Art Deco Clutch
My mother pitched me a couple of weeks ago, that she needed some kind of little bag or pouch thing: ”I need a little bag for the car keys and my wallet, when I go to the physical therapist. Who wants to carry along a big bag for that? You crochet all these things, so you can surely come up with something pretty for me”.
I gave it a try and made the above clutch. It is made with a simple stitch that results in a thick fabric, which is OK for a crochet bag like this. I have seen this crochet stitch described as the woven stitch or seed stitch.
The design is a simple rectangle. I included a lining, so the crochet fabric has something to hold on to and doesn’t grow out of shape over time.
Material 2 skeins KnitPicks Shine Worsted in cream and 1 skein in robot (grey). 50 g / 75 yrds – 69 m. 60 % Pima cotton – 40 % Modal.
Yardage Total yardage: 220 m/241 yards. About 128 m/140 yards in beige and 92 m/101 yards in robot (grey).
1 Button
Fabric 47 cm x 28 cm 18½ inches x 11 inches. I used a very thin cotton fabric, so the bag didn’t become too bulky.
Hook 4 mm US: G/6
Sewing Thread in grey and white
Sewing Needle
Level Easy/Beginner
Stitches Chains and single crochets.
Finished size width: 23 cm/9 inches length: before sewing together: 43 cm/17 inches. Height after sewing together: 17 cm/6½ inches.
Pattern
This is a free written and charted crochet pattern for a clutch. The stitch pattern will result in a dense and thick fabric with this kind of yarn. It is a very simple pattern and the fabric resembles woven cloth.
Start crocheting with the beige yarn.
Row 1 Chain 50.
Row 2 Chain 1, skip 1, 1 single crochet, [chain 1, skip 1, 1 single crochet]. Repeat 24 times between [ ].
Row 3 Chain 1, skip 1, 1 single crochet into chain stitch, [ chain 1, skip 1, 1 single crochet in chain stitch]. Repeat 24 times between [ ].
For guidance please see the crochet chart below. The chart only shows a part of the pattern and not the whole row across.
Repeat row 2 and 3 until work measures 3½ inches – 9 cm.
Change to grey coloured yarn and work until the grey part measures 6 1/4 inches – 16 cm.
Change back to beige coloured yarn and crochet until this beige coloured part measures 7 1/4inches – 18 cm.
In this last row make 7 chains in the middle as button holder.
Cut yarn and weave in ends.
The work should look like the photo below.
Cut the lining, so it is ½ inch/ 2 cm larger than the crocheted fabric. Pin the lining to the fabric and sew it by hand. Your work should look like the photo below now.
Fold the fabric and sew it from the outside with beige and grey sewing thread.
Sew the button onto the fabric.
If you are unfamiliar with reading crochet charts, please see my tutorial how to read charts.
Note: This pattern uses US crochet terms. If you are unfamiliar with those see my crochet translation chart for US, UK, German and Danish crochet terms.
Pattern as PDF
You can download the pattern as a PDF. Click the button below.
Do you have a friend who crochets? Tell her about this pattern with the sharing buttons below!
Copyright 2012 Birgit Tüchsen. All rights reserved. This pattern is intended for personal use only. Photocopying or reproduction of this pattern is not allowed in any form including electronic. It is not allowed to sell this pattern. It is also not allowed to sell items made from this pattern. All text, images, graphics and other materials on this website are subject to the copyright and intellectual property rights of the owner.
Hi,
Great simple pattern and the colours are lovely. You say to use a light DK yarn in the introduction but then it says you used a worsted weight in the pattern. Which did you use? Thanks.
Yvonne
Hi Yvonne,
I used a worsted yarn for this project. – Where did you read about the DK yarn?
Like Mariann, posted above me, I am renewed to knitting and crochet and looking for easy patterns to keep hands and mind busy and alert. My question about this clutch, is this a flap closing? Hard to tell from the last picture. I love the pattern and can’t wait to try it. Is this yard available in local craft stores like Joanns and Michaels or is it only available online? Thanks, Cathy
Hi Cathy,
I got this yarn online from a UK shop. My best guess is, you only get it online. Since I am not located in the US I don’t know what kind of yarn they have in the stores there.
The clutch is closed with a flap – yes.
Picked up crochet hook after 30 years…came across this pretty clutch…thank you…..did you use a cotton yarn?
Mariann
Hi Mariann,
Yes, this is KnitPicks Shine Worsted - a 60% cotton/40% modal yarn. This yarn has a warm, comfy touch to it – works very well with this project.
Ach wie schön!!! I’m going to try this with a Tunisian stitch, that also makes for a lovely thick fabric.
Love this pattern and wanted to download it. Posted it to FB but it didnt let me download the PDF. Such a shame.
Hi Melissa,
The FB option doesn’t work – please try the Twitter option!
Hi Melissa,
The FB option doesn’t seem to work. But if you use the Twitter option, you can download the pattern. Please, try again.
This is so simple but elegant. Thanks!
I enjoyed reading this and it seems simple. Thanks!
Beautiful, I would love to make this. Thank you for sharing.
It is a very simple and pretty pattern for the beginner crocheter. Good luck with it!
Hi,
the clutch looks great. I have recently started crocheting and made two hats and a pouch until now and they came out good. I would like to try this, but may I know what ‘skip’ means….as in skip 1?
Hi Amina,
Skip means that you skip/leave out one stitch. When you make a chain you do not make the next single crochet in the next stitch. Skip the next stitch and make a single crochet in the stitch after the next stitch.
You can read it in the stitch guide.
Hope this helps :-)
Very chic and elegant! I am a beginner, but I will try to do it because I love it!
Hi Meta,
Feel free to send a comment, if you have any questions about the pattern!
I repined it to Pinterest as I dont want to lose your lovely bag!!
Great Job. My thanks for doing such a good job. I will return back to see what’s new and recommend my friends about this site
Hi,
Glad you like my designs :-)
Love the elegant simplicity of this purse!
Hi Patrice,
Yes, this is a pattern for a beginner crocheter. The right button with the bag so to speak ‘makes’ the clutch.
How could one not love this I certainly will do one for myself. Love your work.
OLIVE
Good luck with it! There are already people on Ravelry, who have crocheted the bag if you need more inspiration ;-)
Hi from Portugal,
Your mum loved the purse for sure. It’s just beautifull… I loved it.
I’m your new follower, and I will not miss a thing around here. Your blog it’s great. Congratulations.
Carla Pereira
http://crochetdacarla.blogspot.pt/
Hi Carla,
Great that you will stop by my blog in the future :-)
Thank you :-)
Adorable! I love your button closure-perfect with the gray.
Agree, – the button ‘makes’ this clutch!
This looks lovely! I want to try it!
Thanks!
You have a great blog yourself – just bookmarked it!
This is lovely. Well done – I hope your Mum was pleased!
Yep, – the clutch was approved :-)
I am not surprised!
This is beautiful! I love this purse. It’s perfect for a night out on the town… or if you add a strap it’s a great summer purse. LOVE IT!
Thanx Brianna,
Good tip with the strap – I really liked how this Knit Picks yarn behaved together with this crochet stitch.
So pretty! Hope you won’t mind me linking up tomorrow at Tangled Happy. Wishing you a very happy Friday! :)
Hi Sara,
You are welcome to link to this post with a picture.
(As long as you don’t publish the whole pattern on your site).
Good weekend :-)
Thank you so much for sharing this pattern and tutorial!
You are welcome Sulles :-)
Oh! That is what I know as the Seed Stitch! It is one of my favorites! So versatile. I love your bag, so simple, yet so sophisticated. Thank you for the inspiration.
You are welcome Gmaellen! Thanks for mentioning the seed stitch. I usually get inspiration from Japanese stitch guides and have no idea what these stitches are called in English.
You’re welcome! I have some Japanese books as well. Great source of inspiration.
Simple but beautiful.
I didn’t think about this one.
Thanks n°19
Sandrine
Thanks Sandrine,
True: A very simple project, but with the right button and yarn you can achieve a beautiful result.
Das schaut sehr schön aus.
Danke – thank you Marita!
I am just finishing the crocheting part of the purse. Has anybody put straps on this purse and if so any ideas? Making it for my niece and thought I would add a strap to it. Any ideas greatly appreciated as I am new to this. Thank you.
I am also a beginner at crochet and would be interested in adding a strap to this pattern. What’s the best way to do this?
Hi,
I gifted this clutch, so it is a little hard for me to have a look at it again to see where the straps could be located. I would try to attach the straps on top where the sides are sewn together. Since you sew the lining to the bag before, the straps will be somewhat visible from the inside. You could also experiment with using a different kind of strap – meaning don’t crochet the strap but choose a small leather band. The bag might look too clumsy with a crochet strap.
If you have a blog I would love to see your result :-)