One of the best ways to add stability and function to a homemade bag is to add fabric lining! This easy step-by-step photo tutorial details the process to add lining to your crochet bags. There is no sewing machine required!
I love making crochet bags!
Before I became a crochet designer, I had never attempted to make a crochet bag. Now I am addicted to making bags and they have become one of my favorite things to design and crochet.
Not all of my bag designs are finished with fabric lining. For instance, I did not add lining to the Seaside Beach Tote. I wanted to be able to wash the sand away and not worry about it getting caught in the lining. However, most of my other bags have lining. It provides additional stability and function to the bag because crochet bags tend to stretch out over time and use.
I have so much fun choosing my fabrics and matching them to my bag colors! This tutorial is written with the non-sewer in mind (like me). However, if you have sewing machine experience, go for it! Add pockets or a zipper to your lining, the possibilities are endless. One day, I will master the sewing machine and then there’s no stopping me. Scroll down for the step-by-step photo tutorial to add a fabric lining to your handmade bags!
ADDING FABRIC LINING TO YOUR CROCHET BAG
General Notes and Tips:
- The photos shown here are for The Marina Tote, but these instructions are for any size or shape of crochet bag.
- Take your finished crochet bag with you to purchase your fabric and lay it flat to determine the correct length and width to be cut.
- In addition, the thread used to sew the lining should be a close match to the color used to make the top rows. I used embroidery thread for a slightly thicker and more secure hold as I am hand-sewing the lining instead of machine sewing.
- Your fabric piece is measured at more than twice the length of your finished bag and is cut in one long piece. The width should be at least 2 inches wider on each side than your crochet bag laid flat.
- Stitch the lining with the pattern facing in. Fold the top hem down several inches and sew the sides together first before attaching to the top of your bag.
MATERIALS:
Fabric for lining
Craft needle and thread (matching either the lining or the crochet bag)
Cutting and pinning your fabric
To begin, fold your cut length of fabric in half lengthwise and lay on a flat surface with the pattern facing in. Lay your bag on top of the fabric with the bottom of the bag lined up flush with the folded bottom of the fabric. There should be at least two inches of fabric on each side of your bag. Fold the top of the fabric down to create the hem and pin in place. Make this fold at the bottom of the first single crochet row at the top of the bag. Trim any excess fabric.
Pin the hem to the bag to hold it in place and pin the sides of the fabric lining together from the folded hem to the bottom. Place your pins right next to the sides of the bag, being careful not to pin the fabric to the bag itself. Follow the curve at the bottom of your crochet bag with your pins, if applicable.
Once the sides are pinned together, carefully flip the bag over and repeat the process of folding down the hem on the other side. Line up your second folded hem exactly with the first hem and the bottom of the first row of single crochet.
Sewing the sides of the lining
Remove the bag carefully from the inside of the pinned fabric. Place pins across the hem to keep it folded down while you work.
Cut a length of thread at least three times longer than the length of the lining and thread your needle. Start from the top of the fabric lining where the hem is folded down. Insert your needle and work stiches from right to left down to the bottom of the lining and tie off. This is called a backstitch. Repeat for the other side and trim any excess thread.
Insert your fabric lining inside your bag and push the corners in to adjust until the lining is lying flat. The sewed seam of your lining should line up with the inside seam of your crochet bag. Pin your lining to your bag at the seams first. Lay your bag flat, smooth out the lining and line up the hems. Pin the tops of the hems to the bag to hold in place if desired.
Sewing the top hem of the lining
Cut a length of thread at least three times longer than the circumference of the top of the crochet bag and thread your needle. Attach your thread at one of the fabric lining seams.
Working from right to left, move your needle in and out of JUST THE INSIDE HEM of the fabric. Pull your thread through and pull taught but not so that the fabric puckers.
Now, insert your needle into the yarn of your bag where the stitch you just worked was started and move through the yarn just as far as that stitch in the fabric. You are matching the length of the stitch worked into the fabric lining.
Then, insert your needle back into the fabric lining where the thread from the previous stitch ended. Move your needle along JUST THE INSIDE HEM of the fabric and back out. Again, insert your needle into the yarn of your bag where the stitch you just worked was started and back out the length of that fabric stitch.
Continue to work your stitches from right to left in this manner (this is the same backstitch used for sewing the lining together). Be careful to only pick up the inside hem of the fabric. The smaller your stitches, the more secure the lining will be and the less the stitches will show once you have added some weight to the bag.
Move your pins along as you stitch to hold the hem together and remove them as you work. When you have worked your way back around to where you started, tie off your thread with a knot and tuck in any ends.
And that’s all there is to it!
