How to Quickly Crochet a Clutch or Wristlet Purse

Here are my two finished purses. I crocheted both of these pretty quickly. The clutch is for my daughter and the wristlet is mine! I love the vintage look of it.

First, how to crochet a quick clutch purse:

1. Crochet a rectangle that is about twice as long as you want your finished purse to be (because you will fold it in half) and as wide as you want it. I think smaller ones are better since they aren't super stable. I use Double or Single Crochet because this purse isn't lined and I didn't want big gaps in it. Once you reach they height you need, it's time to make the flap. There is no need to cut off your yarn.

2. To make the flap, with your working yarn, make a row of single or double crochet (whatever you're using) in the BACK LOOPS across your rectangle, then proceed to make single crochet rows (or decorative stitching) once again in the front loops for your subsequent rows until the flap is as long as you want it. There should just be one row of crochet in the back loops. This will make a crease that lets it fold over nicely.

 3. Fold up the bottom of your rectangle having the edge sitting just about an inch or two below your back loop row (the beginning of your flap). Whip stitch the sides together.

4. (Optional) You can add a decorative edge to the top of your folded over piece to make it look prettier. You can also add decorative stitches or a fun edge to the flap. I put a button that my daughter picked out on mine to hold it closed.

 The Granny Square Wristlet:

This project will be as easy or as hard as you want to make it. You don't even have to use granny squares. The picture to the left is a mirror image because I took it on my webcam :-)

1. Make two rectangles of equal size for the walls of your purse. If you want to use granny squares like I did, make your two granny squares (one for each side) the same size then add rows on either side to make it a rectangle. I used a different granny square on each side. One has a 3-D flower on it. The pattern for this 3-D flower square can be found here. I added another row around mine in the dark blue because I wanted it a bit bigger. On the other side I wanted another flower but I wanted it flat. I made a "daisy" square. You can find the pattern for the Daisy square here.  I used a "crossed double crochet" for the rows on the sides of my squares because I like the texture.

2. Whip stitch or crochet your two rectangles together on the two short sides and one long side.

3. Attach a wrist strap to one of the top (open) corners. I don't like to use just a chain because it stretches too much so I made my strap about an inch think and used both of my colors on it.

4. Make a zippered pouch.  This is a really good tutorial on how to make a zippered pouch. This can be tricky even if you know how to sew, but zippers are so convenient! If you don't like to sew you can buy a pouch to put in it or make an open pouch that can be closed with snaps, magnets, buttons....whatever. Granny squares tend to have lots of holes in them so for functional purposes this bag needs a liner.

5. Place your pouch in the purse and sew around the top to secure the two together. I also sewed the bottom corners of my pouch to the corners of my crocheted purse so that the lining is more stabilized.