Can I use a different worsted weight cotton than the ones listed?

Yes, any worsted weight cotton that achieves gauge will work well. The mercerized cotton options give a firmer, more polished fabric, but a softer cotton blend will still hold up fine.

Do I need the cardboard base insert?

It is listed as an option for extra structure, not a requirement. If you want the bag to hold its shape when loaded with books or produce, cutting a base to fit the bottom panel helps a lot.

Can I place the roses differently than the pattern suggests?

Absolutely, the horizontal row of four roses in alternating colors is just the suggested layout. Since the roses and leaves are separate pieces, you can pin them wherever suits your panel before committing to the sewing.

Rose applique tote bag crochet pattern for market days

LevelIntermediate
Time4-6 hours
Hook4.0 mm
YarnWorsted

About This Pattern

There is something unhurried about this one, like a Sunday morning errand instead of a rush. The blush and burgundy roses sit quiet on a soft pink body, nothing shouting for attention. It is the kind of piece you make while half listening to a podcast, satisfied without being showy.

Your hands mostly just move single crochet, row after row, round after round, which frees up your brain for everything else. The real engagement comes later, coiling the rose strips and angling the leaves into their V shape. It asks for patience in the body and a light touch in the finishing.

Set it on a kitchen chair or hang it by the door and it reads like something you found, not something you made in an evening of television. The scallop edge catches light along the opening, and the roses give it a hand-finished softness. It belongs anywhere a canvas tote feels too plain.

Start with a flat single crochet rectangle that becomes the bottom panel of the bag.
Pick up stitches around all four edges of that panel in one continuous round, no turning from here on.
Build the bag body upward in single crochet rounds without any further shaping.
Finish the top opening with a scallop edge made from clusters of double crochet separated by slip stitches.
Crochet two flat strips in Handle Color, fold them into thirds, and whipstitch them into firm ropes.
Make the coiled rose strips and simple leaves as separate small pieces.
Pin the roses and leaves onto the front panel in a V arrangement before sewing anything down.
Attach the handles and sew the embellishments in place to finish the bag.

On the desk

Yarn (Worsted Weight Cotton, Weight 4)

Main Color (MC): Dusty rose or blush pink, approximately 650 yards
Color A (CA): Deep burgundy or wine, approximately 60 yards
Color B (CB): Light dusty rose or pale blush, approximately 60 yards
Color C (CC): Forest green, approximately 45 yards
Handle Color (HC): Natural or off white cream, approximately 120 yards

Recommended Yarn Options

Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton works beautifully for this project. The mercerized finish creates a polished, firm fabric. Drops Paris is another excellent choice and comes in a wonderful color range. Any worsted weight cotton that achieves gauge will work well.

Hooks

US Size G-6 (4.0 mm) for the body and appliques
US Size H-8 (5.0 mm) optional for handles if you prefer a different texture

Notions

At least 4 stitch markers
Tapestry needle
Scissors
Blocking mat and rust proof pins

Optional

bag insert or cardboard base cut to 4 x 14 inches for extra structure

Stitch shorthand

ch — chain
sc — single crochet
hdc — half double crochet
dc — double crochet
sl st — slip stitch
sc2tog — single crochet two together (a decrease that joins two stitches into one)
st(s) — stitch(es)
rnd — round
RS — right side
WS — wrong side
rep — repeat
sk — skip
MC — Main Color (dusty rose)
CA — Color A (burgundy)
CB — Color B (pale rose)
CC — Color C (forest green)
HC — Handle Color (cream)

Rose applique tote bag crochet pattern for market days

Assembly

Step 1 Lay your blocked bag flat with the front panel facing up.
Step 2 Rose and Leaf Placement:
Step 3 The four roses sit in a horizontal row approximately 2.5 inches above the base of the bag. Center them on the front panel. Arrange from left to right: CA rose, CB rose, CA rose, CB rose. Space them about 0.5 inches apart.
Step 4 For each rose, position 2 leaves beneath and slightly to either side, angling them outward in a V shape. Pin everything before sewing.
Step 5 Use your tapestry needle and the long tails to sew each piece securely. Pull tails to the inside and weave in firmly.
Step 6 Blocking:
Step 7 Wet blocking is highly recommended for cotton. Submerge the bag in cool water, gently press out excess water with a towel, and stuff with plastic bags or a rolled towel to hold its shape. Pin out the scallop edging to open the shells. Allow 24 to 48 hours to dry completely.
Step 8 Block your roses and leaves flat before attaching.
Step 9 Optional Base Insert:
Step 10 Cut a piece of cardboard or plastic canvas to 3.75 x 13.5 inches. Wrap in fabric if desired and insert into the base for extra structure.

Easy to get wrong

Losing the stitch count at corners

When you pick up stitches around the bottom panel, pause at each corner and confirm you worked the 3 sc increase there. Use a stitch marker right after the first stitch so you always know where your round starts.

Uneven scallop peaks along the opening

Check that your total stitch count divides evenly by 6 before you start the scallop edging round. If a scallop looks flatter than the rest, recount the skipped stitches on either side of that peak.

Roses that uncoil after sewing

Pin the coiled rose strip in several spots before you stitch, not just at the center, so the spiral cannot loosen while you sew. Tack through multiple layers of the coil, not only the outer edge.

Between the songs

What I love here is how the single crochet body stays completely calm so the embellishments can do the talking. You are not juggling colorwork or cables, just building a sturdy fabric in Main Color while your focus sits ready for later. Then the roses arrive, flat coiled strips that twist into something that looks far more technical than it is. The scallop edging along the top opening is the other quiet win, five double crochets clustered into each peak with slip stitches anchoring the gaps between. Picking up stitches around that bottom panel to turn a flat rectangle into a bag worked in continuous rounds feels like the moment the project clicks into shape. It is a small set of real skills, repeated with confidence.

Listener questions

Can I use a different worsted weight cotton than the ones listed?
Yes, any worsted weight cotton that achieves gauge will work well. The mercerized cotton options give a firmer, more polished fabric, but a softer cotton blend will still hold up fine.
Do I need the cardboard base insert?
It is listed as an option for extra structure, not a requirement. If you want the bag to hold its shape when loaded with books or produce, cutting a base to fit the bottom panel helps a lot.
Can I place the roses differently than the pattern suggests?
Absolutely, the horizontal row of four roses in alternating colors is just the suggested layout. Since the roses and leaves are separate pieces, you can pin them wherever suits your panel before committing to the sewing.

Original pattern: https://crochr.com/rose-romance-tote-bag-free-crochet-pattern/

About the Author

Marisol QuinteroWho runs Crochet Obsessed, why a stitch count sits at the end of every round, how a pattern gets written here, and the things this site will never do.

Rose applique tote bag crochet pattern for market days

About This Pattern