail end hanging inside the bag to darn in later.

Now insert your needle back into the same hole where you emerged, then bring it out to the left, looping the length of yarn under the needle as you pull to make that next chain.

Continue along the second side of the zipper, working neat, even chains. Keep them well spaced, not too tight (think about it looking like a crochet chain, and think about a hook needing to slide under each chain).

As a rough guide, I made approx. 30 chains along the length of my zipper.

When you get to the end, you will be at that awkward point where the zipper is sewn into the canvas. You obviously can't put your needle into the zipper teeth, so make a large chain that spans across the end of the zipper, as shown above. You should aim to bring your needle out right next to your starting chain stitch.

To finish off and secure that last chain. insert your needle just to the left of the last chain, keeping it on the outside of the chain loop - ideally this should be into the same hole that your very first stitch came out of (as shown above) to close up the foundation chain. So long as it's as close as you can get it, then that will be fine. Leave the tail end hanging inside the bag for now.

This is what your foundation chain stitch should look like - nice and even and sitting close to the canvas edge so that it doesn't obstruct the zipper. You'll have four dangling tail ends inside - we'll darn those in a little later.

Now it's time to work our first round of crochet.

Top tip - take your time! This first round can be fiddly, just take it slowly, one stitch at a time, and try to keep your tension even. 

We're going to be working a round of double crochet (UK terms - that's a single crochet to those of you in the US).

For this first round, you'll be inserting your hook under both loops of the stitched chain.

NOTE - turn your bag so that the zipper is at the bottom. You will be holding your hook almost vertically, and inserting it under the chain stitches, pushing it upwards (as shown above). You will find it easier to do if you have the zipper open, and you bend the zipper teeth under slightly to expose the edge of the chain stitches.

ROUND 1

Insert hook under first chain, and chain 1.

Now work 1 dc under each chain along the first side. If you can manage it, you can crochet the first five stitches over your tail end to catch it in place, it'll save you darning it in later.

Note in the above photo, I am bending the zipper teeth under with my thumb so that I can easily slip my hook under the chain stitches. Double check that you've got the bag upside down (zipper at the bottom, canvas at the top) - this is important!

When you reach the end of the first side, you'll see that elongated chain that you made over the end of the zipper. 

Work 4 dc under this long chain to form a rounded corner turn.

It can get a little tricky with the zip pull being at this end, so take your time and continue to work your dc stitches around that end and all along the second side until you get back to where you started.

When you get back around to the beginning, stop when you have the final 2 stitches on either side of the zipper join.

Now work 2 dc into each of these stitches to form a rounded corner.

Whew.......that's the hardest part done and dusted - well done!

Now I'm going to show you how to create an invisible fasten off so that you won't have any visible seams.

After that final dc stitch, snip your yarn (leave a tail end long enough for darning). Now lift your hook up and away from your work, pulling the loop on your hook bigger and bigger until the tail end pops right out of that last dc stitch.....

.....see? The tail end is now sticking out of the final dc stitch you made.

Thread the tail end onto your chenille needle.

Ignoring the beginning chain-1, insert your needle under the chain of the first dc stitch (as shown above) and pull the yarn through from front to back.

Now insert your hook down into the top of chain of the stitch directly to the right (as pictured above) - you are effectively using your needle to create a chain to sit on top of your beginning chain-1 so that it seamlessly closes the round.

Darn that tail end in securely on the reverse, darning out to the left under the dc stitches (as shown above).

↑↑ Can you see how seamless that invisible finish is? The chains all run into each other without any knots or interruptions, it's a brilliant little trick to learn when working in the round.

Yippeee.....you'll be pleased to know that's the hardest bit done and dusted. Now you can set about choosing your colours and getting ready for some nice, easy, speedy rounds of double crochet.

As a rough guide, I crocheted 26 rounds in total (including that first tricky one). 

ROUNDS 2-26 (or however many rounds it takes you to reach the b0ttom)

Top tip - always start/end each round at the sides - my invisible finishing method is invisible (it really is!) but you will be darning in ends which adds a little bit of bulk, so keep that happening at the sides where it won't be as noticeable.

ROUND 2

NOTE - for this round and all subsequent rounds you will be working out of BACK LOOPS ONLY.

In the above photo you'll see that I've turned the bag up the right way with the zipper now at the top.

NOTE that I am working with the inside of the bag facing me, so my hook pushes forward and passes from inside to outside. Therefore the back loops of each stitch are the ones on the outside. Does that make sense?

Insert hook into back loop of stitch at side of bag, close to the zipper end.

Chain 1;

Work 1 dc into back loops of each stitch along.

↑↑ This is what you should see - hold the bag with the zipper open and work with the wrong side (the inside of the bag) facing you. I know it seems odd to work this way around, but trust me...I'll show you why in a bit!

Keep going all the way around until you get right back to the beginning. I'm going to show you the invisible finish one more time. Snip the end (leave enough for darning) and use your hook to pull the tail end right up and out of it's stitch.

Thread a needle, ignore the chain 1 (this is important to locate it, and ignore it), insert needle under the chain of the first dc stitch as shown above.

Now insert the needle down into the top of the last stitch to create that false chain....

.....clever eh??! Now be sure to darn in your end straight away to secure that chain - darn underneath the crochet stitches to the left - keep that false chain intact, don't pull it closed by accident.

ROUND 3

A round of dc stitches in back loops only. Work with the inside of the bag facing you, as shown in above photo.

NOTE - it's a good idea to start each new round at the opposite end to the previous round. This way you alternate and darn ends in at both sides of the bag so that you even out the slight bulkiness.

When you get back to where you started and are making the invisible join, don't put your needle under the beginning chain-1 by mistake. Always locate the first true dc stitch of the round and pass your needle under that chain, as shown above.

↑↑ This is what your crochet should look like after three rounds of dc. See how the crochet rounds are building upwards, but are inside out? Well look...................

.....they eventually get folded downwards, doesn't it look neat????? You don't see any of the stitching that you did in the beginning, and the crochet just looks like it miraculously grows out of the zip. Oh-so-Clever!!!!! I LOVE it.

So the method for working the rounds remains the same - back loops only, start with ch-1, then dc stitches all around with an invisible finish at the end.

Alternate which side you start so your darned ends aren't all on one side.

Remember you will be working upwards, but kind of inside out, as pictured above. Keep an eye on your tension - after four rounds or so, do the zip up and fold the crochet down to see if it fits well. If it feels like it's pulling tight, then try using a bigger hook size and see if that helps. I found that once I'd finished the crochet rounds, I was able to pin the crochet out and steam it a little to set the sides and bottom straight and ease out a bit of tightness that had crept in.

Eeeeeeppp....SO NEAT!!!!! Love love love the way this looks!

Oh, a word about the dangly ends that you left when you stitched the foundation chain at the start. You can thread onto your needle and bring them to the outside....

....remember this ↑↑ is the wrong side of the crochet when it's sticking up! So just darn ends in one by one under the stitches on this wrong side as shown, and they'll be invisible when you flip the crochet downwards to show the right side.

Keep building your rows and have LOADS of fun with your colour choices! The rows are only small so don't be afraid to embrace the crazy.

C-R-A-Z-Y!!!!

Once your rounds are complete (around 26, or however many take you neatly to the bottom of the canvas), you can add some floral decoration if you wish. I made a Polyanthus flower and leaf (pattern HERE), and also a very teeny baby flower (pattern HERE, it's included within the Valentine post). Stitch them directly onto the crochet stripes - you don't have to worry about keeping it neat on the reverse because it will be hidden.

Finishing off the bottom edge is very simple - I chose to stitch my bottom edge.

Attach a length of yarn to the bottom corner, then whip stitch through all layers to form a neat seam. 

Pass the needle through all loops of the chains from front to back, lining up the stitches as you go.

It's a simple finish and pretty neat - make sure you fasten off securely.

You might have noticed that this zippy bag ↑↑ looks slightly different? I started off in exactly the same way (stitched a foundation chain, and then worked a round of double crochet to get the rounded corner increases in), but then I changed the stitch.

I worked rounds of Half Treble, but worked them in the spaces between stitches to make a denser fabric with no holes. I like how it turned out but I definitely like the back-loop double crochet more.

I hope you have lots of fun with this pattern, whether you are making for yourself or as gifts. Enjoy the colour play and the simple joy of creating something lovely with the smallest amount of yarn.

If you want to see more photos, I wrote a blog post all about the making process {Zippy Bag BLOG POST}

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As always, I am more than happy to provide my patterns and picture tutorials for free here on my blog. If you have used these patterns and would like to donate a few pennies it would be very much appreciated. Thank you so much for your support, and wishing you happy hooky times!

♥

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Comments

[Joanne Richards]

L

[Margaret Manning]

Lovely little bags I have made some with Christmas Wool and put a little Teddy inside and will add other little toys for Gt. Grandchilden in Australia.

[Hilary Taylor]

Am about to make my second bag, thank u so much for a fantastic idea

[Hayley]

If I'm wanting to do this in a single colour yarn would I just chain one at the start and join each row with a slip stitch?

[Crochet-BB]

@Joanne I found that too. I think it’s because my initial chains were wider than a normal crochet chain and so I needed to add a few extra DCs to make up for it. Once I did this in round one it was fixed from then on.

[Helen Outen]

Such a lovely idea.....and pattern too. Have now made 4 of them, and have a couple more to do.
Helen

[Joanne]

I'm using Scheepjes Riverwash to use up some bits. My work tapers in the further I go along - no dropped or missed stitches. It's a bit tight round the canvas bag and I've had to increase a few more stitches on the ends as I go. How did you get yours to be so nice and even and flat?.

[Lizzie]

These look fantastic, just ordered bags and needles from Amazon, plan to make for granddaughter and then make them to go in party bags for her friends at her 6th birthday party - brilliant idea

[Suzy]

Do you continue the 2dc,2dc on the ends on every row or
just at the beginning?

[Amanda Mc]

Oh Lucy that is just what I need to keep me busy and happy. Thank you for the detailed photo tutorial and notes. God bless xxx

[Lynne]

What a genius idea, thank you for sharing. Can’t wait to try one myself. They will make great Christmas stocking fillers

[Kate]

Hi Lucy, could you share what colors of Rico dk you chose for the bag? I’d love to get the same colors. Thank you! Kate

[Ivana]

Thank you! I have some cotton yarns in coordinating colors and I had no idea what to do with them. I suppose this will be perfect Christmas gift.
And - I can sew the bags as well, right?

[louise macdougall]

Hey brilliant pattern and tutorial, certainly will be making these.... but quick question could I use DK yarn as thats all I have

[Helen]

I got some very similar pencil cases via Ebay.....similar price, only took a couple of days to arrive.......

[Dawn]

I Haven’t crocheted in ages and this looks like a great little project to get me back into hooking. Unfortunately the bags you get commission on are already sold out.

[Alison]

These look great Lucy. I've ordered the bags and have lots of wool to choose from in my stash, can't wait to get started.

[Julie]

Bags and wool ordered. I am so excited 😊 thank you Lucy xx

[Jacqui]

Thank you so much - I haven’t picked my hooks up for a while but you’ve inspired me as always 🌈

[Tricia]

Lucy thank you so much for this.Beautiful,imaginative,vivacious,colourful and practical - much like yourself? ❤️👍

[Lesley Anne]

Really looking forward to making my first one of these little bags.
Thanks as always for the pattern, Lucy.