Patterns: Purses
Purses, clutches, wristlets and handbags crocheted or sewn from recycled materials: plastic grocery bags, cassette and VCR tape, denim and yarn. Lining tutorials are included too.
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This hobo handbag was crocheted using recycled plastic bags. It is a pattern that I adapted from Dao over at ShortyLamCrochet Blogspot. I emailed Dao several times to work out some details because to create her bag using plastic bag yarn or plarn, the pattern required some modifications. We agreed that I would post her pattern link which is done with regular yarn. Below you will find my variation of her pattern done in plarn.
Inside of Lined Hobo Bag Click to View Full-Sized
Strap Made Using Spool Knitter
Free Plastic Bag Hobo Handbag Pattern
Materials needed:
One large ball of brown plastic bag yarn aka Plarn
1 set of 1 inch D rings or circle rings
2 yards of ribbon (1/2″-3/4″ will work)
Magnetic clasp closure
Material for lining if desired
Hooks:
N (9 mm) Metal crochet hook
J (6 mm) Metal crochet hook
Description: Recycled Plastic Hobo Bag
Bag measures 14 inches wide and 10 inches long
Directions:
Rnd 1
Ch 29

Check out my latest recycled plastic bag “plarn” handbag.
This was crocheted from some recycled Walmart plastic bags. The white with black lettering isn’t the most attractive material but I added just a bit of ribbon and it really made the bag look cute. This bag measures 9″ by 9″ and was created for a promotional giveaway that will be going on at the Birmingham City University in the UK. The event is to raise awareness for Aids and HIV and to incorporate fashion. I hope their event is a big success and that recycled crafting can be recognized as a green fashion alternative.
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Free Recycled Plastic Plarn Handbag Crochet Pattern
Materials needed:
One ball of plastic bag yarn AKA plarn (approx. 25-30 bags)
1-1/2 yards of ribbon yarn (1/2″ or 3/8″ wide)
Hook: N (9 mm) metal crochet hook
Description: Tote Handbag
Bag measures 9 inches wide and 9 inches long
Directions:
Ch 24 with white plarn

Check out my recycled plastic ripple purse! I have had a ripple purse on my to-do list for quite awhile. I am happy to report that it’s finally completed and here is the result. This Chevron pattern is a bit more difficult when you are using recycled plastic bags. I crocheted the recycled grocery bags together and lined my purse when finished. If you are new to crocheting with plastic bags, here is the picture tutorial to help you.
Here is a picture of the inside lining.
Click on photos to view full-sized
One more picture with the strap untied.
I hope you enjoy this recycled plastic bag pattern and as always happy green crafting to you!
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Free Crocheted Recycled Ripple Purse Pattern
Purse measures 8 inches wide and 8 inches long.
Strap length is 32 inches when not tied.
Material: One ball of plastic bags cut into 1 inch strips of blue and smaller ball of green
One button 1-1/4″ button shown on bag.
Hook: Metal H (5 mm) hook
Chain 32 – Working with blue plarn. Turn.

If you are into recycled crafting, you might want to try crafting with vcr video tapes. The beauty is using these reels of pre-made materials is that you simply just need to open up the cases and away you can go with your crafting. You can use my tutorial on how to turn vcr video tape into “yarn” to craft your projects.
This week I broke down some old vcr tapes that I had to crochet this purse. I added some lacy ribbon yarn that I got at the dollar store for 99 cents to add a different look to the project. Below is closeup of my finished project.
Recycling video tapes into craft projects is always fun and while it’s not the easiest material to work with, the results are very pretty. The unique shine of the tape is beautiful and the ribbon yarn gives it a colorful finish. Plus its a great way to recycled those old video tapes that so many people just have laying around and can’t figure what to do with them. Well here ya go!
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Free Crocheted Video Tape Purse Pattern
Purse measures 9 inches wide and 7 inches long
Strap length is 32 inches long
Materials:
2 VCR VHS Tape Reels (only used about 1/4 of each reel)
One 3/4 inch button
3/4 oz Lion Brand Trellis Lacy Ribbon Yarn (Pastel Garden shown)
Hook:
N (9 mm) crochet hook for main purse
J (6 mm) crochet hook for flap trim
Using 2 strands of video tape held together, Chain 20.
Rnd 1
Hdc in 2nd ch from hook in each chain. Continue around the corner and down the back side of chain by working a Hdc in every stitch of chain.

Crochet a cute ribbon sling bag!
This week’s recycled craft project is a crocheted sling bag. The bag is crocheted using recycled plastic bags. Red ribbon was added and tied into a bow at the front. Here is the link to my picture tutorial on how to make your own recycled plastic bag yarn or plarn.
I know many crafters out there are starting their Christmas gifts. This would make a great little gift for any young girl and even as a gift bag. You could fill it up with a few stocking stuffer items and you’d have a wonderful little Christmas package. Anyway just a few ideas that I came up with to use this little bag.
As always here is the free pattern for your use.
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Free Crocheted Sling Bag Pattern
Purse measures 9 inches wide and 10-1/2 inches long
Strap length is 35 inches
Materials:
One ball of recycled plastic bag yarn aka Plarn
2 yards of 1/8″ ribbon or other ribbon leftovers
Hook: Metal N (9 mm) crochet hook
Chain 22

Here is my latest felted wool purse project. It’s crocheted using 3 different colors of wool yarn. I crocheted each section using the blue, teal, and then creme yarn. Below are my before felting pictures of the bag and a side shot.
I felted my pieces on the hottest setting on my washer for about 18 minutes.
Here is a picture taken after I felted the main bag.
Click on photos to supersize
Here are photos of each side of my strap which was crocheted using one of main colors on each side.
I finished off the felted purse by attaching the strap and lining my bag complete with a zipper. Here is a my purse lining tutorial if you need instructions for lining a crocheted bag. The full detailed crochet pattern is below — Enjoy!
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Free Pattern for Crocheted Felted 3-Color Striped Purse
Materials needed:
3) 100% Wool Yarn (100 grams/110 yard skeins each)
Blue, Teal, and Cream colors used
Small amount of fabric for lining and pockets
9 Inch Zipper
Hook: H (5 mm) U.S. size metal hook
Description: Felted Blue Striped Bag
After felting bag measures 13 inches wide at base and 9 inches long with 39 inches strap
Directions:
Using blue wool yarn, Ch 45.

Recycled your old tee-shirts into a cute handbag. I crocheted this purse using two t-shirts and a part of another for the striping. I added a flower as an embellishment and here is my final result.
Click to supersize photos
Here is a photo showing how I cut around the tee-shirt to create “yarn” to crochet with. You just continue cutting in one continuous strip and go around corners as shown. If you do need to join two strips, either overlap and weave under your ends or join splicing strips together by either hand or machine stitching the ends together. Another method that doesn’t require sewing the strips together is to make a small slit hole at the end of the two strips you need to splice together. The slit should be cut lengthwise only about 1/2 inch from the end of the strip and should only be big enough to allow the next strip to pass through it. Hold the two strips with the holes together then take the uncut end and lace it through two holes. Pull the strip completely through the holes and pull tight to make the splice as small as possible.
Have fun with this project by recycling your tee-shirts into a charming eco-friendly handbag. The materials are free and so is the crochet pattern below.
Free Crocheted Recycled Tee-Shirt Bag Pattern
Bag measures 10 inches wide and 9″ long with 8″ handles.
Material: Three different colored tee-shirts cut into 1/2″ to 3/4 inch strips
Hook: Metal N (9 mm) crochet hook
Chain 12

Here is my latest VCR tape sling bag crocheted along with some ribbon yarn. A local group is making purses for girls in foster care in my area. I crocheted several different purses and decided that I would create one sling bag using recycled VCR tape for the purse drive. It has that funky teen-look so I hope some young lady enjoys it.
If you are new to the concept of crocheting with recycled VCR or VHS tape here is the link to the picture tutorial which shows how this process is done.
Creating purses and bags from recycled materials is always fun. Try adding different yarn or ribbon together with the VCR tape to accomplish different looks. Add additional embellishments to your finished bags to create that unique one-of-a-kind look.
Have fun and happy green crafting to you all!
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Free Crocheted VHS Tape and Ribbon Sling Bag Pattern
Purse measures 8 inches wide and 8 inches long
Strap length is 44 inches
Materials:
2 VCR VHS Tape Reels (only used about ¼ of each reel)
One button 1-1/2 inch button shown on bag
Small amount of Lion Brand Incredible Ribbon Yarn (City Lights shown)
Hook: Metal N (9 mm) crochet hook
Using 2 strands of VCR tape held together, Chain 18.

Check out the latest in Vhs video tape fashion. It’s a little black evening bag crocheted from video tape. I have named this pattern the V Evening Bag because of the V-shaped flap and in honor that it is made from Vcr video tape. This bag features my seamless purse technique. No side seam stitching necessary in this quick and easy pattern. If you are new to using Vcr Vhs tape as yarn here is the link to the picture tutorial on how to use the tape as yarn. This is a great way to recycle those old Vhs tapes that you probably still have lying around the house somewhere. So create yourself a nice little evening bag and use up some of those tapes at the same time.
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Free Pattern for Crocheted V Evening Bag
Materials needed:
(2) VHS video tapes
(1) 1-1/8″ Button
Hooks: N and J USA size metal crochet hooks
Description: Evening Bag measures 9 inches wide at bottom and 6 inches long
Directions:
Using N hook with 2 strands of vhs video tape held together, Ch 20.
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