A very retro bag

I recently crochet tested a square for SmoothFox called the Lemony lime citrus square. I really liked the way it came out and proceeded to make another using the same colors. Inspiration struck and here is what came of it.

I used various crochet techniques throughout. The side panels and bottom are made of smaller versions of the first 4 rounds of the Lemony lime square and the shoulder strap is made from tunisian crochet (my adaptation using a regular crochet hook) which gave me a super solid strap that naturally curled inwards on itself and gave the effect of a covered bamboo handle. I hand sewed the interior lining and voila! My very own retro flower child bag. I've had many compliments since I started using it this week.

The side panels made up of smaller versions of the main motif.

I did a staggered top stitch to assemble the bag.

I love how the stitches make it look like covered bamboo.

Love those buttons! How retro!!

I needed a way to close this bag that could be used in different ways. I crocheted a separate piece for the closure and found 2 cloth covered buttons that are very retro. i sewed the buttons on each side of the opening and then added the button on closure. This way the bag can be opened from either side and the closure can actually be removed when more space is required.

The next one I make, I will add a cell phone pocket and key fob to make it easier to find the 2 most used items from a bag. And I will also make a pattern for the lining before I sew up the bag. The cloth I used to make the lining had to be french-seamed throughout which made it rather tedious when you're doing it all by hand. At least I know it will be sturdy.