crochet | creative | opportunity | retro | life
As you may know, I make stuff out of vintage blankets. Coats, bunting, chair covers. Search my tags for other posts.
Well, an adventure south of Sydney yesterday resulted in purchasing a recycled blanket coat. It’s not unlike the ones I make but the Colour!! 💚💚 ‘Spearmint’!
Bless the upcycler who created it.
Here’s my Instagram images @belnel
I am inspired again!
Bindy 💚
I took some photos last week of my pop tab crochet method while constructing my messenger bag.
I am a bit pre-occupied with other projects at the moment and so this was on the back-burner for a while. I will finish it eventually…but in the meantime I wanted to share the method so those of you who are interested could get started with your own projects.
I make the patterns up as I go. I visualise each bag as a 3D shape and create the different components (faces of the shape) before assembling them all into the one piece. My current messenger bag will have three main components. The bag, the flap and the strap. The bag section is made as one large piece (approximately 50 rows of 30 pop tabs) that will be joined to create a seamless pouch. The flap (approximately 20 rows of 40 pop tabs) will be a rectangle matching the dimensions of the pouch opening and the strap will be a long thin shape (approx 2 rows of 120 pop tabs). I will have to ‘fill’ in the base of the bag – but I will cross that bridge when I get there!
How to crochet pop-tabs!Â
So how do I join the pop-tabs to make the fabric of the bag?
As you can see the pop tabs are joined by a long row of single crochet which creates a seam which is hidden on the back side. The front of the fabric is smooth and only the flat part of the seam is visible.. The pop tabs are overlapped with right sides facing and then crocheted through the holes. Each stitch passes through four tab holes at a time – the outside two tabs are crocheted through the top hole and the centre two tabs are crocheted through the other hole. One new tab is added on the outside for each stitch. All other tabs are already forming the fabric as you go.
In this first photo I have inserted the hook ready to add a new pop tab … the hook is inserted through the top hole of the first and closest pop tab and the through the second hole of the other two.
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In this second photo, I have added the fourth pop tab for the stitch and have passed the hook through its top hole.
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The yarn is drawn through all four poptab holes.
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Proceed to complete a single crochet stitch by drawing the yarn over the hook and pulling through the two loops on the hook as in the next photo.
Before adding a new pop tab for the next stitch, crochet 1 ch (one chain stitch) to create a little space between stitches.
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At the end of each row (which incidentally reflects the depth of the bag you are creating), end off and burn the nylon thread to avoid it unravelling.
Let me know if I have missed an description or explanation  – I am happy to continue to post as much as needed to help you enjoy this process.
Bindy
Well, the long service leave is well and truly underway and the creative juices are flowing. I have been neglecting the crochet for other pursuits…namely sewing. I still have crochet projects in sight and planned, but got excited about an idea for making a handbag from old wool blankets.
I have been collecting the fabulous ‘Onkaparinga’ blankets from Op Shops and was going to create cushion covers and doggie beds…but then the bag idea came to mind.
I have upcycled my dad’s old belts as the straps and added covered buttons to keep the strap in place. It’s soft and unique. Love it!
I have entered the world of online selling. If you would like to check out my store it is on the Australian Handmade Site
http://www.madeit.com.au/Keepsakes
Let me know what you think.
I have developed a different way of crocheting the pull tabs together… If you’re interested! Rather than inserting then into a crochet row… I am crocheting them together creating a fabulous mesh…no need for rows of sc anywhere!
The pull-tab or pop-tab crochet bag is finally finished, except for lining. Â It feels fabulous and looks incredible. The metallic thread gives it bling appeal. I didn’t write the pattern as I went, so I’ll go back and write from memory and the finished product. It is approximately 25cm x 35cm.
I saw a bag made from pull tabs (off the top of soft drink/soda cans). It was crocheted and the tabs created an amazing ‘indie glomesh’…bigger and better than the original glomesh my grandma’s purse was made out of in the 70’s …so like all things interesting I decided it was something I could make too! There’s a long story to how I gathered enough pull tabs to make it… needless to say I appropriated them. Here’s how it is coming together so far…
Repeat the single crochet around the centre cross bar of the pull tab three times then single crochet before and after the treble from the row beneath.
The yarn in this example is ‘Romantic’ by Moda Vera – it may no longer be available.
Bindy ⛓💙
generationcrochet 
