Welcome to Part 2 of the Wildflower Shoulder Bag CAL! Today we’ll be joining our squares and working on the body of the bag.
If this is the first time you’ve heard of the CAL, be sure to check out this post that lists all of your needed materials. Even if you’re a little late to the party, you can still join in!
And, don’t forget to join the Wildflower Shoulder Bag CAL Facebook Group to share your progress, get tips from others, and maybe answer a question or two yourself. We’re in it together, and that’s what makes it fun!
The schedule for the CAL is as follows:
June 25: Start Here! Intro Post and Materials List
July 2: Part 1, Flower Squares
July 9: Part 2, Body of the Bag (this post)
July 16: Part 3, Base, Embellishments and Strap
Each pattern post will include clear instructions, helpful photos, and a great tutorial video. When you’re done with each week’s assignment, head over to the Facebook Group to share your progress. And don’t forget to enter yourself in the giveaway, down below the pattern. There will be new opportunities to add entries each week, so pay attention!
Ready? Grab your six wildflower squares, and let’s get to it!
TUTORIAL VIDEO
Visual learner? Use the tutorial video! If you’re only going to use the video as a reference, here’s a helpful breakdown:
0:18 Seaming the Squares
3:39 Building the Body – Round 1
6:26 Building the Body – Rounds 2-3
9:59 Building the Body – Rounds 4-14
13:31 Building the Body – Rounds 15-19
14:05 Building the Body – Round 20
19:11 Building the Body – Round 21
Can’t see the video? Try refreshing the page, and if that doesn’t work, click here.
SEAMING THE SQUARES
To seam the squares together, place two together, wrong sides touching, right (flower) sides exposed. Attach yarn (through both squares) in a CH2 corner from the final round of the squares. Working only in the two loops that are touching in the middle and ignoring the outside loops, SL ST down the edge of the square. Place your final stitch in the CH2 corner at the end of the line. (If you’re still confused about which loops I’m talking about, it’s easier to just show you — so here’s a screenshot from the tutorial video! You’re seaming the pink loops, and ignoring the yellow ones.)
Seam all 6 squares together, but BEFORE you add the final seam that will make the squares into a circular shape, take a moment to weave in all your ends:
Then seam the last two together to form a circular (tube) shape, but DO NOT cut your yarn this time. You’re going to need it ready to go for the next part, as we continue building the body of the purse.
CONTINUING THE BODY OF THE PURSE
Notes:
(1) From this point on, we will be working in a seamless round. Do not join unless instructed to do so.
Round 1: CH1; SC in same ST and in each ST around, skipping over seams and corners. (120**)
**The outer edge of each square has 20 single crochet stitches. You will be SCing into each one of these, and skipping over the corners and the seam between squares. This is how you will end up with 120SC (6 squares x 20 stitches = 120), which is important. So COUNT to make sure you’re getting 20 SC per square!
Rounds 2-3: SC in each ST around. (120)
Round 4: (SC+DC in next ST, SK next ST) around. (120)
Rounds 5-14: Repeat Round 4. (120)
Here’s a screenshot from the tutorial video of what it should look like as you complete Round 14, just before you move on to Round 15:
Rounds 15-19: SC around. (120)
Next we’re going to attach the split rings, so have them handy.
Round 20: SC in each of the next 4 STS. SC the first split ring over the next 7 STS (watch the video if you need help). SC in each of the next 26 STS. SL ST to the next ST, CH12, SL ST to the same ST (this is the loop for your button). SC in each of the next 26 STS. SC the second split ring over the next 7 STS. SC in each of the next 49 STS to finish out the round.
Round 21: SC around. When you get to the CH12 button loop, fold it down toward the inside of the bag and put 1 SC into the ST in which you built the CH12. (Do not SC around the loop, just ignore it.) Continue on to the end of the round. (120)
To finish, SL ST into the first 3 STS of the next round. Fasten off and weave in ends.
Can I know where can i get the hook you using? Love the handle length.
It’s a Yarnology hook, from Hobby Lobby, but it’s been discontinued. Sad, right!?
Hi! I love this pattern and I am so happy for the video tutorials! Your talent and explanation of the pattern is so easy to understand! I’m 55 and I’ve been crocheting for 19 years. I started out by crocheting for preemie hospice patients. A friend in our homeschool group was a preemie hospice nurse and I would crochet tiny booties, beanie hat and blanket. I would tuck the booties and beanie inside of the folded preemie afghan, tie it up with a ribbon and attach or include inside the bundle Psalm 91 or Psalm 23.
Now I crochet and bless others with the afghans, prayer shawls, or other items I’m blessed to find on Pinterest.com.
You are such a HUGE blessing to people like me. Who love to sit and crochet, while I now care for my husband and work on projects to bless others with in their time of need or life event.
So in saying all of this I want to thank you once again for your beautiful gift of this free pattern and wonderful video tutorials. I am making this bag for myself to carry my yarn and crochet projects and I’ll be making all three of my grown daughters one for Christmas this year. <3
I cannot seem to get the print button for the pdf to work for part 2, any help would be appreciated – It is such a pretty bag.
I’m not sure — it’s working fine for me. It might have been your internet connection at the time?
You can also purchase a $2 ad-free PDF that has all three parts in a very nice layout. 🙂 https://www.etsy.com/listing/241181167/purse-crochet-pattern-crochet-shoulder
I have been having this same problem, also, even when my photo is less than 2.4 MB.
Thank you for the pattern
I have tried to post my bag in the photo section but keep getting a message that it is too large … dont thing I was able to post my part one phto either!! Any suggestions??
I ordered yarn for this WEEKS ago – and it just came yesterday…now that it’s here, I realize it’s not even going to work! Hard to buy yarn you’ve never seen before – can’t really tell what you’re getting!
I’m going to have to go to Hobby Lobby this week and get some yarn and get going…May not finish in time for Giveaway…but I love this purse and really want to make it.
Thanks for sharing with us!
Now for a question: I wonder if I could make this just a bit smaller? I have a beautiful Pima Cotton yarn that I could use, but am a bit short – and probably cannot get more of the same blend/color.
I have to look back and see what the size of this purse is and figure out if I can make it smaller – with maybe 100-150 yards less yarn…
what do you think?
This is my very first CAL! Thank you for posting this, I’m a little behind but will be caught up by tomorrow. I can’t wait to see the result!
Thanks again,
Cheryl
Rebecca, this is a beautiful project and I am so excited about making the bag. Since I am spending the summer in the NC mountains and must use the internet at the library to copy and had to order my cotton ease, I am a little behind. I tried the square with worsted, but realized it will be so much prettier in the cotton blend so I only completed one square. There is a question in my mind, though. When making the wildflower square and crocheting in front or back loops only, shouldn’t the end of the previous row be slipped stitched only to the back or front loop of that row? If we slip stitch to both, then the stitch is closed off when we get to the end of the of the next row. I hope that explanation is clear enough. I made your wildflower purse for my granddaughter who will be visiting us next week and can’t wait to see her reaction. I appreciate your work so much. Blessings to you.
Your instructional videos are some of the best I’ve seen! This is a great CAL–thank you for sharing your talents with us!
Thanks so much for such a beautiful pattern. I have never actually done anything that requires joining several pieces so this is a great learning tool. Quick question about slip stitching down each square – you don’t show it being knotted at the end so do we just leave the loop and loose thread separate?
Thank you!