How To Line a Crochet or Knit Purse

Houndstooth Purse I designed (barrel shape) for Crochet Today magazine (May/June issue 2009)

If you are making a crochet purse or any kind of bag, I have more than one method to show you how to make a lining. Others may do it differently. First, I am showing how I made the lining for the Houndstooth Purse (shown in photo above). Please read through these instructions before purchasing your supplies. 

Another version of my "Barrel" bag at right in all one color. When I submitted my bag design to Crochet Today magazine back in 2008, I submitted it in a black and white Houndstooth Check pattern, but they asked me to make it in the light real and black as in the one at left. Of course they send the yarn to the designer and we don't have to buy it. As you may be able to see, I sewed a zipper into the top (attaching it to the lining) and added a little charm to open and close the bag. The orange bag at right has shorter brown handles I purchased at JoAnn Fabrics and I crocheted a small round piece to open and close the zipper.

First Method

Supplies you'll need:

1. Thick/firm pellon or any other  stabilizer (such as plastic canvas) that's large enough for your purse pieces to be traced on to. All fabric stores such as JoAnns, Hobby Lobby or Hancock Fabrics carries pellon in several different thicknesses. I use this because I want my purses to stand up on their own.

See what pellon looks like at this link. I buy the "extra firm" : Pellon - called interfacing or stabilizer

2. Fabric in a color the same as your bag or a color that contrasts with your crochet pieces. I usually buy 1 yard or less, depending on what size your purse is. You will actually be cutting the fabric  ½" - ¾" larger, around the edges, than your crochet piece and the stabilizer, so you can fold it over the edges of it. See photo below. 

It's fun picking out pretty fabric lining for your crochet purse. I purchased this colorful fabric at JoAnns Fabrics and Crafts

For a Bag That Has Separate Pieces You Need to Crochet or Sew Together

When you are making a purse that has separate pieces, such as a front, back and gusset that will need sewn together later, this is how I make the lining. 

1. You'll need to buy a large piece of  "Pellon", which is a stabilizer or white interfacing in regular sewing projects. (Like what's used for a collar or belt). There are several thicknesses you can purchase, depending on how sturdy you want your bag to be. I almost always buy the thickest pellon (extra firm) I can find because a fabric, knit or crochet purse is really flimsy and I want mine to actually stand up on its on! There's nothing I hate more than a purse that collapses when you sit it on the floor or a table. Using a thick stabilizer will also make your bag look much more professional. Yes, sometimes it's a bother, to take the extra time to line a bag, but it's SO well worth it!  

These are the crochet pieces I made for this particular "barrel" shaped Houndstooth Purse. The way to get the Houndstooth stitch is: on each row, you work "dc, sc" all across the row and then on the next row you work all "sc, dc", working sc into the dc and working dc into each sc. It's easy enough for a beginner but you need to really pay attention!

Step 1: lay the pellon (stabilizer) on a flat, hard surface such as a table or floor. Then lay your crochet piece (such as the gusset or separate front piece) on top of the stabilizer. With a marker, pen or pencil, trace around the crochet piece, being careful not to get marker on your crochet work. These pieces of stabilizer need to be the same size as your crochet pieces. 

Step 2: you will be cutting your fabric the same way as the stabilizer, by tracing it around the pieces, but you will cut the fabric ¾" wider than the stabilizer, all the way around. See photos below.

The white pieces are the stabilizer (pellon) you get at a fabric store and the black is the fabric liner I chose for the Houndstooth Check rounded bag I made that was published in a "Crochet Today" magazine (May/June 2009 issue) several years ago. 

Step 3: after you have all pieces cut out, place the stabilizer onto the back (wrong) side of your fabric. Fold the extra fabric edges around the stabilizer and secure it to the stabilizer either with fabric glue or tape (because it will not show through). They even sell pellon that is sticky on one side, if you prefer buying that. If your crochet pieces are curved, then you'll have to cut little slits into the edge of the fabric to get it to wrap around the pellon or plastic canvas. See photo.

This is showing how to fold the extra ¾" of fabric over - around the edges of the stabilizer, cutting slits into the rounded pieces to easily wrap around it. 

See how I sewed the lining/stabilizer pieces to the crochet pieces, in pictures below. Just place the WRONG side of the lining piece to the WRONG side of your crochet pieces, along the outside edges and sew by hand with a needle and matching thread with a whip stitch. 

This is a bag that Maria Weaber of Maria's Blue Crayon blog has attached a lining to. She's doing it the same way I do by placing the wrong sides of the fabric lining and crochet piece together. I also pin them together with straight pins before hand sewing the lining in. You can sew it on a sewing machine if you wish but I just use a whip stitch to attach it. There are ways to hand sew the lining to the crochet pierce with an "Invisible Stitch", which I do quite often also, especially if I don't want the thread to show. Just look up invisible stitch online or YouTube and you'll find tons of tutorials on how to do that. 

Second Method on How To Line a Crochet Bag

If you are making a round,  square or rectangular crochet purse, that is crocheted into the round into 1 big piece, then this is the way you would make a lining. See pictures of examples below. 

This is also the way I made a lining when my bag is crocheted in the round into one piece. The blog is Future Girl where she has an excellent tutorial. If I find my pictures of my own lining like this, I will post it here also. 

Types of Bags I Have Lined This Way

This is my La Fleur Dolly Bag published in my book, Colorful Crochet Lace, available on Amazon. Since the bag was originally a round doily I designed, it was easy to just cut a round piece of fabric. I did not put a stabilizer in this one.

This is my Double Breasted Jacket Purse in my book, Positively Crochet! 

The Purse/Bag below is one I designed for a book for Beginners by Soho Publishing in NYC

I hope the steps above for my Beaded Bag will help you in learning how to line a bag. You'll notice I attached the pelon in "Step 6" with duct tape. It may not look great, but I knew it wasn't going to show & would be hidden.

The felted Brown Shoulder Bag (above) was published in my book Positively Crochet!, which is still available on Amazon, eBay and other online bookstores.

I designed this Pencil Case that was Published in Crochet Today magazine several Years Ago. You just Crochet a Square Piece and Line it as Described Above. Piece of Cake! So Incredibly Easy for a Beginner!

The above purse was crocheted in 2 pieces! The body of the purse (front, back and sides in 1 piece) and then you crochet a rectangle piece for the bottom of the bag