Adding the Finishing Touches to Two Prairie Flower Market Bags

Hello, everyone!

It’s morning here in Pocatello, just before dawn, and I’m enjoying a cool breeze through our open windows. Isn’t that one of the most wonderful simple luxuries you can enjoy during the summer? It’s been so hot lately that I’ve actually taken to drinking iced tea with breakfast instead of hot tea or coffee. Am I weird? We just really like iced tea in my house. It seems I’m making a new pitcher almost every day. Both my husband and I like to add a splash of lemonade to our iced tea to make it an Arnold Palmer. My husband is always laughing at me because I have a hard time saying “Ar-nold Pal-mer.” I have to put a lot of determined focus into saying his name, so now I just say that I’m having an “Arnie.” So grab something cool to sip and let’s dive into this week’s topic.

I recently finished a Prairie Flowers Market Bag that I’m making for a friend. She requested black, which I think is such a classy choice! I haven’t worked with black yarn for a long time because I’ve been worried that my eyes wouldn’t be up to the challenge — you know, getting older and all that. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that my close vision is still pretty good. As long as I have good lighting, working with the black yarn wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. And now I’m thinking that I should just make everything in black for the next few years to take advantage of this blessing while I still have it.

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With this project, I also wanted to try out working with linen yarn for the first time. If you’ve known me for a while, you know I have a soft spot for Elsebeth Lavold Hempathy. I’ve made so many things from that yarn! I just love the crisp stitches you get with this cotton-hemp-rayon blend, and although it can be a little scratchy to crochet with, once it’s washed and blocked, the finished fabric is divine. I would have chosen Hempathy for this bag, but as a light DK, it was a little too thick. Instead, I decided to try a new-to-me yarn, Silk City Fibers Linen, which I purchased from Lion Brand. I have so much to tell you about this yarn, but first I should share a side note about choosing yarn for this bag…

As a word of warning about making a Prairie Flower Market Bag, the bag as designed is an oversized bag — roughly 15” wide by 15” long (not including the straps). The pattern calls for a light fingering weight yarn. If you choose a yarn that is heavier, just know that your bag will be super-sized.

I made the very first sample (pictured below) using We Crochet Curio #3, remembering that this cotton thread is closer to a fingering weight than most #3 thread. I was really surprised when it came out so much bigger than I expected! The finished measurements were 18” wide by 15.5” long. Curio #3 really isn’t much thicker than the Omega Eulali that I used for the sample for Crochet World, but it’s just enough to affect the finished measurements.

On the other end of the spectrum, the linen bag I made for my friend came out a bit smaller. The finished measurements were 15” wide by 13.5” long. I think this is just the right size for my friend! In fact, I think I prefer this size for myself too!

If you’ve ever crocheted with linen yarn, I’m sure the memory of its roughness is still fresh in your mind. It’s not the most pleasant feeling in your hands, but it also wasn’t too uncomfortable. To be honest, I find lace weight cotton thread to be harder on my hands than this linen yarn was! The finished fabric made it absolutely worth it. Once it was blocked and dried, you can feel the difference immediately. It’s like magic! You put a scratchy and slightly stiff fabric into your soak water and 30 minutes later, out comes this luxuriously soft fabric. Who knew? And the best part is that linen is exceptionally durable, so you can expect for this bag to last a long time.

I highly recommend using Silk City Linen for your Prairie Flower Market Bag. I’m already thinking of making another one for myself with my leftovers. This yarn comes in 1750-yard cones, so you can easily get a few bags out of it (or a bag and a matching summer top!).

Once I’d finished my friend’s bag, it was time to add a lining. I decided to line my original Curio sample too while I was at it. Now, I should preface this by saying that I’m not a good sewer. I know just enough to get by. So I don’t feel qualified to offer a tutorial here. Instead, I think I’ll just share how I went about it…

I feel very fortunate to have inherited my Nana’s sewing machine. It’s funny, nearly every time I use it I remember that we shared a mutual indifference to sewing. She always talked about how sewing skills seem to skip a generation. My great-grandmother was an accomplished sewer and my mother still is. My mom even made my wedding dress! But Nana and I just never took to it. I think it’s very fitting that I have her sewing machine. I’ve owned other machines, but I’ll never give this one up. The 403B Singer sewing machine (made in 1959) is such a gem. It only does straight stitch, but my does it do it well.

Although I’ve made linings for crochet bags before, I needed a refresher on how to line a bag that has an oval base. I found this great tutorial from Suzanne of Crafting Each Day.

The first step is to measure your finished bag and draw out your pattern pieces. The hardest part might be measuring the base. Honestly, if you can remember to trace the base after you finish Rnd 7 while you’re crocheting the bag that would be ideal! But if, like me, you forgot to do that, you can transfer your measurements to a piece of paper and draw an oval the same size as your bag bottom. Then draw another oval 1/2" outside of this one (this will be your seam allowance).

Next, I needed the bag’s circumference so that I could make a pattern piece for the body. You can measure around the oval you drew for the base or the base of the bag itself.

Finally, I measured the length from the top of Rnd 7 to the top of Rnd 39 (before the top edge begins). I used these measurements to draw a pattern piece for the body, again with a 1/2-inch seam allowance.

Originally, I had this idea that I could also add a lining to the strap and top edge, but that’s just a bit beyond my capabilities. And honestly, I think lining the bag’s body and base are enough to add a refined finish, show off your glorious stitching in the diamond section, and keep your small items from falling out.

Next, I used my pattern pieces to cut out the fabric for my lining. I like to iron my fabric first, as I find it makes it easier to get a straight and even cut. I cut two of each piece.

Then, I sewed the side seam of each body piece with right sides together.

Now was the tricky part: sewing the bag’s base to the tube I just made. This can be a little fiddly because you’re sewing an oval shape to the straight edge of the tube. Suzanne had some good tips for this part. I just went slowly and tried my best. In the end, my lining may not be perfect, but it’s sturdily sewn and there aren’t any holes, so I take that as a win!

I mentioned that my machine only does straight stitch, so I always make a point to finish any raw edges with pinking shears. I don’t know where I learned that, but it’s one thing I can advise if you’re sewing by hand or you don’t have zigzag or serger capabilities. It keeps your hem fabric from fraying. Although all the hem edges will be enclosed in the fabric for this lining, I still think it’s a good idea on something that could get a lot of use. (I’ll also take the pinking shears to the top edges after I sew the two lining pieces together in the next step.)

Next, we get to do a little magic. The one thing that always gets me about sewing projects is all the reversing and inside-outing. It’s just really hard for me to wrap my brain around it all sometimes! This one wasn’t too hard to comprehend, but it did still feel a little remarkable when it all worked out!

First, you start by turning one of your bag linings so that the right side is facing out. You place this one inside the other lining, which has the wrong side facing out. In other words, the right side of each lining with be touching each other. Then I pinned around the top edge, leaving an opening of about three to four inches.

Next, I sewed a half-inch seam around the top hem, being careful not to sew the opening closed! After it’s sewn, you pull the lining through the hole so that the right sides are now on the outside. Ta-da! You have a lining with all the raw edges tucked inside.

Then, I ironed the top edge so that it is nice and neat. At the 4-inch opening, I just turned the edges down and press them so that they are folded inside, flush with the rest of the top edge. Then, I sewed an 1/8-inch topstitch around the top edge. I sewed again about 1/4 inch below this just because I thought it would add some extra stability to the top edge and it looked nice to me.

Finally, I inserted the body lining into the bag and pinned it in place along the last round of double crochet before the top edge.

Then, I hand sewed the lining to the stitches in Rnd 39. It’s hard to see in the photo below, but I stitched into the top edge at the back of the lining and into one of the back loops toward the top of each double crochet in this round of the bag.

And here’s my finishing bag!

And one for my friend too!

I’m really happy with how these bags turned out. I’m so glad that I chose to line each just up to the top of the diamond section. I think it’s particularly chic this way. I was worried that the straps would need to be lined too so that they wouldn’t stretch. But honestly, I think the single crochet edging around the straps does a great job of keeping the strap stable. I don’t think there’s any particular need to line the top edge and strap, which is a total win in my book.

This sewing project turned out to be a great experience. And it only took me a day to sew both of them, which might be a new record for me. I think my Nana would be proud.

Do you like to add linings to your crochet bags? Or do you prefer to keep things simple? I’d love to hear if you’ve found any go-to methods for lining (especially for oval bases!) or if you’ve got a sewing trick or tool passed down from someone special too. Feel free to hit reply and tell me all about it.

Thanks for sharing this handmade moment with me,

Jennifer

PS: Just a quick reminder — the coupon I shared last week for the Prairie Flower Market Bag crochet pattern is still good through July 31 on both Etsy and Ravelry. If you haven’t grabbed it yet, there’s still time!

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