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Bonita Project Bag Pattern

Bonita Project Bag Pattern
4.7★ Rating
5-7 Hours Time Needed
1.3K Made This
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Intermediate Level

Ideal for those with basic crochet experience, featuring slightly more advanced stitches and techniques to expand your skills.

⏱️

Weekend Treat

Takes 5-7 hours, making it an enjoyable project to finish over a couple of days.

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Stylish Touch

An elegant detail to elevate any look, combining traditional techniques with contemporary design sensibilities.

About This Bonita Project Bag Pattern

This pattern teaches you to crochet eight colorful granny squares, assemble them into a bag, add a neat single-crochet top edging, and sew a simple fabric lining and zipper. It is a delightful scrap-busting project that produces a sturdy, useful pouch ideal for small projects. The bag pictured uses bright contrasting colors with a neutral border to make the motifs pop.

Bonita Project Bag Pattern crochet pattern - detailed view of completed project

You will learn to draft and sew a lining, insert a zipper, and make a pompom zipper pull. The instructions include clear seaming and finishing notes to get a professional look.

Why You'll Love This Bonita Project Bag Pattern

I absolutely love this pattern because it turns small scraps of yarn into a vibrant, practical accessory that you can use every day. I enjoy the combination of crocheted texture and a sewn lining — it makes the bag both beautiful and functional. The simple granny squares are relaxing to make, but stitching them together and adding the zipper gives the project a satisfying finish. I also love that the pattern encourages creativity with color choices and gives clear instructions for lining and assembly so even intermediate makers feel confident.

Bonita Project Bag Pattern step 1 - construction progress Bonita Project Bag Pattern step 2 - assembly progress Bonita Project Bag Pattern step 3 - details and accessories Bonita Project Bag Pattern step 4 - final assembly and finishing

Switch Things Up

I love changing up the color palette for this bag — try muted neutrals for a classic look or high-contrast brights for a fun statement.

I often make the bag larger by using bulkier yarn and a bigger hook for a roomy project tote, or smaller with finer yarn for a coin purse.

I like substituting a cotton yarn if I want a sturdier bag that holds its shape, especially for market or knitting-tote use.

For a simpler finish, you can skip the pompom and attach a leather zipper pull or a decorative button loop instead.

I sometimes add an internal pocket to the lining for organization—simply sew a small rectangle of fabric into the lining before inserting it into the bag.

Try alternate joining methods for the granny squares like slip-stitch join or continuous join-as-you-go to change the look of the seams.

I also experiment with different closures: a magnetic snap can replace the zipper if you prefer a simpler finish, though the zipper keeps contents most secure.

If you want a crossbody version, add fabric or crocheted straps sewn into the side seams and reinforced with stitching for strength.

I enjoy embroidering initials or small motifs onto one granny square to personalize gifts or mark ownership.

To make a reversible lining, use two fabrics and sew them together as a single lined piece before inserting so you can choose which side shows in different settings.

Common Mistakes & How to Fix Them

✗ Not leaving a long tail for seaming the final SC round; leave the 18" [46 cm] yarn tail from Color F to ensure you have enough length to whip-stitch seams securely. ✗ Skipping steam blocking before seaming can cause uneven squares; steam block all eight granny squares to flatten and square them for easier seaming. ✗ Sewing the bottom seams before making the lining can make fitting the lining difficult; wait to finish bottom-side seams until after the lining is drafted and sewn. ✗ Placing the zipper teeth too close to the crocheted edge leads to snagging; position zipper tape inside the crocheted fabric so teeth are safely away from stitches before sewing.

Bonita Project Bag Pattern

Make a colorful zippered project bag using eight granny squares and a simple fabric lining. This pattern guides you through crocheting the granny squares, seaming them into a tube, adding single crochet rounds for the top edge, and drafting and attaching a lined zipper. Perfect for using scrap worsted-weight yarn and creating a functional, cheerful pouch for your projects.

Intermediate 5-7 Hours

Materials Needed for Bonita Project Bag Pattern

— Main Fabric

  • 01
    6 different colors of scrap worsted weight acrylic yarn - approximately 50-60 yards [45-55 m] each color (ball about the size of a medium apple)
  • 02
    Red Heart Super Saver (worsted weight, 100% Acrylic) used in sample: Shocking Pink #0718 (A), Cornmeal #0320 (B), Spring Green #0672 (C), Turqua #0512 (D), Real Teal #0656 (E), Black #0312 (F) - partial skeins of each color
  • 03
    Piece of fabric approx 22" [56 cm] long x 18" [46 cm] wide (heavier woven fabric such as twill, bull denim, canvas)
  • 04
    One 16" [41 cm] zipper (may be shortened to 15" [38.5 cm])
  • 05
    Matching sewing thread

— Tools Required

  • 01
    US H [5.0 mm] crochet hook (or size needed to obtain gauge)
  • 02
    Yarn needle for sewing and weaving in ends
  • 03
    Removable stitch markers
  • 04
    Sewing needle and matching thread
  • 05
    Scissors
  • 06
    Pins for assembly
  • 07
    Pencil, chalk or silver sharpie for marking fabric
  • 08
    Piece of 2" [5 cm] cardboard (for making pompom)
  • 09
    Measuring tape

Progress Tracker

0% Complete

— Notes :

Info :

Eight granny squares, each constructed separately, are stitched together to form the bottom of the bag. The side/bottom seams are left open until after crocheted bag is complete, to make drafting the lining piece easier. Joined rounds of single crochet are added to the top edge of bag to complete the crocheted portion of this project. A simple fabric lining is drafted, using the crocheted bag as a template. The fabric lining is seamed using a sewing machine or by hand. After the lining is complete, the bottom of the crochet bag can be seamed.

Info :

Turning chains in the granny squares count as a stitch. Beginning chains in the top (single crochet) section of the bag do not count a stitch.

— Granny Square (Make 8) :

Info :

Colors used in sample for each square are listed below in order beginning with Round 1 and ending with the SC round: Square 1: B, A, C, E, F. Square 2: E, C, A, D, F. Square 3: C, E, B, A, F. Square 4: A, B, E, D, F. Square 5: D, A, C, E, F. Square 6: E, D, A, B, F. Square 7 (bottom): A, C, E, D, F. Square 8 (bottom): D, A, B, E, F.

Info :

Using first color, Ch 4, sl st to join into a ring.

Round 1 :

Ch 3 (counts as first DC of rnd), work the following sts into the ring: 2 DC, [ch 2, 3 DC] 3 times, ch 2, sl st into top of beg ch-3, fasten off.

Round 2 :

Change to second color. Make slip knot and place on hook, insert hook into any corner ch-2 sp from Rnd 1, yo and pull up loop, pull loop through loop on hook to anchor new color, ch 3 (beginning ch-3 counts as 1st DC now and throughout), 2 DC in same ch-2 sp, [3 DC, ch 2, 3 DC] into each of next 3 ch-2 sps, 3 DC in same ch-2 sp as first 3 DC of rnd were made, ch 2, sl st to top of ch-3, fasten off.

Round 3 :

Change to third color. Make slip knot and place on hook, insert hook into any corner ch-2 sp from Rnd 2, yo and pull up loop, pull loop through loop on hook to anchor new color, ch 3, 2 DC in same ch-2 sp, [3 DC into the next sp between DC clusters, (3 DC, ch 2, 3 DC) into the following ch-2 sp] 3 times, 3 DC into the next sp between clusters, 3 DC in same ch-2 sp as first 3 DC of rnd were made, ch 2, sl st to top of ch-3, fasten off.

Round 4 :

Change to fourth color. Make slip knot and place on hook, insert hook into any corner ch-2 sp from Rnd 3, yo and pull up loop, pull loop through loop on hook to anchor new color, ch 3, 2 DC in same ch-2 sp, [3 DC into each of the next 2 sps between DC clusters, (3 DC, ch 2, 3 DC) into the following ch-2 sp] 3 times, 3 DC into each of the next 2 sps between DC clusters, 3 DC in same ch-2 sp as 1st 3 DC of rnd were made, ch 2, sl st to top of ch-3, fasten off.

Round 5 :

Change to fifth color. Make slip knot and place on hook, insert hook into any corner ch-2 sp from Rnd 3, yo and pull up loop, pull loop through loop on hook to anchor new color, ch 1 (this counts as the 1st SC of rnd), SC in same ch-2 sp, [SC in each of the next 12 sts, 4 SC in next ch-2 sp] 3 times, SC in each of the next 12 sts, 2 SC in first ch-2 sp of rnd, slip st to first st of rnd, fasten off leaving 18" [46 cm] yarn tail to be used later for seaming.

Info :

Weave in all ends except the color F tail for seaming. Steam block all 8 pieces.

— Seaming the Bag :

Info :

Line up granny squares 1-6 in a row, arranging them according to color preference. (In the sample, they were arranged from left to right: square #1-square #6.)

Info :

Using yarn tails sew the sides of the squares together using a whip-stitch to make one long straight line of squares. Sew remaining seam to connect the first square to the sixth square, creating a tube. Whip-stitch the remaining two squares to each other using yarn tails. These 2 squares create the bottom surface of the bag. Place the bottom of the bag directly below the granny square tube, lining up the center seam of the bottom with the center of one of the tube-squares.

Info :

Pin, then whip-stitch bottom of bag to tube of granny squares. Fold bottom of bag lengthwise so that the opposite edge of bottom matches up with the opposite side of tube. Pin, then whipstitch in place.

Info :

Do not finish seaming bottom-sides of bag until after lining has been made!

— Crocheting Top Edging of Bag :

Round 1 :

Fold bag flat as shown in photo above. Pull up loop of color F at right-hand top corner (or left-hand corner if crocheting left-handed). Ch 1 (beginning ch does not count as a stitch), SC in each st around, sl st to join. 96 sts.

Round 2 :

Yo with Color E and pull up loop to change color, pull on Color F tail to tighten last color F loop until it disappears, ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), SC around, sl st to join.

Round 3 :

Repeat Rnd 2, changing to color D at beginning of rnd.

Round 4 :

Repeat Rnd 2, changing to color C at beginning of rnd.

Round 5 :

Repeat Rnd 2, changing to color B at beginning of rnd.

Round 6 :

Repeat Rnd 2, changing to color A at beginning of rnd.

Round 7 :

Repeat Rnd 2, changing to color F at beginning of rnd. Fasten off. Weave in ends. Steam block if necessary.

— Prep Lining :

Info :

Fold lining fabric in half - it should measure about 18" [46 cm] wide by 11" [28 cm] tall when folded. Place folded bag on top of folded fabric, matching up the folded bottom edges. Using marking tool, trace around top and sides of bag including the bottom side notches. Be careful not to mark the crocheted piece by accident. Cut lining fabric out leaving a 1/4" seam allowance beyond the drawn lines.

Info :

Pin, then sew side seams, ending at notch near bottom of bag. Reposition bottom openings of bag so that short seams can be made at notches, to shape the bottom of the bag. Be sure to watch the video for this step - it is much easier to understand this step after seeing it in action. Press top edge of lining to WS by 1/2".

— Seam Bottom of Crocheted Bag :

Info :

Whip stitch remaining 2 seams on bottom of bag.

— Zipper :

Info :

Check measurement of zipper against the measurement of opening. If zipper is longer than opening, it can be shortened from the bottom by stitching and the zipper teeth several times with a needle and thread, and trimming away the excess below the stitching line (be sure to watch the video for tips). Pin zipper into opening in top of bag. Place zipper tape to inside of crocheted fabric and make sure teeth are far enough away from crocheted fabric so that it will not get snagged by zipper teeth. Using sewing needle and thread, stitch zipper in place.

— Add Lining to Bag :

Info :

Slip lining inside bag matching side seams. Pin folded lining edge over zipper tape so that it just covers the stitching line. Using sewing needle and thread, slip stitch the folded edge of lining to the zipper tape.

— Pompom :

Info :

Pompom on sample was made with Colors A, B, C, D and E. Cut 2 pieces of color D yarn 10" [25.5 cm] long, set aside. Cut one piece of color D yarn at 20" [51 cm]. Fold the longer piece of yarn in half. Tie a knot about 1.5" [4 cm] away from the folded end to create a loop of yarn that measures about 3" [8 cm] in circumference. This loop will later be used to attach the pompom to the zipper. Set aside. Holding 5 strands of yarn together as one, wrap yarn around piece of 2" [5 cm] cardboard about 15 times. Before removing lps from cardboard, tie each 10" [25.5 cm] piece of yarn tightly around lps near center of cardboard (one on each side of the cardboard). Carefully slide lps off cardboard and tie longer piece of yarn (near the knotted end) around the center of lps, this time around both sides - make sure you tie a very tight knot. Use scissors to cut all of the lps of pompom, being careful not to cut the loop that was created to attach the pompom to the zipper. Fluff pompom and trim ends into a 1.75" [4.5 cm] ball.

Info :

Push folded end of pompom loop through hole in zipper tab, pulling it through as far as you can. Slip pompom through loop to secure pompom to zipper.

— Bonita Granny Square Chart :

Info :

Refer to Bonita Granny Square Chart for stitch placement and visual diagram of rounds. Symbols: oval = ch, filled circle = sl st, T = DC, + = SC.

Assembly Instructions

  • Arrange granny squares 1-6 in a row and whip-stitch their sides together to form a long strip; join first and sixth square to create a tube.
  • Whip-stitch the remaining two granny squares together to create the bottom panel and align its center seam with the center of one tube square before pinning.
  • Pin and whip-stitch the bottom panel to the tube, then fold the bottom piece lengthwise and whip-stitch the folded edge to form the box bottom shape; do not finish bottom-side seams until after lining is made.
  • Fold the bag flat and crochet the top edging in joined rounds of single crochet changing colors as instructed; fasten off and weave in ends.
  • Shorten and pin the zipper to the top opening, stitch the zipper tape to the inside of the crocheted fabric, then slip the fabric lining inside and slip-stitch the folded top edge of the lining to the zipper tape.

Important Notes

  • 💡Leave the long Color F tail (about 18" [46 cm]) on each square when finishing Round 5 for seaming purposes.
  • 💡Steam block all granny squares before seaming to make them easier to align and stitch together neatly.
  • 💡Do not finish bottom-side seams of the crocheted bag until after the fabric lining has been cut, sewn, and fitted into the bag.
  • 💡When attaching the zipper, make sure the zipper teeth are positioned away from the crocheted edge to prevent snagging and ensure smooth operation.

This vibrant Bonita Project Bag is a joyful scrap-busting project that transforms small colorful balls of yarn into a useful zippered pouch. The lined interior and sturdy zipper make it perfect for carrying your current project or organizing notions. Make one to brighten your crafting corner or to give as a handmade gift! 🧶✨

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FAQs

What size will the finished piece be?

The finished bag measures approximately 7" [18 cm] tall x 15" [38.5 cm] wide (measured at top edge) x 5" [13 cm] deep (measured across bottom).

Can I use different yarn weights for this pattern?

Yes, you can use different yarn weights, but the finished size will change and you may need to adjust hook size and lining measurements accordingly.

Do I need experience sewing to make the lining and attach the zipper?

Basic hand-sewing skills are sufficient—the pattern describes how to draft a simple lining and slip-stitch it to the zipper tape; a sewing machine can also be used for faster construction.

How long does this project typically take to complete?

Most crocheters complete this project in 5-7 hours, though time may vary depending on experience level and how much time you spend on seaming and lining.