Felted Crochet Origami Bag Pattern

Turn a crocheted rectangle into a stylish tote, with just a few simple folds! This felted crochet origami bag is easy to crochet and works up quickly in bulky yarn. A few extra touches give it a professional finish. They’ll never believe you made it yourself!

This content is protected by copyright. See this Terms of Use / Copyright page for more information.

This post contains sponsored content and/or affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, I may get a commission.

2022 Bag Along CAL

This felted crochet origami bag is the first pattern in the 2022 Bag Along CAL. Crochet along through 6 different bag patterns, with multiple technique tutorials for each. See the main CAL post for the full schedule.

Enter the Giveaway

With each new bag pattern, there will be a new giveaway as well! All the giveaway details and entry forms will be in the first post for each bag, which will also list all the materials needed for that bag. Here is the materials list and giveaway info for bag number 1.

The giveaway prizes for the CAL are all sponsored by WeCrochet. This first giveaway ends on February 25th, 2022 at 11:59pm, central time, so be sure to get your entries in!

Felted Crochet Origami Bag

Add this to your Ravelry queue

Materials

• Yarn: Wool of the Andes Bulky 100% wool, bulky weight yarn (54 yds / 25 g per skein), 2 skeins each of:
  • #28217 Masala
  • #28223 Thyme
  • #28211 Currant
• Hook: Size J-10 / 6 mm hook or size needed to match gauge
• Notions:
  • 4 stitch markers
  • Yarn needle

Project Level

Intermediate: Mostly hdc. Folding, seaming, felting, and some surface crochet.

Size

25 x 24 inches without handle, before felting. 

Felting should reduce each dimension to between 20 and 22 inches, depending on how aggressively you felt it.

Gauge

11 hdc x 9 rows = 4 inches square.

Abbreviations used

(Pattern is written in US terms)
ch = chain
hdc = half double crochet
hdc2tog = half double crochet 2 together
RS = right side
sc = single crochet
sl st = slip stitch
st(s) = stitch(es)
WS = wrong side

Recommended Resources

• Alternative hdc2tog (Half Double Crochet 2 Together)
• Surface Crochet Over Color Changes
• Folding and Seaming an Origami Bag
• Surface Crochet Over Seams
• Changing Colors
• Whipstitch Seams (Lunchtime Live demo)

Instructions

Bag Body

The bag body is a rectangle made up of 3 square sections, starting with color A, then B, then C. At 2 opposite corners of this rectangle, increases or decreases create an angled or “clipped” corner. These corners are where you will later attach the handle. Stitch markers indicate exactly where each angled corner starts and ends, which will help for folding and seaming later.

The exact gauge is not particularly important, but it is important that each of the 3 sections is roughly square. If you need to add or remove rows to achieve this, add or remove an even number of rows in the middle of each section, so that the angled corners end up in the right places.

Section A

With A, ch 47

Row 1 (RS): Sk first 2 chs (counts as first hdc), place a stitch marker in the 3rd ch from hook, hdc in marked ch and in each remaining ch across. (46 hdc)

Row 2: Ch 1, turn, hdc in first st and in each st across to last st, 2 hdc in last st. (47 hdc)

Row 3: Ch 2 (counts as first hdc), turn, hdc in first st and in each st across. (48 hdc)

Row 4-5: Repeat rows 2-3. (50 hdc)

Place a stitch marker in the top of the first st of row 5 (this is the ch-2 at the beginning of the row).

Rows 6-40: Ch 1, turn, hdc in first st and in each st across. (50 hdc)

Remove hook from working loop and secure it with a stitch marker.

Turn, join B with sl st in first st (this is the same stitch you just finished working on row 40).

Section B

Row 41: With B, hdc in first st and in each st across. (50 hdc)

Surface Crochet Trim Over Color Change – Video tutorial for this section coming soon!

• Do not turn. Remove hook from working loop and secure it with a stitch marker. Place the working loop of color A back on your hook and remove that stitch marker.

• Holding the yarn behind your work, sl st with color A in each st across row 40. (You will be putting your hook into the same spots where you worked the stitches from row 41.) At the end of the row, ch 1 and then fasten off A.

• Place the working loop of color B back on your hook and remove that stitch marker.

Rows 42-80: With B, ch 1, turn, hdc in first st and in each st across. (50 hdc)

Remove hook from working loop and secure it with a stitch marker.

Turn, join C with sl st in first st (this is the same stitch you just finished working on row 80).

Section C

Row 81: Hdc in first st and in each st across. (50 hdc)

Surface Crochet Trim Over Color Change – Video tutorial for this section coming soon!

• Do not turn. Remove hook from working loop and secure it with a stitch marker. Place working loop of color B back on your hook and remove that stitch marker.
• Holding the yarn behind your work, sl st with color B in each st across row 80. (You will be putting your hook into the same spots where you worked the stitches from row 81.) At the end of the row, ch 1 and then fasten off B.
• Place working loop of color C back on your hook and remove that stitch marker, to continue with section C.

Rows 82-115: Ch 1, turn, hdc in each st across. (50 hdc)

Place a stitch marker in the top of the last stitch on row 115.

Row 116: Ch 2 (does not count as a st), turn, sk first st, hdc in each remaining st across. (49 hdc)

Row 117: Ch 1, turn, hdc in each st across to last 2 sts, hdc2tog. (48 hdc)

Rows 118-120: Repeat rows 116-117, then repeat row 116 once more. (45 hdc)

Place a stitch marker in the top of the last stitch on row 117

Fasten off and weave in all ends.

Bag Handle

The handle is worked in continuous rounds. Do not join or turn. There is no need to mark the first stitch of the round, and it doesn’t matter where you end.

Ch 6, leaving a 14-inch tail. Join with sl st to first ch to form a circle.

Rnd 1: Sc in each ch around. (6 sc)

Remaining Rnds: Sc in each st around, in a continuous spiral, until handle measures about 6 inches long, sl st in next st.

Fasten off, leaving a 14-inch tail.

Do not weave in tails. Set bag handle aside.

Folding

Video tutorial for this section coming soon!

Arrange bag flat in front of you, with right side up, as shown in the folding diagram below. Color A should be on the left, with the clipped corner at the bottom. Color C should be on the right, with the clipped corner at the top.

Folding Diagram:

First fold:

Take the pointed (normal) corner of color A and fold it down diagonally to meet the opposite corner of color A.

This makes the clipped corner fold in half so that the two stitch markers meet. Remove one of the stitch markers, and place the other through both layers so that it holds them together.

Seaming

First Seam

On the side of the bag that is facing you, one edge of section C should be resting against one edge of section B. Sew these edges together with a whipstitch.

Second Seam

Turn the bag over, being careful not to unfold section A. Now, one edge of section A should be resting against one edge of section B. Sew these edges together with a whipstitch.

Attach Handle

Turn bag right side out. Each of the marked, folded corners at the top of the bag create a small open circle. Insert one end of the handle into one of these circles so that the edges overlap by about 1 stitch. Use the tail from the handle to sew it in place. Remove the stitch marker from the corner of the bag.

Flatten out the handle so that it isn’t twisting at all, and then attach the other end of the handle to the other corner circle of the bag in the same way.

Surface Crochet Trim Over Seams

Video tutorial for this section coming soon!

First Seam

Position your bag so that the bag is upright and color A is on your left. Note that where color B meets color C, you already have the surface crochet trim in color B over the color change.

Where color A meets color B, you have a whipstitch seam instead. We’re going to surface crochet over that seam, so that it matches the look of the other side.

Holding the working yarn inside the bag (i.e. under the surface of your work), pull up a loop of color B at the bottom corner of the seam. Slip stitch along the seam line, making one slip stitch over each whipstitch in the seam. Take care to keep your tension even so the seam doesn’t pucker. At the end of the seam, ch 1 and fasten off.

Second Seam

Flip the bag over. On this side, you already have surface crochet in color A where colors A and B meet.

Place a loop of color C on your hook. Holding the working yarn inside the bag, slip stitch along the seam where colors B and C meet. This time you will be ending at the bottom corner of the bag, so just fasten off without the extra slip stitch.

Top Edging

Throughout the edging round, use the same color as the edge you are working into.

With right side facing, start at the lowest point in the center, where all 3 colors meet. Choose the color that matches the next stitch (either A or C) and join with a sl st.

Edging Rnd: [45 sc evenly spaced across edge to handle, skip handle, 45 sc evenly spaced across edge to center point where color changes], change to new matching color, repeat between [ ], join with a sl st to first st of the rnd.

Fasten off

Weave in all remaining ends and remove any remaining stitch markers.

Felting

Option 1 – Felting by hand:

This can be hard on your hands, and you may want to wear gloves. Take care not to use water that is so hot or so cold that it burns or damages your hands.

• Wash the bag in hot, soapy water. Don’t use a delicate or gentle wool soap, as those are designed to prevent felting. I find dish soap works well. Rub, squeeze, and agitate the yarn while washing it, but try not to twist or wring it as that can pull it out of shape.
• Shock the yarn by rinsing in cold water.
• Repeat the wash and rinse cycles until you have a texture and size you are happy with.
• Squeeze out as much water as you can without wringing. Rolling your project tightly in a towel will help get out more water.
• Run your hand between the layers to make sure they aren’t sticking together, and if they are, pull them apart. Lay it flat to dry, shaping it into the final, square shape. Don’t be afraid to tug on it a bit to get stubborn areas into shape as needed.

Option 2 – Felting by machine:

• Place the finished bag inside a pillowcase and tie it shut (this keeps any fuzz out of your washer).
• Wash the yarn on a normal wash cycle. Adding jeans or other heavy items can help create more agitation so that it felts faster, but make sure your yarn is colorfast so you don’t ruin your clothes!
• Check the bag after about 10 minutes, and then every few minutes after that. When it’s felted as much as you would like, turn off the washer and allow it to drain.
• You can toss it in the dryer for a few minutes if you like, but don’t let it dry completely in the dryer. Otherwise, remove it from the pillowcase and squeeze out as much water as you can without wringing. Rolling your project tightly in a towel will help get out more water.
• Run your hand between the layers to make sure they aren’t sticking together, and if they are, pull them apart. Lay it flat to dry, shaping it into the final, square shape. Don’t be afraid to tug on it a bit to get stubborn areas into shape as needed.

Rate this Felted Crochet Origami Bag Pattern!

I hope you enjoyed this felted crochet origami bag pattern. 

A downloadable pdf of this pattern is available on Ravelry for a small fee. The fee for the pdf format is to offset the advertising revenue lost when you print or download the pattern rather than viewing it online.

Do you want the best of Stitches n Scraps delivered right to your inbox? Don’t miss a stitch – Subscribe now!