Granny Square bags have been all the rage this fall and I finally could not resist the siren call. I even managed to pick up a sewing machine to be able to add lining to them. The two main patterns that caught my eye were the Sun Granny Square Tote Bag and the Tulip Square Bum Bag. I have these patterns and my review below. I also found this fabulous bag at target but couldn’t bring myself to buy it because I knew I could make it, and I did! The pattern to that is at the bottom of this page as well.
Sun Granny Square Tote Bag
This bag pattern is by creationsbycarolyn, who has a great instagram page and has her patterns available on her Etsy page.
This bag is so cute – I used Capri Eco Cotton yarn from Michaels to recreate this. I needed less than one skein (131 yds) each for the two yellows, two skeins for the purple and two skeins for the off-white.
Once you’ve made all eight of your granny squares it’s time to sew them together. I have a little tutorial on my instagram to show how to sew these together and make sure they don’t get askew.
Blocking is critical on granny square projects! With so much time and variation between each little square, its very common for them to not start out square. Blocking (I typically use the wet blocking technique) is a quick process with a few days dry time and a huge payoff. Usually, once items are blocked, you never have to block again.
Once you have your blocks sewn together and your bag all seamed, its time to line the bag. This is a new thing for me, as I just recently obtained a sewing machine. This really takes the bag to the next level. I even added a little pocket!
Hooking Hints
Several Tips on this one!
Make sure you have all the correct sides of the granny squares facing the right way before you start sewing. I made this mistake and had to redo a white border because I accidentally snipped it.
The lining was a little tricky, but definitely easier as a square shape.
To add the pocket, I folded over a seam at the top of a smaller square, sewed it and then folded and sewed it over again. I then placed it where I wanted and folded each side and bottom under a good 3/4″. I sewed through both sides of the fold and the lining to adhere the pocket to the lining. It was so cute!
Tulip Square Bum Bag
This pattern is by WilMade and is so hip right now. The only other bum bag I have currently is the clear one left over from the Taylor Swift concert so I’ve been itching for a new one. I loved that she used glow in the dark yarn but I have no idea where I would get that so I just used the Capri Eco Cotton in gray.
Her granny square pattern was cute and quick and made some teeny tiny granny squares. I blocked these before I seamed them together and got a few extra inches out of them.
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I used my stitch markers to help align the squares for seaming them together. This is a great technique so you can be sure that nothing gets seamed the wrong side up, or off kilter. Once everything was seamed, its time to add the top border, the bag strap and line the bag!
