A round, gathered body pulled snug with a drawstring opening and finished with a crocheted bow accent, the Crochet Drawstring Crossbody Bag is a small but deeply satisfying shape that opens up a world of gifting, daily carrying, and slow-fashion styling across every season.
The Drawstring Crossbody Bag
This little bag carries something more than your phone and lip balm. It holds the particular satisfaction of wearing something entirely made by your own hands, a rounded pouch that sits against your hip with a softness that no store-bought bag quite replicates. The gathered top with its drawstring closure gives it a gathered, almost antique silhouette, while the crochet bow anchored to the front adds a whisper of elegance that feels both playful and refined. This is a piece for the crafter who wants their making to be seen and felt in everyday life.
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The creamy off-white version paired with a taupe bow feels quietly sophisticated, slipping easily over a linen shirt or a soft knit dress. The pink version with its blue-grey bow leans sweeter, the kind of colorway that makes a child’s eyes light up or brightens a market-day outfit in the most effortless way. You can also work this Crochet Drawstring Crossbody Bag in forest green with a caramel bow, or in classic black with a dusty rose accent for something more urban and moody.
Materials and Tools
For this Crochet Drawstring Crossbody Bag, you will want to reach for a worsted weight yarn in a smooth, tightly spun fiber that will hold the structure of the bag body beautifully without feeling stiff. Cotton or a cotton-acrylic blend is ideal here because it gives the finished piece that airy yet structured quality you can see in the tutorial photos, where each stitch sits cleanly against its neighbors. A 4mm crochet hook works perfectly with this weight, giving you a fabric dense enough to carry small items without stretching out of shape. Keep a blunt tapestry needle nearby for weaving in your ends and attaching the bow with clean, invisible stitches.
Stitch by Stitch
This bag relies on a small, approachable set of stitches that beginners can pick up quickly and intermediate crocheters will find genuinely enjoyable to work.
BULLET:SC (Single Crochet) The primary stitch of the bag body, worked in the round to build up the round, smooth walls of the pouch.
BULLET:CH (Chain) Used both to begin the foundation and to create the drawstring cord and shoulder strap in a long, even chain sequence.
BULLET:SL ST (Slip Stitch) Used to join rounds seamlessly and to finish edges with a neat, flat result.
BULLET:SC2TOG (Single Crochet Two Together) A simple decrease stitch used to shape the base and the gathered top of the bag into its characteristic rounded form.
Working SC in continuous rounds has a meditative rhythm to it, the hook finding each stitch with quiet predictability, round after round building something lovely from almost nothing.
Construction
The Crochet Drawstring Crossbody Bag is worked in the round from the bottom up, beginning with a magic ring or foundation chain circle that forms the flat base of the bag. From there, you increase outward in the early rounds to shape the base, then work straight upward in the body, allowing the walls to rise evenly before you begin the gentle decreases at the top that create the gathered effect. The drawstring is threaded through a series of chain spaces or eyelets worked near the top opening, and the long crossbody strap is crocheted separately as a simple chain and SC cord. If you would like to customise the size, simply add or remove rounds in the straight body section before beginning the top shaping.
Wearing Your Drawstring Crossbody Bag
Wear it crossbody over a casual weekend outfit, the strap sitting just right across a striped Breton top and wide-leg trousers, or let it hang from one shoulder over a flowy summer dress at a farmers market. It makes an extraordinary gift for a young girl, filled with small treasures or worn to a birthday party where it immediately becomes her favorite accessory. Finishing this Crochet Drawstring Crossbody Bag and holding it complete in your hands is one of those moments that makes you want to cast on another one immediately in a different colorway.
Keeping Your Drawstring Bag Soft and Shapely
If you have worked your bag in cotton or a cotton blend, hand washing in cool water with a gentle soap is always the kindest approach, pressing the water out gently rather than wringing, which can distort the round body shape. Lay it flat to dry on a clean towel, reshaping the base and sides while the fiber is still damp so it dries into its intended silhouette. For blocking, pinning the base flat while wet will help keep that rounded bottom crisp and even. Store the bag stuffed lightly with tissue paper if you want to preserve its shape between uses.
Every Crochet Drawstring Crossbody Bag you finish is a small, wearable piece of your own making that carries meaning far beyond its size. The full video tutorial by 小师妹手作 walks you through every step in beautiful detail, so save this post to Pinterest and share your finished bag in the comments because your colorway choices are always worth seeing.
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Tutorial and photos of this drawstring crossbody bag by: 小师妹手作.