Crochet Cupcake Purse

With our weekend plans to visit a cupcake convention, the Little Miss needed a cute handbag for the event:)

I was going to make this out of fabric...but I decided to crochet it after all. If you can crochet in a circle...then this is the project for you! There are a few patterns for something like this that you can purchase online...but I am cheap and impatient...so I just sat crocheting until I figured out a pattern that I liked:)

I must stress first that I am NOT an expert at crochet. I taught myself recently through You Tube videos...and my skills are very limited:) I am sure I will not use the right lingo when explaining what I did...so take it easy on me:)

Materials:

small tupperware (for base of cupcake)

yarn for cupcake base

yarn for cupcake top

crochet hook (mine is a J)

hot glue gun

I started by crocheting a chain that would fit around my plastic container. I made it a little bit smaller since I knew the yarn would stretch.

Once I got the length I wanted, I slip stitched into the beginning of my chain, and then chained 2 and continued around with a double crochet.

I continued with that pattern until I got the right length (a little longer than the plastic container.

For the "top" of the cupcake, I repeated the same pattern, just a little wider and taller so that it would fit around the top of the plastic container.

To get the ruffle edge, chain 5, then single crochet into the next stitch, and repeat all the way around.

I wanted to keep it simple and use felt for the lining of the purse. I was going to sew up a nice cloth lining...but I took the easy way out:)

I had some felt that matched the base of my cupcake...so I cut out a strip that was long enough for the outside and inside of the plastic container...and two circles the same size as the bottom of the container.

I glued one strip to the inside of the container and one to the outside:

Then I glued the bottom circle on:

Don't worry about getting it perfect...the crochet base will cover it all.

Then I glued the edged of the felt together all the way around.

Next, I glued the other circle into the inside bottom of the container...and trimmed the outside strips about 1/4" from the edge of the plastic cup.

Then I slipped the crochet cupcake base over my container and glued it into place.

Here is what it looks like on the bottom. See how all my felt imperfections were covered?

You really don't have to line the container with felt or fabric at all...I just wanted to fill in the little gaps between by crochet stitches.

For the top, I thread some ribbon through the top edge. You can also see in the picture that I had sewn on some beads for "sprinkles".

I stretched out the top as far as it would open, then tied the two ends together in a bow. I secured the bow with hot glue so it wouldn't come undone.

Finally, I took the easy way out and hot glued the top of the cupcake to the base (on the felt that was still exposed). I was going to sew it on...but hot glue bonds like cement to felt...so its a much stronger hold this way.

That's it! I am not wild about the color scheme going on...but I just wanted to use up some yarn I already had and I am sure Miss S will love it anyway:)

Price:

5pk of plastic containers: $1.00

beads: $1.00

I had everything else

Total: $2.00

Plus now I have 4 more storage containers, which I needed anyways...yay!

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