Crochet Lavender Bags Free Pattern with Photo Guide

There is something quietly satisfying about making a small thing that works hard. Lavender bags are exactly that. They tuck into drawers, hang from coat hooks, nestle between sweaters in a cedar chest, and fill every fold of fabric with a scent that feels like summer even in the depths of February. When you crochet them yourself, you choose the yarn, the size, the stitch pattern, and the little decorative touches that make each one feel personal. This free pattern will walk you through everything from choosing your materials to finishing your bag with a professional-looking knot, and it includes enough detail that even beginners will feel confident by the time they reach the end.

Why Crochet Lavender Bags Instead of Sewing Them

Most lavender bags you see in gift shops are made from thin muslin or organza, stitched together on a sewing machine in a few minutes. They work perfectly well, but they all look the same. Crocheted lavender bags have a texture and handmade character that is immediately apparent, and they have one practical advantage that sewn bags often lack: the open structure of a crochet stitch allows the lavender scent to drift through the fabric more freely. A tightly woven cotton muslin bag contains the scent but releases it slowly. A crocheted bag, even one worked in a relatively dense stitch, lets the fragrance breathe.

Cotton yarn is the obvious choice here because it is breathable, washable, and feels pleasant against delicate fabrics. A linen-cotton blend is even better if you can find it, since linen has a slight natural crispness that makes a finished bag look very tidy. Avoid acrylic for this particular project. It holds scent differently than natural fibers and has a slight synthetic smell of its own that can compete with the lavender.

Materials You Will Need

Before you cast on, gather everything so the process flows without interruption.

You will need approximately 50 grams of a fingering weight or DK weight cotton yarn in any color you love. Lavender bags traditionally appear in pale purple, soft grey, dusty rose, and cream, but there is no rule here. A rich navy or deep forest green looks striking too, and the lavender inside will scent the bag regardless of its color.

For your hook, choose a 3.5mm hook for fingering weight yarn or a 4.0mm hook for DK weight. Going slightly smaller than the yarn label suggests is intentional here. A tighter fabric keeps the dried lavender buds from working their way through the gaps, which would be frustrating after all your careful crocheting.

You will also need dried lavender buds, available from most craft stores, herb suppliers, and many farmers markets during summer months. Plan on roughly three to four tablespoons per bag of the size described here. You can mix a small amount of lavender essential oil into the buds before filling your bags if you want a stronger scent, though buds purchased fresh and dried at their peak rarely need boosting.

Finally, have a yarn needle on hand for weaving in ends, and a length of ribbon or a coordinating piece of yarn for tying the top of the bag closed. Scissors, a stitch marker, and a small funnel or folded paper cone will make filling the bag much easier.

Understanding the Stitch Pattern

This pattern uses two stitch combinations. The body of the bag is worked in a simple mesh stitch, which creates a light, airy fabric with small uniform holes. The mesh stitch is not so open that lavender buds will fall through, but it allows scent to travel freely. The edging is worked in single crochet to give the top of the bag a clean, firm rim that holds its shape when you gather and tie it.

If you have never worked a mesh stitch before, it is genuinely straightforward. You alternate a single crochet with a chain-one space across each row, then work the next row into the chain spaces rather than the stitches. The result looks delicate and almost lacy, and it grows quickly.

Gauge matters somewhat here, though not the way it does in a fitted garment. Your finished bag should measure approximately 4 inches wide and 5 inches tall before seaming. If your swatch comes out smaller, move up a hook size. If it comes out larger, drop down. A slightly larger or smaller bag is perfectly usable and still lovely.

The Free Pattern

Foundation: Chain 30. (If you are using fingering weight with the 3.5mm hook, chain 30 will give you the right width. With DK and the 4.0mm hook, chain 26 will be sufficient.)

Row 1: Single crochet in the second chain from the hook, chain 1, skip one chain, single crochet in the next chain. Repeat the chain 1, skip 1, single crochet sequence across the row until you reach the last chain. Single crochet in the last chain. Turn.

Row 2: Chain 2 (this counts as your first stitch and chain-one space). Single crochet in the first chain-one space of the previous row, chain 1. Continue working single crochet into each chain-one space with a chain 1 between each one across the row. When you reach the turning chain from the previous row, work a single crochet into the top of that turning chain. Turn.

Rows 3 through 30: Repeat Row 2. You are building a rectangle. The mesh pattern will look consistent and neat as long as you always work into the chain-one spaces rather than the actual stitches. Check occasionally that your stitch count has not drifted, which can happen if you accidentally work into a stitch instead of a space or skip a space entirely.

After Row 30, do not fasten off. You will use this live yarn to begin seaming.

Edging: Before seaming, work a single crochet edging along the top edge of your rectangle, which is the starting chain edge. With a fresh length of yarn and your hook, join yarn to any corner of the starting chain edge and work one single crochet in each chain space across. This creates a firm, defined edge that will hold up to repeated tying and untying. Fasten off and weave in the ends.

Seaming: Fold your rectangle in half lengthwise so the two short edges meet, right sides facing outward. Thread your yarn needle and use a whip stitch or slip stitch seam to join the two side edges together and the bottom edge together. Work through both layers, pulling the seam snug but not so tight that the fabric puckers. When you reach the corners, work a few extra stitches to reinforce them, since the corners bear more stress than the straight edges.

Your bag should now look like a small open pouch. The top will be open and slightly ruffled from the edging. The two sides and bottom will be neatly joined. Weave in all remaining ends before you fill the bag.

Filling and Finishing Your Lavender Bag

Set your crocheted bag on a clean, dry surface. Fold a piece of heavy paper into a cone or use a small kitchen funnel to guide the lavender buds into the opening without spilling. Add three to four tablespoons of dried lavender buds, pressing them gently down into the corners of the bag so the filling is evenly distributed. The bag should feel pleasantly plump but not stretched. If you overfill it, the seams will strain and the bag will look lumpy rather than neatly round.

Once filled, cut a length of ribbon approximately 20 inches long. A satin ribbon in a complementary color looks elegant. A strip of torn fabric from an old shirt looks charming in a different, more rustic way. Even a length of the yarn you used to make the bag is lovely if it is twisted or braided first to give it a bit of body.

Gather the top of the bag gently, pulling the open edges together like a small drawstring purse. Wrap the ribbon or yarn around the gathered neck two or three times, then tie it in a firm bow. Adjust the gathers so the bag looks even from all sides, and trim the ribbon ends on a diagonal if they are fraying.

If you want the bag to hang rather than sit flat in a drawer, leave one ribbon tail longer and tie it into a loop before attaching it to the bag. This works beautifully for hanging bags from doorknobs, coat hooks, or wardrobe rails.

Making Multiple Bags as a Set or Gift

One bag is satisfying. A set of three or four in coordinating colors is genuinely beautiful. For a cohesive set, choose three yarns that work together — perhaps a deep lavender, a soft grey, and a warm cream — and tie them all with the same ribbon color. Wrapped in tissue paper and placed in a small box, these make a gift that costs very little to produce but looks and feels genuinely generous.

You can also vary the stitch pattern slightly between bags in the same set to add visual interest without disrupting the color story. One bag in plain mesh, one with a simple shell stitch worked around the body, and one with a small picot edging along the top will all look different enough to be interesting but similar enough to feel intentional.

If you plan to give lavender bags as favors for a wedding, baby shower, or other celebration, consider choosing a yarn color that matches the event palette. A pale blush for a spring wedding, a soft mint for a summer baby shower, or a deep burgundy and cream for a winter holiday gathering all translate beautifully into small crocheted bags. For large quantities, work the bags in batches rather than one at a time. Finish all the crocheting across all the bags before seaming, then seam all of them, then fill and tie. The assembly-line approach moves much faster than completing one bag entirely before starting the next.

Caring for Your Lavender Bags

Dried lavender lasts for a surprisingly long time, often two to three years before the scent begins to fade noticeably. You can extend the life of your bags by giving them a gentle squeeze every few weeks to release more of the essential oils from the buds. When the scent eventually does fade, open the ribbon, tip out the old lavender, and refill with fresh buds. Your crocheted bag will last much longer than the lavender inside it.

If the cotton yarn gets dusty or begins to look tired, most cotton and linen-cotton bags can be hand-washed gently in cool water with a small amount of mild soap. Empty the lavender first, obviously, then wash the bag, reshape it while damp, and allow it to dry flat. Refill with fresh lavender once the bag is completely dry.

Customizing the Pattern

Once you are comfortable with the basic pattern, there are several easy ways to make it your own. A simple color stripe worked every four rows gives the bag a cheerful, summery look. Work two rows in your main color, two rows in a contrast color, and repeat the sequence throughout the body of the bag.

Adding a small crocheted flower to the tied bag is another popular embellishment. A basic five-petal flower worked in a contrasting color takes only a few minutes to make and can be stitched to the ribbon knot or to the body of the bag itself. There are many free single-layer and double-layer crochet flower patterns available, and almost any of them will work here.

If you want a larger bag, simply add to your starting chain in multiples of two and work more rows until your rectangle is proportionally taller. A bag that is 6 inches wide and 8 inches tall can hold much more lavender and makes a bigger visual impact in a linen closet or on a wardrobe hook. For a tiny bag, reduce the starting chain to 18 and work 20 rows. These miniature versions are charming tied to a gift bow or tucked into an envelope with a birthday card.

You can also experiment with adding a simple picot edging to the top of the bag before gathering it. A picot edging adds a delicate, slightly vintage quality to the finished bag and works particularly well with a cream or white yarn.

A Note on Sourcing Lavender

If you have access to a garden or a farmers market, growing or sourcing your own lavender is wonderfully satisfying. Lavandula angustifolia, commonly called English lavender, has the most fragrant buds and dries beautifully when harvested just before the flowers reach full bloom. Cut the stems long, tie them in small bundles, and hang them upside down in a warm, dry, dark place for two to three weeks. Once fully dry, strip the buds from the stems over a bowl and they are ready to use. The scent from home-dried lavender is often more complex and nuanced than commercially dried buds, with a slightly green, herbaceous quality alongside the floral top notes.

Commercially dried lavender buds are perfectly fine and are widely available year-round, which makes this a project you can work on in any season. Look for buds that are a deep purple-grey color and have a strong fragrance when rubbed between your fingers. Pale or brownish buds have usually been stored too long and will have less scent.

Final Thoughts

Crochet lavender bags sit at the intersection of craft and function in a way that makes them endlessly appealing. They are small enough to finish in a single evening, useful enough to be genuinely practical rather than merely decorative, and personal enough to feel meaningful when given as a gift. The pattern described here is a beginning, not a ceiling. Once you have made the basic version, you will find yourself reaching for scraps of cotton yarn and small handfuls of dried lavender whenever you want a quick, satisfying project with a built-in purpose. Keep a few bags in your linen closet, give a few away, tuck one into a holiday gift box, and enjoy the quiet pleasure of a small thing done well.