Sunflower Granny Square Bucket Bag Free Crochet Pattern

I absolutely love a bag that does double duty, and this sunflower granny square bucket bag is exactly that! It looks stunning enough to collect compliments everywhere, but it is practical enough to carry your daily essentials, and the sturdy circular base means it actually stands up on its own.

We will make four sunflower granny squares with puff stitch petals and cluster rounds, join them into a tube, add a round base and a low wall, then finish with an eyelet top band, a drawstring with tassels, D-ring tabs, and a crossbody strap. The finished bag measures about 8.5 inches (21.5cm) tall and 7.25 inches (18.5cm) across the base, with an adjustable strap of roughly 36 to 48 inches.

Plan for about 8 to 12 relaxed hours. If you have made granny squares and worked in the round before, you already have the foundation for this confident intermediate project.

Materials

• 360 yards worsted weight cotton yarn in honey gold (main color)
• 55 yards worsted weight cotton yarn in brown
• 85 yards worsted weight cotton yarn in golden yellow
• 4.0mm crochet hook (US G/6) for the main bag
• 5.0mm crochet hook (US H/8) for the drawstring
• 4 stitch markers
• Tapestry needle, scissors, tape measure, and pins or clips for assembly
• 2 D-rings or O-rings, 1 inch (25mm)
• 2 swivel clasps and 1 strap slider, 1 inch (25mm)
• Cotton fabric, thread, and a hand-sewing needle (optional, for a lining)

Abbreviations

• ch: chain
• ch-sp: chain space
• sc: single crochet
• hdc: half double crochet
• dc: double crochet
• tr: treble crochet
• sl st: slip stitch
• BLO: back loop only
• inc: increase, 2 stitches in the same stitch
• MC: main color
• st/sts: stitch / stitches

Special Stitches

• Puff Stitch: yarn over, insert hook in the indicated space, yarn over and pull up a loop. Repeat that sequence 4 times total in the same space (9 loops on your hook), then yarn over and pull through all loops on the hook, and ch 1 to close the puff.
• 3-dc Cluster: yarn over, insert hook in the space, yarn over and pull up a loop, yarn over and pull through 2 loops (2 loops remain). Repeat that sequence 2 more times in the same space (4 loops on hook), then yarn over and pull through all loops.
• Invisible Join: cut the yarn leaving a tail, pull the tail through the last stitch, thread it on a tapestry needle under both loops of the first stitch of the round, then back into the center of the last stitch.

Gauge & Size

• Finished size: bag about 8.5 inches (21.5cm) tall, 7.25 inches (18.5cm) across the base, about 23 inches (58.5cm) around the upper body; strap adjusts from 36 to 48 inches
• Gauge: 16 sc and 19 rounds = 4 inches (10cm) in joined sc rounds with the 4.0mm hook
• One blocked sunflower square: 5.75 inches (14.5cm) across, with 23 edge stitches on each side (not counting corner ch-2 spaces)
• Construction: 4 squares joined into a tube, sewn to a round base, with an eyelet top band, drawstring, D-ring tabs, and a separate strap
• Skill level: Intermediate

Sunflower Square Pattern

Make 4 squares. Use brown for the center, golden yellow for the petals, and honey gold (MC) for the frame and border. The ch-3 counts as 1 dc where stated. Block each square before joining.

Round 1 (brown): Make a magic ring. Ch 2, work 16 dc in the ring, sl st to first dc. (16 dc)

Round 2 (brown): Ch 1, (sc in next dc, ch 1) around, sl st to first sc. (16 sc, 16 ch-1 sps)

Round 3 (golden yellow): Sl st into first ch-sp, ch 1, work a puff st in each ch-sp around, sl st to first puff. (16 puffs)

Round 4 (golden yellow): Ch 2, work a 3-dc cluster in each closing ch-sp around, ch 1 after each cluster, sl st to first cluster. (16 clusters, 16 ch-1 sps)

Round 5 (MC): Join MC in any ch-sp. Ch 3, 2 dc in same sp, ch 2, 3 dc in same sp; (3 dc in each of next 3 sps, (3 dc, ch 2, 3 dc) in next sp) 3 times; 3 dc in each of last 3 sps, sl st to top of ch-3. (60 dc, 4 corner ch-2 sps)

Round 6 (MC): Ch 1, sc in each dc; in each corner ch-2 sp work (sc, ch 2, sc), sl st to first sc. (68 sc; 17 sc per side)

Round 7 (MC): Ch 1, sc in each sc; in each corner ch-2 sp work (sc, ch 2, sc), sl st to first sc. (76 sc; 19 sc per side)

Round 8 (MC): Repeat Round 7. (84 sc; 21 sc per side)

Round 9 (MC): Repeat Round 7. Fasten off with an invisible join. (92 sc; 23 sc per side)

Base and Bottom Wall Pattern

Work in joined rounds with MC. The ch 1 at the start of sc rounds does not count as a stitch, and each round is joined with a sl st to the first sc.

Round 1: Magic ring, ch 1, 8 sc in ring. (8 sc)

Round 2: Inc in each st around. (16 sc)

Round 3: (Sc in next st, inc) 8 times. (24 sc)

Round 4: (Sc in next 2 sts, inc) 8 times. (32 sc)

Round 5: (Sc in next 3 sts, inc) 8 times. (40 sc)

Round 6: (Sc in next 4 sts, inc) 8 times. (48 sc)

Round 7: (Sc in next 5 sts, inc) 8 times. (56 sc)

Round 8: (Sc in next 6 sts, inc) 8 times. (64 sc)

Round 9: (Sc in next 7 sts, inc) 8 times. (72 sc)

Round 10: (Sc in next 8 sts, inc) 8 times. (80 sc)

Round 11: (Sc in next 9 sts, inc) 8 times. (88 sc)

Round 12: Sc in next 21 sts, inc; (sc in next 21 sts, inc) 3 times. (92 sc)

Round 13: BLO sc in each st around to turn the base upward. (92 sc)

Rounds 14 to 16: Sc in each st around. Fasten off after Round 16. (92 sc each round)

Top Band Pattern

Before the top band, join the body: arrange the four squares in a ring with right sides facing out and all sunflowers upright, and join the vertical edges with MC using mattress stitch or a flat slip-stitch join, connecting 23 edge stitches of one square to 23 of the next until the four squares form a tube. Pin one lower edge of each square to 23 stitches of the bottom wall and sew or slip-stitch the tube to the wall (92 wall stitches total), then reinforce the four lower corners with a few whipstitches.

Join MC at any upper corner and work around the top of the panel tube, placing 23 sc across each square edge.

Round 1: Ch 1, sc in each edge st around. Do not work into corner ch-2 spaces unless needed to close a tiny gap. (92 sc)

Round 2: Sc in each st around. (92 sc)

Round 3 (eyelets): Sc in first 2 sts, (ch 2, skip 2 sts, sc in next 6 sts) 10 times, ch 2, skip 2 sts, sc in last 8 sts. (70 sc, 11 ch-2 sps; 92 positions)

Round 4: Sc in each sc and 2 sc in each ch-2 sp around. (92 sc)

Rounds 5 to 7: Sc in each st around. Fasten off after Round 7. (92 sc each round)

Drawstring, Tabs and Strap

Drawstring: with MC and the 5.0mm hook, chain 180, or chain until the cord measures approximately 66 inches (168cm). Slip stitch in the back bump of each chain across for a rounded cord and fasten off. Weave the cord through the 11 eyelets, starting and ending at the front center, and tie a bow. Make two tassels approximately 3.25 inches (8cm) long and attach one to each cord end.

D-Ring Tabs (make 2): chain 7 with MC.

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and each ch across. (6 sc)

Rows 2 to 12: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across. (6 sc each row)

Fasten off, leaving a tail. Wrap each tab around a D-ring, overlap the short ends by 2 rows, and sew firmly to the upper side seam through the top band and panel border.

Crossbody Strap: chain 8 with MC.

Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and each ch across. (7 sc)

Rows 2 to 120: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across until the strap measures approximately 42 inches (106.5cm), or your desired length. (7 sc each row)

Work sc evenly around the long sides of the strap, placing 3 sc in each corner. Fasten off and weave in ends. Thread the strap through the slider and swivel clasps and sew the folded ends securely.

Finishing & Assembly

Steam or wet-block the finished bag lightly, shaping the top rim and square panels with your hands. Check all hardware joins with a firm tug before use and reinforce any join that shifts. If you would like a lining, cut and sew a simple cotton lining and slip stitch it inside the bag — it keeps keys and small items from slipping through the corner spaces of the squares.

Tips

Make one square first and block it. If it is larger than 5.75 inches, switch to a smaller hook; if smaller, go up a hook size. Matching the square measurement before making all four saves headaches at assembly.

For a wider bag, add a 10th border round to each square and increase the base and top band to 100 stitches, keeping 25 stitches per square edge.

For a non-stretch strap, sew a strip of cotton webbing or grosgrain ribbon to the wrong side before attaching the hardware.

Hand wash gently in cool water, press out moisture in a towel, reshape, and dry flat. Do not hang the wet bag, because cotton can stretch under its own weight.