Crochet Pattern: Absolutely Simple Drawstring Bag

By Rachel Choi – 35 Comments
The Absolutely Simple Drawstring Bag is great to use as a gift bag! This pattern is fast and super easy to crochet. It’s made with double crochets and a chain that creates the drawstring. You can embellish the bag if you desire. I used the rose bud pattern from my Flower Appliques Crochet Pattern Set.

Skill Level: beginner crochet skill level

Finished Size: 3 1/2″ (9 cm) in diameter, 5″ (13 cm) tall when flat

Materials:
Medium Weight Yarn (approximately 50 yards)
Crochet Hook I (5.50 mm)
crochet yarn size 4
crochet drawsting bag with flower

Gauge: Rounds 1 – 3 in pattern measure 3 1/2″ in diameter

Crochet Pattern: Drawstring Bag
Round 1: ch 4, 12 dc in forth ch from hook, sl st in beginning ch-3: 12 dc
Round 2: ch 3, 2 dc in each dc around, sl st in beginning ch-3: 24 dc
Round 3: ch 3, (2 dc in next dc, dc in next dc) around, sl st in beginning ch-3: 36 dc
Round 4 – 12: ch 3, dc in each dc around, sl st in beginning ch-3: 36 dc
Finish off.

String
Row 1: ch 50, finish off.

Weave the string between the double crochets in the second to last round of the bag.

Embellish the bag as you desire. The rose bud pattern in the photo can be found in the Flower Appliques Crochet Pattern Set.

If you need help crocheting the drawstring bag, let me know and I’ll be glad to help!

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35 Comments

  1. Kate says:

    This is lovely! Thank you for the pattern, Rachel.

  2. Gina K says:

    I love it and will be making one this weekend! Thanks for sharing the pattern!

  3. Rachel says:

    This is great, I can always use more bags! Thanks so much, I’ll be linking.

  4. Melanie says:

    SO cute! Thank you rachel for another free pattern.

  5. laura says:

    i love this little bag. i’ll make them for my grand daughters and add a strap for them to carry it around.

  6. Ashley says:

    Love this! Would be a great gift…thanks Rachel!

  7. .Holly says:

    This is really cute, Plan on making for nieces. Do you count the chain 3 as one of your stitches in a row.? Can’t wait to try a few of your patterens. Thanks for Sharing.

  8. .Holly says:

    Thank you Rachel, I will start today to make this.The girls will be happy with this.Tried your soap dish yesterday, great idea. Was very easy to do.

  9. mary manoly says:

    lovely usefull thanks Rachel

  10. Sandra says:

    I knit or crochet chemo caps for people at the breast center who can’t afford to buy them. Do you have any patterns for these?

    • Rachel says:

      Hi Sandra, I have several beanie/hat patterns that you can used. Just use the search box at the top of the page and type in “beanie” and they should pop up for you.

  11. Caroline says:

    Hi Rachel, thanks for the pattern. I’m a beginner and have a few questions, do you count the slip stitch as one stitch? It appears to add to my rounds and I keep counting it in by accident. Does the bag have a seam? I keep getting large holes where the 3 chains for the new round begin and slip stitching doesn’t help close it up. Is that meant to happen?

    Thanks again Rachel for the pattern and everything on your site! Loving learning how to crochet.

    • Rachel says:

      Hi Caroline, the slip stitch doesn’t count as apart of the total stitch count for each round, only the double crochets count. Yes, the bag has a seam from the ch 3 at the beginning of each round. There should be a slight space, but not a giant hole next to the ch 3. If your hole is really large, then you can try to make your chains a bit tighter or use less chains, such as a ch 2 instead of the ch 3.

  12. Caroline says:

    Hi again Rachel, thanks for the help with decreasing to ch 2, it made a big difference. Is it possible to make a seamless version? I can think of not making any chains before beginning a new round, only problem that the end dc wouldn’t be the same height as the start.

    • Rachel says:

      Caroline, yes you can do it seamlessly. To do so, don’t work the chain at the beginning of each round. Continue to crochet around in a circle like a spiral. To end your work make a slip stitch into the next dc to finish off.

  13. bella says:

    hello Rachel!
    i love this pattern and idea but i have a few questions,
    1) do you do 12 dc in the 4th ch from the hook or in each stich starting from the 4th ch from the hook?
    2) do you do dc for the whole pattern?
    3) do you have to do sewing?
    4) how do/where do you put the string to make it a draw string bag??

    thank you sooo very much for posting this,i cant wait to try it!!!

    • Rachel says:

      Hi Bella, here’s the answers to your questions:
      1) You do 12 dc in the 4th ch from the hook. So all 12 dc are in the same chain.
      2) Yes, the majority of the pattern in is dc. Other than the chains you make at the beginning of the round and the slip stitch that you use to join the end of the round to the beginning.
      3) Sewing is not required.
      4) When you are done crocheting the bag and the string. You will weave the string between the double crochets in the second to last round of the bag.

  14. bella says:

    thanks for your help! i really like this pattern and are on my way to making it now!!!
    thanks sooo very much!!

  15. Stefanie says:

    great little bag! I am a beginner and have a question. Do I do the slip stitch after the last dc and before the 3 chains? Thanks!

    • Rachel says:

      Stefanie, yes you do a slip stitch after the last double crochet. the “sl st in beginning ch-3” means to make a slip stitch in the chain 3 that you made at the beginning of the round. You’ll make the slip stitch into the 3rd chain (top chain) of the chain 3.

  16. Stefanie says:

    Wow thanks for the fast response!

  17. Stefanie says:

    Hi what do the ( ) in round 3 mean?

    • Rachel says:

      Stefanie, the ( ) means to repeat the instructions that are written within them. In this case it’s it says “(2 dc in next dc, dc in next dc) around” you’ll repeat the instructions all the way around until you reach the end of the row.

  18. Ninmir says:

    Um, very new here, but how do I finish this off?

  19. Hi,
    I was trying to make your drawstring bag from the directions on the website, but have a question.
    On round 1 after the ch3, where do you put the 12 dc’s? Then I’m guessing it would be the same for rounds 2,3 and 4 once you explain where to put the 12 dc’s.
    Thanks.

    • Rachel Choi says:

      Hi Linda, the “sl st in beginning ch-3” means to make a slip stitch into the chain that’s at the beginning of the round. The 12 dc that’s after the colon is the stitch count for the round. So you don’t have to make another 12 dc, it just tells you how many you should have already made so you can double check. Let me know if you need more help with it!

  20. Liz Tilton says:

    In round 3, 2 DC in next DC, DC in next DC I do not wind up with 36 DC it doesn t add up pls help txs

    • Rachel Choi says:

      Hi Liz!
      Each time you work the repeat you should be using 2 dc on the previous round (round 2).
      If you have 24 dc on round 2, then you will repeat the repeated section 24/2 = 12 times.

      And each time you work the repeat you are creating 3 stitches (2dc + 1dc = 3dc)
      So you’ll have 3*12 = 36dc total when you are done.

      Try to recount the number of stitches on round 2 to make sure it is actually 24 dc. If it helps, you can place a stitch marker (or scarp of yarn, or paperclip) into ever other stitch to help you see each repeat, you will have 12 of them. Then you can rework the round and make sure that you are making 3 stitches in each repeated section.

  21. davina says:

    Hi

    I wanted to know im doing
    The 4_12 just wondering its looking like its a flat dolie so far…lol? Havent finished yet but was curious it should be forming upward rite?

    • Rachel Choi says:

      Yes! It should start to go upward as you work more and more rounds from rounds 4 – 12. After the first couple you should notice the change. If not, be sure to double check the number of stitches on each round, they should be the same on each round. Let me know if you need more help with it!

  22. Alexandra says:

    Hi Rachel,
    I’m a beginner too
    I would like to use this patter but I want to crochet a bigger bag how should I do it?
    Thanks

    • Rachel Choi says:

      Hello!
      After round 3 you can add more rounds to increase the size of the bottom of the bag, which will make the bag wider. If you want to make it slightly larger the next increasing round after round 3 would be…
      ch 3, (2 dc in next dc, dc in next 2 dc) around, sl st in beginning ch-3: 48 dc

      and if you want it even larger you can add another round after that…
      ch 3, (2 dc in next dc, dc in next 3 dc) around, sl st in beginning ch-3: 60 dc

      and even larger, add another round…
      ch 3, (2 dc in next dc, dc in next 4 dc) around, sl st in beginning ch-3: 72 dc

      When the bottom of the bag is big enough, you can continue on with the pattern as its written. Just keep in mind the total stitch count will be different now that you increased the the size.

  23. Kristin T says:

    this is absolutely perfect!!! I had a bag pattern I love, but it was way too big for my mom’s needs so I was able to use your base pattern to make her a smaller one!!! thank you a ton for this pattern. (my variation was to add another round of 2 DC, 1 DC, then DC around in back loops only. Will also be adding bobble stitches on the sides :):):))

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