Little Crocheted Purse Tutorial

LITTLE CROCHETED PURSE

Please read all instructions before starting. I enlarged the pics to give you a closer look and hopefully they will be of help and guidance. The supplies you need are listed at the bottom of this post. Please bear with me, this is a first time I have tried to do a pattern for anyone and since I don't have a resource to refer anyone to I will have to try and pick the pattern right off of the little purse my mother-in-law made almost 30 years ago. I have no clue where she got the pattern, maybe a woman's magazine, or maybe a friend gave it to her. I have all her patterns and do not recall seeing it anywhere. Maybe she made it up and it is her original pattern??? I will try and do my best to make it as accurate as possible. If you have any questions, please just send me a comment and I will try and answer ASAP. 

You will need 1 medium dish soap bottle (not the clear ones) and you need to measure 2 and 1/2 inches from the bottom up. A fine tipped marker can be used (pencil doesn't seem to show up very well). Using the scissors cut the top off evenly. Make sure the cut line is smooth. I am thinking an emery board would work like a fine sand paper to smooth the edges. You now have what resembles a little soup bowl. There are 41 evenly spaced holes punched around the top about 1/4 inch down from the top edge. You would have to use a punch smaller than a paper punch. The hole size is about 1/8 of an inch diameter.

The yarn used was a baby pompadour yarn and the rows are alternating yellow and white. This really wouldn't matter, you could make them all the same color or what ever you wish. Personally a solid color would be less hassle and you won't have to keep changing colors or weave in the tails. All rows are worked from the outside, DO NOT TURN.

Row 1:......Using a steel crochet hook (you might have to experiment a bit with hook size) pull yarn through the first hole and ch2 to make 1st dc, dc again in same hole, repeat around entire top putting 2dc in each hole, join to top of starting ch2 (42dc). This first row done to make the base of your crochet work (this first row of crochet covers the top edge of the plastic because when the stitching is done the yarn is held to the back and your stitches will be on the top edge. Does this make sense to you? You are actually sandwiching the plastic in the center of your stitches). You can switch now to a bit bigger hook to do the remainder of the crochet work.
Row 2:....  Ch2 (1st dc), now put 1dc in each dc from previous row, join as before (42 dc).
Row 3-7:...Skipping first 2 dc of previous row, sl st to space between 2nd and 3rd dc on row 2, ch2, dc, ch1, 2dc (shell stitch made), repeat shell stitch of 2dc, ch1, 2dc all around skipping 2 dc between each shell, join as before (there should be about 40 shells). The shells are what gives the top it's fullness. Repeat row 3 until you have a total of 7 rows of which the last 5 will be the shell stitch rows. If you alternate colors you will end with the same color that you started with. Fasten off and weave in the yarn ends.
Make a chain long enough to weave though row 5 so that it is doubled. Use your shells as your guide weaving in one and around the other. What you want is for it to be a "draw string" so that when you pull from both ends the purse will gather up snug at the top, making it have a ruffled effect. Join the ends of the chain together. You can make pom poms and attach them to both ends.

There you have it. I hope these instructions make sense. My mother-in-law made little oval cushion for the inside bottom of the purse. You could use the bottom of the purse to draw around on a piece of light poster board or sturdy paper and allow for a 1/4 inch seam allowance, sew, turn it right side out and stuff lightly with poly batting and sew seam shut. The little blanket is just a small rectangle of double crochet  starting with a foundation chain of 22sc and then turn, ch2 and 1dc in each ch across row to end (about 20dc) across and do a total of just 5 rows. She did a little colored border of sc all around it. The little romper for a 3 and 3/4 inch baby doll is just 3 rows of dc with a 4th row of sc at the top edge. She made a small hand stitch at the bottom in the crotch area to make leg holes and on the 3rd row she made little arm holes evenly spaced. It would probably be a good idea to find your doll and have it handy to try the romper on it while working on it. She sewed the romper on the doll by stitching up the back seam, it can not be removed. Of course you might be handy enough to come up with your own little clothes for the doll. (Supply list is below last photo) ♥

 SUPPLY LIST    
Ivory Dish Soap Bottle
Measuring tape or ruler
Sharp scissors
Fine tip marker
Small hole punch
1 Skein Pompadour Baby Yarn (for solid crocheted purse top)
Small bits of baby yarn for blanket and romper
Small piece of material for oval cushion and small bit of polyfill for stuffing cushion
Steel Crochet Hook (size appropriate for pulling yarn through holes, may use a bit bigger size for actual crochet stitches)
3-3/4 inch baby doll
Pom pom maker
Fine sand paper or emery board