Jade Textured Fat Bottom Bag

In the previous post I ranted on and whined about having to sell the house I've lived in for 52 years, and said I had to put crocheting on the back burner.  Well, somehow I found time to crochet and found it to be very relaxing and fulfilling.

Instead of crocheting night and day I decided that I had to set aside some time for myself everyday to do what makes me feel good.  With that goal in mind I managed to squeeze in enough time to (almost) finish another Fat Bottom Bag.  I am pretty proud of this one, if I do say so myself.  I was afraid the lining wouldn't go with the yarn well enough but it does the job as far as matching, well, blending with the yarn and adds a twist to the semi-rugged looking textured yarn that I used:

Handles purchased against my will at Joann's for about $7.00.
Yarn, purchased at Joann's for $9.99 per skein and I used 2 skeins.
Lining also purchased at Joann's was only a couple bucks.

When you add it all up, selling the bag for $60 barely covers the cost of materials and definitely doesn't leave much for all my laborious hours of crocheting and sewing spent on this project.  I think I'd have to charge $80 for this bag and others like it that I use the expensive Red Heart Boutique Changes yarn.  (This one in the color Jade).  Especially if I use the expensive store bought handles.  I had these handles on hand, I wouldn't have gone out to purchase them for this bag - I could have crocheted a nice set of handles that would have been just fine, as I did for the Grey Textured Fat Bottom Bag in a previous post.  I had plenty of yarn left over to make handles but this bag happens to be for a friend whose favorite color is green and I wanted it to be especially nice for her as she's a specially lovely lady.

You're seeing photos below of a bag not quite done yet but I couldn't wait to post the bag; as I said, I'm pretty proud of this one.  What do you think?  Should I add an embellishment to the outside like a flower or bow or should I leave it as is, leaving it up to the beautiful textured yarn to be decorative enough on it's own?  Leave me a comment below and I'd surely appreciate your input.  ;-)

The handles aren't attached yet so they look cock-eyed. lol  (Lining below)

My stupid camera decides what colors things will be, not the objects that I'm shooting.  I don't know enough about digital cameras to adjust the lighting settings and all that stuff.  One of these days..  Anyway, the lining is much more green than it appears here, and so is the yarn for the bag, for that matter.  It is a deep, lightly dark shade of jade and the sparkly yarn in this skein is tinted green as well and it all blends beautifully together.

So - let me know what you think:  Embellishment or no embellishment.  If you think it needs something to spruce up the outside of the bag, what do you think would work well with all that texture?  There's a solidish ribbon, the metallic yarn, a heavier fuzzy yarn, a boulce', and others that make up the textures in the yarn.

Crochet Pattern: Snapdragon Bag

Free Crochet Pattern:

Snapdragon Bag
by Cynthia J Luciene aka anitalite copyright July 5, 2012
Please link to this page to distribute this pattern.  It may not be sold by you, however,  you may sell whatever you make using this pattern.

With worsted weight yarn and a "J" size hook, ch 32
Round 1:  sc in 3rd ch from hook and in each ch across, making a total of 5 sc in end ch, turn clockwise and working in the unused loops of beginning chs, sc in each ch across, work 4 sc in end ch and sl st to 1st sc to join. (38 sc total)
Round 2: ch 1, sc in each sc up to last two sc on same side.  2 sc in next-to-last and end sc (middle sc of 5 sc group from prev round) then still working in the round, sc in rem sc to last two.  2 sc in next-to-last and 2 sc in end sc as mentioned prev. sl st to 1st sc to join. (42 sc)
Rounds 3 and on:  Continue same as Round 2 until there are 80 sc all the way around once.
(Continue to work in the round for the following rows:)
Round 6:  ch 5, dc in same st as ch 3 (beg v-stitch made), *skip 2 st. 5 dc in next st (shell made), skip 2 st, v-stitch in next st; repeat from * around until last v-stitch then skip 2 st, shell in next, join to top of ch 3 with sl st to join.
Round 7:  sl st into next ch 2 space (middle of v-st), ch 3, 4 dc in same ch 2 sp (beg shell made), *v-stitch in middle dc of next shell, shell in next v-st - continue around from * until last shell then v-st in middle dc of next shell, join with sl st to top of beg ch 3 to join.
Rounds 8 and on:
Continue following stitch pattern in order Rounds 6 and 7 until bag is desired size.  (For the bag shown, 10 rounds of the snapdragon stitch pattern were used.)
Fasten off, weave in ends. 

For Handles As Shown:
(Of course you can use any handle you prefer, I thought fancy cording would also work well with this bag, I just didn't happen to have any on hand.)

Attach (with a sl st leaving a long - 10 " tail) worsted weight yarn to either side where you'd like the handle to be placed.  ch 3, dc in same stitch as ch 3, ch 2, 2 dc in SAME stitch. turn.
Row 2: sl st to ch 2 sp, ch 3, dc, ch 2, 2 dc in same ch2 sp; turn.
Rows 3 and on:  repeat row 2 until desired length is achieved.  If you want the open shells in the handle to all face upward instead of having one side of the handle with shell st up and then going down on the opposite side, just make your handle half as long as you really want it and then fasten off.  Attach to opposite side in the manner stated at the beginning of handle instructions and follow the directions from there.  When both sides of your handle are even just slip st together the ends that meet in the middle.  I used a longer tail than I normally do so I'd have plenty of yarn to weave in, assuring the handle won't pull apart with weight inside the bag as it's being used.

 Closure: 
I simply attached the worsted weight yarn to the middle-est stitch of the bag and made a ch long enough to go around an old vintage button I had from one of my mother's old coats.  Then I back-tracked on the ch with sc all the way to where I attached it.  I did use a bit extra of a tail here too, to ensure it wouldn't unravel with use.  This tail was about 10" long as well.  (Probably a bit overkill but better safe than sorry, right?)

Hope the directions are okay.  If you have any questions please comment below and I'll get back to you asap.  Thanks and have a wonderful day and fun making this bag.  I found it to work up quickly and the snapdragon stitch gives it a very fancy look without  being a complicated stitch pattern.  I am very happy with the results, are you?

God bless you and yours.  God bless America

On The Crochet Menu: Another FBB

What's on the crochet menu today?  Another FBB (Fat Bottom Bag), one I hope to sell very soon.  Many ladies are presenting a great interest in the bags since my friend - who goes to the hospital for treatments for Lupus - brought her FBB I made her to the hospital and the nurses there saw it and wanted to see more of them.  The nurses told my friend they would like to have a FBB like hers, proving my point in my previous post that word of mouth is the best method of advertising.

Here's the latest addition to my FBB inventory (below) and following this post is a quick (and easy) photo tutorial on how I made the handles for it.  Let me know what you think in the comments below, your comments are always welcome!

I made the flowers and leaves using size 3 crochet thread and a size 3 steel crochet hook.  I tend to like the thread flowers better than worsted weight but it really depends on each individual bag that I make.  Each one has a personality of its own.

By luck the lining I chose matches the thread I used for the flowers perfectly.  The purples and blues are really pretty against the black body of the bag.  I found this material at Jo Ann's in the designer area of the fabric section.








I was disappointed in the handles at Jo Ann's that day and was shocked at the prices of them.  They've gone up quite a bit and my little cheapy stand by handle - the unfinished rattan round handles  that were $2.99 are no longer available there.  Only the finished rattan handles were there and priced at $5.99!  I wasn't about to pay that much for a rattan handle so I decided to follow my boyfriend's suggestion, to look for cords or braids in the trims section and make my own handles.  Below is what I did to make a 3/8" cording work as handles for this bag.  If anyone has any better ideas about how to make handles, please do comment below!  Anyway, here's what I did:

 Before cutting your twisted cording wrap scotch tape around the ends and cut in the middle of the tape so both ends of the cut are held in place and will not ravel.  I only purchased one yard of this cording for the handles at a couple bucks a yard.   I cut the cording in half and used half a yard for each handle.

To ensure the cording won't ravel, apply a good amount of glue to all ends and allow to dry well on waxed paper.
This will also make a barrier so when you sew the ends together the stitches won't pull through and come apart.

In a zig-zag pattern, using heavy duty thread and needle, sew the ends together.  Go all the way around the cording with your stitches so it doesn't wiggle with a gap or bend funny.  You won't be able to get the needle through the glue you applied earlier so just stitch on the other side of the glue barrier.  I enlarged the photo so you'd be able to see how I made the stitches for this.  It doesn't look very pretty but it serves a good purpose and it won't be seen when the bag is put altogether.

To make sure the corded handles didn't slip around while being used, exposing the ends stitched together, I tacked the stitched part of the handles to the bag's handle flaps smack dab in the middle of the flap. 

Now all that's left is to secure your handle flaps over the handles and you're done.



Please leave feedback in the comments below.  I appreciate your views and suggestions and conversation more than you know.  Thanks for stopping by, I hope I at least inspired you to make something beautiful today.

God bless you and God bless America - One Nation Under God... United we stand, divided we fall.
Ronald Regan said, "If we forget we are a nation under God, we'll be a nation gone under".

Crochet Pattern: Grandma Rupp's Drawstring Ditty Bag For Little Girls

My Dad's mother, Luella Rupp, born in Louisiana, moved to Los Angeles and died here at the age of 89, was a craftsy gal.  She did everything from making felt lady bug refrigerator magnets, parrot earrings out of tiny little colored shells, to crocheting rope necklaces and button bracelets with tiny beads and antique buttons.  She also crocheted other things, like this cute little drawstring bag that she gave me when I was verrrry young, about 5 years old.  That makes this little bag almost 50 years old.  Wow.  It's pre-antique.  Holy crap!  That makes ME, well, never mind!!!! 
Please note pattern correction, make 12 motifs, not 20.
Thank you Kathy.

This little bag is simple enough for any beginner to make so here ya go, the pattern below:

Start with worsted weight (4) of white (or any color for main color A) and an F hook:

BOTTOM:
ch 5, join to first ch with a slip stitch to form ring
Round 1: ch 3 (does not count as a dc) Make 10 dc inside ring, ch 3,
Round 2:  2 dc in each dc around, (20 dc) until you reach ch 3, then ch 3,
Round 3: (2 dc in next dc, 1 dc in next) around until you reach the ch 3, then ch 3,
Round 4: (2 dc in next dc, 1 dc in next 2 dc) around until you reach the ch 3, then ch 3,
Round 5: (2 dc in next dc, 1 dc in next 3 dc) around until you reach the ch 3 and then join to top of ch 3 with a sl st.  Finish off, weave in ends.


MOTIFS FOR BODY:
(make 12)  <----note been="" br="" corrected="" has="" nbsp="" this="">

With color of your choice as long as it's a worsted weight (4) for "flower middle", and using "F" hook,
ch 5, join with sl st to form ring,
Round 1: (working inside ring:)  ch 3 (counts as first dc) 2dc, (ch 3, 3dc ) three times, ch 3, join to top of beg ch 3 with sl st.  Fasten off, weave in ends.

Attach green worsted weight (4) with sl st in any ch 3 space for "leaves" and still using "F" hook,
((ch 3 (counts as dc) 2dc, ch 3, 3dc )) all in same ch 3 space, ch 1,  **(3 dc, ch 3, 3 dc) all in next ch 3 sp, ch 1,  repeat from **two more times.  attach to top of beg ch 3 with sl st.  Fasten off, weave in ends.

Attach Main color A (white) in a corner ch 3 space with a sl st:
ch 3 (counts as a dc), 2dc, ch 3, 3dc all in same ch 3 space.  ch 1, ** 3 dc in next ch 1 sp, ch 1, (3dc, ch 3, 3dc) all in same ch 3 space (corner), ch 1;  repeat from ** around, 3 dc in last ch 1 sp, ch 1, join to top of beg ch 3 with sl st.

Fasten off, weave in ends.

JOIN MOTIFS

Lay motifs in two rows of six.  Join motifs using main color, yarn needle, with whip stitch.  Using whip stitch, join motifs at ends to form a cynlinder.  Join bottom of bag to bottom row of motifs using whip stitch.
Weave in ends.

RUFFLE TOP

Join main color (white) to any stitch at top of bag.  Ch 3, 2 dc in same stitch, **dc in next 2 stitches, 3 dc in next stitch; repeat from ** around, join to top of beg ch 3 with sl st.  Fasten off, weave in ends.

DRAWSTRING

Using chain stitch, make two lengths of drawstring measuring 2 feet each.  Weave chained drawstring into top of bag with your hook or a large safety pin.  Tie ends of first drawstring together about three inches from ends and fray the ends to make a tassle effect. 
Do the same with the second drawstring so that when you pull on each drawstring, the bag gathers up and closes.

All done!  Isn't that just the cutest little ditty bag you've ever seen?  I have cherished mine through the years, having gotten it from Grandma Rupp when I was so young.  I used to carry it to church with me as a child.  Now I am going to pass it down to my grand daughter who is just the right age to have one of these.  It's a pretty little bag that can be passed down generation to generation that doesn't take a long time to put together.

Crochet Motifs: Putting It All Together

If a man empties his purse into his head no one can take it away from him. An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.

Benjamin Franklin US author, diplomat, inventor, physicist, politician, & printer (1706 - 1790)

I've always wanted to crochet a top or skirt or handbag using motifs so I picked a motif pattern from a Japanese book I have called 300 crochet motif, edging.  I thought "This is going to be fun and easy and is going to look gorgeous."   An investment in knowledge would have been the better way to go, but not me.  I think I know what I'm doing.  Ha.

Let me tell you, it's not as easy as it looks!  Making the motifs was easy enough and went along quickly.  As soon as I had enough - or what I thought was enough - motifs to make a handbag with, I started sewing them together. 

This is what I ended up with because I didn't have a good plan in mind to begin with....

I mean, YIKES!  So I went on a search on the internet to see if I could find a pattern for putting all these together without having to ruin what I've already started....

I found several patterns that would accommodate what I already had laid out and sewn together...

This one looks very similar to what I had going so I'm working on following the lay out that was pictured on this blog:
Stitch And Chat. 

I've learned a lesson by all this, that I can't just crochet and expect everything to turn out easily.  I have to have a plan in mind besides just picturing something in my head.  I think in the future I'll make paper motifs and put them together first, making a pattern outline for my crocheted motifs.  Taking out the stitching after motifs were already sewn together was very difficult and nerve wracking.  I was fearful I would cut the wrong thread of yarn and ruin a motif or two.  A few times I pulled on the wrong loop when trying to take out a stitch and had to work the yarn back into the motif so it wouldn't hang like a dead leaf about to fall off a tree. 

I'm going to finish this bag, even if it kills me and it might do just that.  lol.  It's been a headache but once I'm done with this one I'll be able to make the next one (for my daughter) in no time at all.  I found crocheting the motifs was fun and easy and went along very quickly.  I'm really looking forward to the next motif bag because I know what I need to do now.  **take the time to check a pattern before just sewing motifs together and hoping I'm doing it right**  duh.

Will post the finished product as soon as I'm done (which at this rate could be in a year or so!  lol)

For The Love Of FBBs!

F.B.B. = Fat Bottom Bag
This is a lined, purple FBB #2, with a few add ons that I'll explain below...

 

I just finished this FBB and I'm very happy with it, so much so that I decided I'll keep this one for myself.  I think I've made about twenty FBBs in all and have given away most of them, gladly so.  There's a few technical flaws I made when making this purple bag so I wouldn't feel exactly okay about giving it to someone anymore than I would give someone a dead plant for the birthday.  It's just not right, and could be considered downright mean.  heh, heh.  

Starting with the pattern which is found in the book called Stitch N Bitch Crochet; The Happy Hooker, I improvised a little bit because I had the yarn and hook but not the pattern so I was making it from memory and probably made a few or more mistakes.  

I purchased this embellishment at Joann's Yarn & Craft Store for a few bucks and thought I would also use the beads that came with the big purple shell heart but forgot about them and made the round buttons you see on each side with yarn.

I lined the bag (check out THIS LINK for a photo tutorial for lining the FBB, or see a few tips and photos about lining a FBB by me HERE.  One of the technical flaws in this bag are the way I stitched the lining.  There are ways to make the stitching look neater and less visible but I was too lazy to get up and look for different  thread and take out the entire side I stitched already.

For the cell phone/ID pocket (in photo above) I crocheted two rectangle pieces and slip stitched them together.   I used a bead that came with the large heart (outside bag) for a closure.


The handles I purchased were only $4.99 at Joann's and of the light, bamboo type wood and did not go very well with the silky, dressy looking lining and the outer embellishment.  Having already sewn the handles into the handle flaps when I decided this, I was trying to think of a way to make the handles match the style of the bag better. 
I am pretty proud of myself for thinking of using single crochets all around the handles, as many single crochets as I could squeeze onto the handles so no wood would show underneath.  Changing the handles in this manner made the whole bag come together nicely.  I am thinking of using a spot of glue here and there to anchor the yarn to the handle so it doesn't twist about but changed my mind when I realized the glue would just pull on the yarn and look funky.   =)   I made the photo below extra large in hopes you'd be able to see how the sc looks when worked onto a handle.  For a photo lesson about single crocheting onto a ring or bar, check out an earring pattern I posted HERE.  The tutorial for doing this is at the bottom of the Dangly Earrings post. 

If you have any questions please feel free to ask in the comments below, I'll do my best to answer you in a short time but keep in mind I have mental disorder issues and I am taking care of my mother who is seemingly worse every day.  Thank you for being patient and understanding while waiting for my replies.


signing off at a surprisingly reasonable hour of the night,
cynthia
p.s. Please check back soon, I'm working on designing bikini tops and bottoms for a company I am trying to get going and will post photos of my creations and possibly have a vote from my readers as to which one would be most desirable if you were to buy and wear one. 

Purple Lined Fat Bottom Bag

Yea,  I'm back to that.  The Fat Bottom Bag (pattern available in Stitch N Bitch, The Happy Hooker) has taken over most of my crochet time.  I made this one with  myself in mind but I'll probably give it to someone as I've done with all of the other FBBs I've made.  I can't help but want to see someone smile when I give a FBB to her.

I used a velveteen material to line this one with and found I do like it very much as it gives the bag body and structure or form.  Granted, it was a bit more difficult to do the gathering row because the material is so thick but I managed to gather it nicely by pulling my gathering stitches tightly as I went along.

I purchased dark purple handles at Joann's that would match this bag perfectly, only trouble being that the handles were cheaply painted and the paint kinda chipped or rubbed off easily and made the handles look used and junky.  I wanted a more elegant look for this bag because of the lining I chose the clear handles which go nicely with the shiny embroidery in the fancy lining material.

Adding a jeweled barrette I found at a 98 cent store to the outside as an embellishment completed the fancy look I was working on and I'm very pleased with this bag.  It'll cause me  a bit of pain to give it away but I'm sure making someone else happy with it will ease that pain and make me feel great.  lol.


One thing I'd like to point out for all Fat Bottom Bags - I was using magnetic snaps as closures on some of the FBBs I've made in the past.  I found the clasps to be more of a bother than they're worth.  They tend to not open easily and pull on the crochet yarn too much.  One bag that I gave to a friend of mine actually unraveled because of the way the snaps pulled on the yarn when she opened her bag each time.  I am going to repair her bag and add a different type of closure, probably a crocheted strap to go over the top with a button hole and a nice looking button or will make a yarn button for closure.

Denim Stripe Fat Bottom Bag, Lined With Work Shirt

(Quick note:
 Assuming you're a chick (female) and on that assumption another follows:  that you love to shop.  With that in mind, the links on this page all take you to either Amazon.com or Joann's where you can price check or compare a purchase for that particular bold face item.  I don't get credit, royalties, a kick down, annuities, a percentage, or anything else except the joy that I helped you find these wonderful things online to make your shopping experience easy and your crocheting much more fun.  grinning now)
 ------ end of "QUICK" note.  heh, heh.  Oh how I can babble on.)

Working with Red Heart's Stripes yarn was a lovely experience, truly.  The yarn did not tangle, it is twisted (is that the correct word?) nicely so my hook went through and came back out of loops smoothly as I worked along.  This colorway, denim stripe,  made a perfectly "denim" looking pattern for this bag.

I lined the bag with an old but rarely (if ever) used ladies work shirt.  It has cute metal flower buttons down the front and I wanted to keep them in the lining so I sewed closed the placard (button strip) with my machine. 

Secondly, I sewed closed the bottom of the shirt to where there was room enough for the pockets to fit inside the bag, giving me two inside pockets that were ready made.  (Yea, I AM lazy.  Yeppers!)


Thirdly, the shirt wasn't quite wide enough to reach across the bottom part of the bag (before adding handle flaps) so I just eased it in and made adjustments wherever necessary.  It came out a bit bunchy in the bottom but it worked out fine in the end.  (get it?  Fat Bottom Bag?  in the end?  Yea, right.  Get a day job, I know.  heh, heh.  )


The handles look great with this bag, I got them at the only place I know to get purse handles in my area (Michael's stopped carrying them, the dirty rats!), at Joann's.  They were the $4.99 variety which is fine and dandy but if you watch the ads for the store, you can get them up to 40% off and stock up on handles and other purse supplies there. (If you make Fat Bottom Bags - or any bag at all, you just have to go to a purse and bag supply sale at Joann's the first day the sale starts or there will be nothing left by the time you get there, a day later!)

The flower does not compliment the bag the way  I want it to but it'll do for now.  It gives me an excuse to go back to Joann's - to find an embellishment that better suits this bag.

Making this one with my mother's stand in caregiver  in mind, (the one who relieves me of my duties for six hours a day twice a week!), I can't wait to present it to her, finished and ready to use.  She said she had her eye on this when it was still a WIP and has no idea how it turned out so the surprise for her will be much more fun for me.  (Happy, happy, joy joy!  .... Tail's all wagging, lol)

On to the next FFB (That's Fat Bottom Bag for us seasoned FFB hookers, BTW), TTYL, TGIS, TTFN!

Fat Bottom Bag Update: Found Link For Lining Your Bag

Here's just a quick update.  I promised to post a link to a great photo tutorial on how to line your Fat Bottom Bag.  Well, I finally found the blog I've been looking for and the page the tutorial is on, thank goodness!


So You Want To Line Your Fat Bottom Bag  by Kel


It's a great tutorial, she has found the best way to line the bag and make it look neat, not all bunched up or with extra material all over the place. 


The photos Kel has in the tutorial are excellent.  Anyone will be able to line their Fat Bottom  Bag now, thanks a bunch Kel!


Here is where you can find a short lining tutorial with photos of how the handles and magnetic snaps  were attached.  It's a must to attach the handles if you're not using the circular handles called for in the pattern.  Located near the middle and end of the Chunky Fat Bottom Bag post.

Thanks again Kel, for posting a wonderfully helpful tutorial on lining my favorite crocheted bag.

Links to the Fat Bottom Bags I've made and to Amazon where the book can be found with this pattern in it.  (Book by Debbie Stoller)

The Beginning of the Fat Bottom Bags For Me

FO First Fat Bottom Bag! 

Speaking of  Fat Bottom Bags...

Obsessed With Fat Bottom Bags

Big N Chunky Fat Bottom Bag

Banana Berry Fat Bottom Bag

Monet Fat Bottom Bag Modified For Mom's Walker

The best link here of all, how to order this book! 

Stitch N Bitch Crochet, The Happy Hooker by Debbie Stoller w other designers.

Now get the book and start making your own Fat Bottom Bags!  They're easy and fun and allow you to get very creative in making each one with it's own unique personality.  
Thanks for stopping by again.  You can send me photos of your own Fat Bottom Bag or links to your page where you have photos of your bag here ... Okay never mind the stupid link thingy for email addresses is broke in my composer window.  I'll figure out the html to do it myself asap.  In the meantime you can leave links to your own Fat Bottom Bags in the comment section below. 

Monet Fat Bottom Bag Modified For Walker

NOTE: Please use the scroll bar down to view entire post. I can't get rid of the spaces between the second and third photos, sorry. I tried and tried. Stinking stubborn little things. It's going to be one of those daze.

After making so many Fat Bottom Bags and giving them away, I kept thinking "I should be making something for Mom.  She sits with me all day and sees me making all these things for other people."  I couldn't think of what she would be able to use these days and what she would really appreciate.


One day Mom says, "Aren't you going to make a purse for me???"  My heart sank.  I was so excited to show her all the bags I'd finished, each with a personality of its own, and here she was - bagless and feeling left out of my generosity. 

I made this bag for Mom's walker since she wouldn't be able to carry it and use the walker at the same time. 
It was easy enough to modify the pattern a bit but I think I could have done better, I just haven't thought of the better way to do it yet.

I used a vintage broach of my Nana's (Mom's Mom) to embellish this bag with, making it extra special for Mom.

The bag hangs on Mom's walker by two straps I added to the handle flaps.

The straps button to the handle flap and another button and a loop were added to keep the bag closed when she's not getting something out of it.

I lined the bag with pretty matching fabric I had in my stash.







And that's about it.  She seems happy with it, the only problem we discovered is that she can't see the ground where the bag hangs because Mom has a tendency to be hunched over while using her walker.  If she stood more upright as she's supposed to, she'd be able to see over the walker and the bag.  I think.  At any rate, she is feeling less neglected and seems to be happy with her new bag.  I think if I slide the bag to one side or the other she'll be able to use her walker safely with the bag attached.

I love this yarn, BTW, it's Red Heart Super Saver in Monet.  I purchased the yarn at Walmart for about $2.87.  The broach was in Nana's collection, didn't cost me a dime, as were the buttons - free - from our button stash we've had for many years.  The lining, as I said, I found in our fabric stash.  This was a fun, easy, and very inexpensive way to make Mom smile and feel loved.

Banana Berry Fat Bottom Bag

My Banana Berry Fat Bottom Bag, My Favorite One

This is my favorite of the Fat Bottom Bags I've made so far.  (Clicking on the link previous takes you to the Amazon site and the page where this book can be previewed and ordered, if you want it and you know you do.)
  This one didn't take me too long, I had lots of practice as you can see from several older posts.  I almost regret giving it away but I did buy two skeins of this yarn (Red Heart Super Saver in Banana Berry)  and there's enough material left over to line another bag, yea.

For the handles, as I mentioned in the post Chunky Fat Bottom Bag, I used hot glue to anchor the handles in place so they wouldn't slide around.  If using circular handles that the pattern calls for, this step is not necessary.

For lining this bag I used the same procedure as I outlined  HERE

Big And Chunky Fat Bottom Bag

 I made this bag for my friend with this chunky yarn - Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick And Quick - not called for by the pattern for the Fat Bottom Bag which you get in the book "Stitch and Bitch Crochet, The Happy Hooker".  (It's a fabulous book with detailed, funny instructions on each stitch, gauges, yarn weights, and has many wonderful, diverse patterns in the book that would make any "Hooker" Happy. )


Back to making the bag with chunky yarn.  To use the heavier weight yarn I omitted some of the middle rows  the body of the bag because the result would have been too chunky to gather and look nice. Also I had to dec the amount of gathering stitches and add one extra row of gathering stitches in order for the handle flaps to fit the small handles I bought and for the dec in rows of the first piece.

Before adding the handle flaps I lined the bag with 1/4 yard of matching fabric, cutting the fabric to fit the bag while easing it inside the bag and adding a few pleats where  necessary.  The lining is sewn in with heavy duty thread using a blind hem stitch.




Next I added the magnetic snap closures.

I hot glued the handle flaps in place to the handles themselves in order to keep the oblong handles from sliding around and getting sideways while the bag is carried.  I discovered why the pattern calls for round handles. heh, heh.  Being the weirdo that I am, not liking to be told what to do I thought I would get creative and use these different handles to go with each bag's personality.  Well, I should have stuck to the round handles but using the hot glue to anchor them in place, I am glad I didn't conform only to what the pattern called for.  That's the rebel in me I guess.

After sewing the flaps and adding the embellishment I am done but for a cell phone pocket that I'll make out of the lining fabric.  I tried to crochet one but the thick and chunky yarn wasn't suitable for making such a pocket.


And that's it.  Now, if you don't already have the book, go to Amazon and order it!  It's the best!

UPDATE!!  I finally found the link to a blog that has a photo tutorial for lining your fat bottom bag...  Here it is, it adds to this one, and this one adds to hers, so definitely check out this link if you wanna line your bag.  It will save you a lot of time, believe me! 
Go HERE

Obsessed With Fat Bottom .... Bags

Just for the record, I am obsessed with Fat Bottom Bags - as well as how fat my bottom has been getting while sitting here crocheting the things.  ha.  Really though, it's true.  I can't put down my hook.  Here's a couple more bags I finished off recently....

I think this one is my favorite so far... The lining is darker than these photos show, looks beautiful with the yarn (Wool-ease) that I used.

And I added a pocket with a button closure for an iPod or cell phone. 


Next please......

I made this one  for my boyfriend's ex girlfriend.. yea, that's right.  She's staying with us for a while....  YES that is what I said.   Some cheesy lawyer swindled her out of her house and she had no where to go, no family, nothing.  Poor thing.  Anyway I thought this would cheer her up - it did...
Here's the inside:

Pattern can be found in the book called Stitch N Bitch Crochet; The Happy Hooker

Speaking Of Fat Bottom - - Bags, That is..

I made this fat bottom bag a bit bigger than the others by adding some stitches to the beginning chain and some rows to the body as well as the handle flaps. 

 

 I used polka dot rick rack to weave through the gathering row between stitches and left the ends long enough to tie so I could close it up on the sides if I want.  The ends look okay even if I don't tie them in a bow and leave them dangling instead.  (see photo above)

 

I used opposite polka dot cloth for the lining, added after finishing off main body, before adding the handle flaps.  To put the magnetic snap closures on, I made sure to remember to fasten them on before sewing the handles into the flaps.  

I'm very happy with this bag, I think it's darling.  Someone will be getting it for Christmas this year, I think.  lol.

 

Fat Bottom Bag Finale!

Well, it's done.  I finished off the fat bottom bag and am very pleased with it,  yea!


I went ahead and got handles from Joann's - they were thirty percent off - and am very glad I did.  The black bamboo handles go nicely with the texture of the purse and the zebra lining.

Thanks to the Happy Hooker book for this great pattern, I can't wait to start another one.


I've already bought the material and yarn and handles for more Fat Bottom Bags!  Wheee!  (Forget dishcloths, this is much more fun!  whee!)

Hooking My First Fat Bottom Bag; The Beginning!

 First part done; deciding on lining, before handle flaps added...

Decision on lining done - took all of half a minute.  Thank God my daughter likes zebra everything.  It would have taken much longer to figure out otherwise.

Adding the lining to this bag is going to be a bit more difficult than I first anticipated but it's not going to be impossible.
What do you think???

 Now I have to make the purse handles - see below for my choice in those, and add the handle flaps, then I'm done!



This Fat Bottom Bag can be found in the wonderful book, The Happy Hooker.   The book, my friend, is about crocheting and has a lot of humorous paragraphs that have big sexy implications that make one smile a lot while reading how to make a special stitch or instructions for a pattern, such as the one in the book I used for this bag. 
I've not found a bag quite like this one and am very fond of it's style and ease in making.  Our craft store is twenty miles away so I went to a local 98 cent Plus store and got some co axil cable and couplers to hook the ends together to make handles for my bag.  I got the material for lining at Walmart - a half a yard was plenty with some left over to make a cell phone pouch and even a zippered pouch for money or whatnot.


I am giving this one to my daughter -- she's the lover of all that is zebra.  heh, heh.


Here's the beginning, starting with adding lining, before the handle flaps are added...


Okay, well, crap.  My son took his digital camera to work with him today so I guess I will have to post photos later on.   (sigh - how dare he.  heh. heh.)