The Cottage Bloom Plastic Bag Holder is a tall, airy tube that keeps grocery bags tidy and easy to grab. The body is open filet mesh, so you can see what’s inside and the holder stays light. Solid cream bands at the top and bottom give it a clean, vintage-kitchen frame.
The pattern makes one holder and gives two colorways. The Rose version is dusty rose with a cream band and base and a cluster of three rolled roses with sage leaves. The Daisy version is sage green with cream, and has white daisies with yellow centers, tiny white buds and green leaves.
The pattern uses US crochet terms. The finished holder measures 6 in (15.2 cm) wide when flat, 12 in (30.5 cm) around, and 18 in (45.7 cm) tall. With the tab and ring, the hanging length is about 23 in (58.4 cm).
Construction is simple. You crochet a flat cream circle for the base and build up solid cream walls. Then you switch to the main color for filet mesh, working a few turned rows to leave the dispensing opening. You finish with a cream top band, a back tab folded around a wooden ring, and the appliqués sewn on.
Finished Size and Construction
- Finished size: 6 in (15.2 cm) flat width × 18 in (45.7 cm) tall; 12 in (30.5 cm) around
- Skill level: Easy (advanced beginner)
- Terminology: US
- Yarn weight: worsted (#4) cotton
- Hook: 5.0 mm (H-8) for the holder; 4.0 mm (G-6) for appliqués
- Number of pieces: 1 holder (tube), plus separate appliqués sewn on
- Layout: cream base → main-color mesh with front opening → cream top band → back tab with ring
- Piece size: 48 stitches around; 24 stitches per flat side (front and back)
- Size before border: 16 in (40.6 cm) tall (base walls plus mesh)
- Border (top band) depth: 2 in (5.1 cm)
Materials
Use a smooth, sturdy 100% cotton or cotton blend in worsted weight. Cotton holds its shape when the holder is full and washes well. Avoid very drapey or splitty yarns, because they let the mesh sag.
Rose colorway
– Dusty rose (main color, also for 2 roses): 75 g / 115 m
– Cream (base and band): 55 g / 85 m
– Pale blush pink (1 rose): 6 g / 9 m
– Sage green (leaves): 5 g / 8 m
Daisy colorway
– Sage green (main color): 75 g / 115 m
– Cream (base and band): 55 g / 85 m
– White (petals and buds): 8 g / 12 m
– Yellow (centers): 3 g / 5 m
– Leaf green, a shade darker than the main color: 6 g / 9 m
Tools
– 5.0 mm (H-8) and 4.0 mm (G-6) hooks
– One 3 in (7.6 cm) natural wooden ring
– Stitch marker
– Tapestry needle
– Scissors
– Blocking pins and a rolled towel or cylinder about 3.75 in (9.5 cm) across
All quantities include a margin of about 15% for gauge swatches and tails.
Abbreviations (US Terms)
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- sc – single crochet
- hdc – half double crochet
- dc – double crochet
- sc2tog – single crochet 2 together
- sk – skip
- sp – space
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- beg – beginning
- RS / WS – right side / wrong side
Special stitch – Mesh: (dc, ch 1, sk 1). Each mesh is 2 stitches wide: 1 dc post and 1 ch-1 space. In later rounds, work each dc into the dc below and each ch 1 over the ch-1 space.
Gauge and Checkpoints
Gauge matters here because the base, mesh and band all have to be the same 12 in (30.5 cm) around.
- Single crochet: 16 sc × 18 rounds = 4 in (10.2 cm)
- Mesh: 8 mesh (16 sts) × 8 rounds = 4 in (10.2 cm)
Before starting the holder, work the base through Round 8 as your test piece. It should measure 3.75 in (9.5 cm) across.
Checkpoints
1. After base Round 8: flat circle 3.75 in (9.5 cm) across, 48 sts.
2. After base Round 17: cream cup 12 in (30.5 cm) around, walls 2 in (5.1 cm) tall.
3. After mesh Round 7: raw opening about 2.75 in (7.0 cm) wide × 2 in (5.1 cm) tall.
4. After mesh Round 28: 16 in (40.6 cm) from the base.
5. After the top band: 18 in (45.7 cm) total.
If your circle is too big (over 4 in / 10.2 cm), go down 0.5 mm. If it’s too small (under 3.5 in / 8.9 cm), go up 0.5 mm. If only the mesh is off, change the hook for the mesh section only. Mesh that is too short is fine. Mesh that is too loose stretches once the holder is full of bags.
Base (Cream)
Use the 5.0 mm hook. Work in joined rounds: join each round with a sl st in the first sc, then ch 1. The ch 1 does not count as a stitch.
- Rnd 1: Magic ring, 6 sc in ring. (6)
- Rnd 2: 2 sc in each st. (12)
- Rnd 3: sc 1, 2 sc in next 6 times. (18)
- Rnd 4: sc 2, 2 sc in next 6 times. (24)
- Rnd 5: sc 3, 2 sc in next 6 times. (30)
- Rnd 6: sc 4, 2 sc in next 6 times. (36)
- Rnd 7: sc 5, 2 sc in next 6 times. (42)
- Rnd 8: sc 6, 2 sc in next 6 times. (48)
Checkpoint: 3.75 in (9.5 cm) across.
- Rnds 9–17: sc in each st around. (48)
The walls turn up into a rounded cup 2 in (5.1 cm) tall. Fasten off cream.
Body Mesh (Main Color)
Join the main color with a sl st in any st of Rnd 17. This join point is “position 0” for the rest of the holder. Keep all later joins in this same column.
Rnd 1 (conversion): Ch 4 (counts as dc + ch 1), sk next st, dc in next st, ch 1, sk next st 23 times. Join with sl st in 3rd ch of beg ch-4.
Count: 24 dc worked into existing sts + 24 ch-1 replacing skipped sts = 48 sts (24 mesh).
Opening rows. These rows are worked flat over 18 mesh and leave a 6-mesh gap at the front.
- Row 2 (RS): Ch 3 (counts as dc), ch 1, dc in next dc 18 times. Leave the remaining 5 dc and 6 ch-1 sps unworked. (19 dc + 18 ch-1 = 37 sts)
- Row 3 (WS): Turn, ch 3 (counts as dc), ch 1, dc in next dc 17 times, ch 1, dc in top of turning ch-3. (37)
- Rows 4–5: Repeat Row 3. (37)
Rnd 6 (closing round): Turn, ch 3 (counts as dc), ch 1, dc in next dc 17 times, ch 1, dc in top of turning ch-3. Ch 11 across the gap, then join with sl st in top of beg ch-3.
Count: 19 dc + 18 ch-1 + 11 ch = 48 sts.
Rnd 7: Ch 4 (counts as dc + ch 1), dc in next dc, ch 1 18 times. Sk first ch of the ch-11, then dc in next ch, ch 1, sk next ch 5 times. Join with sl st in 3rd ch of beg ch-4.
Count: 24 dc + 24 ch-1 = 48 sts (24 mesh). The 11 chains hold exactly 5 dc and 6 ch-1 spaces, so the mesh lines up again.
Rnds 8–28: Ch 4 (counts as dc + ch 1), dc in next dc, ch 1 23 times. Join with sl st in 3rd ch of beg ch-4. (48 sts, 24 mesh)
Checkpoint: 28 mesh rows/rounds × 0.5 in = 14 in (35.6 cm) of mesh. The holder now measures 16 in (40.6 cm) from the base. Fasten off.
Opening rim: Join the main color at the bottom right corner of the opening. Work one round of sc, skipping the 4 corner points so the corners round off into an oval:
– Bottom edge (top of mesh Rnd 1, 11 sts): sk first st, sc in next 9, sk last. (9)
– Side edge (4 row ends): 2 sc in each row end. (8)
– Top edge (underside of the ch-11): sk first ch, sc in next 9, sk last. (9)
– Second side edge: 2 sc in each row end. (8)
Join. Total: 34 sc. Finished opening: about 2.25 in (5.7 cm) wide × 1.5 in (3.8 cm) tall. Fasten off.
Border: Top Band (Cream)
The top band is this piece’s border. The border gauge is the same as the sc gauge: 16 sc = 4 in (10.2 cm).
- Rnd 1 (conversion): Join cream in the join st at position 0, ch 1. Sc in each dc and each ch-1 sp around. Join.
Count: 24 sc in dc + 24 sc in ch-1 sps = 48 sc, with 24 on the front half and 24 on the back half when flat. - Rnds 2–9: Ch 1, sc in each st around, join. (48 sc; 24 per flat side)
Fasten off. The band is 9 rounds = 2 in (5.1 cm) deep.
Why the math works: The mesh has 48 stitch positions. Turning each dc and each ch-1 space into exactly 1 sc gives 48 sc. At 16 sc per 4 in, 48 sc = 12 in (30.5 cm), which matches the mesh and the base. The band won’t flare or pinch, and the flat width stays 6 in (15.2 cm).
Tab (main color): With RS facing, count 12 sts from the join on Rnd 9 and join the main color in the 13th st. This centers the tab on the back, opposite the opening.
- Row 1: Ch 1, sc in same st and next 11 sts. (12)
- Row 2: Ch 1, turn, sc2tog, sc 8, sc2tog. (10)
- Row 3: Ch 1, turn, sc2tog, sc 6, sc2tog. (8)
- Rows 4–14: Ch 1, turn, sc 8. (8)
Pass the tab through the wooden ring. Fold the last 4 rows to the WS and whipstitch Row 14 to Row 10. The visible tab is about 2 in (5.1 cm).
Appliqués
Use the 4.0 mm hook. Leave an 8 in (20.3 cm) tail on each piece for sewing.
Rolled rose, large (1.75 in / 4.4 cm):
– Ch 23.
– Row 1: (dc, ch 1, dc) in 5th ch from hook, sk 2 ch, (dc, ch 1, dc) in next ch 6 times. (7 V-sts)
– Row 2: Ch 3, turn, 6 dc in first ch-1 sp, sc between V-sts, 6 dc in next ch-1 sp 6 times. (7 petals)
– Roll the strip from the starting end with the petals facing outward and stitch through the base to secure.
Rolled rose, small (1.25 in / 3.2 cm): Ch 17. Work as the large rose, but repeat the V-st 4 times in Row 1 (5 V-sts) and the petal 4 times in Row 2 (5 petals).
Leaf (1.25 in / 3.2 cm):
– Ch 7.
– Sc in 2nd ch from hook, hdc in next, dc in next 2, hdc in next, 3 sc in last ch.
– Working along the other side of the chain: hdc in next, dc in next 2, hdc in next, sc in last. Sl st in first sc. (13 sts)
Daisy (1.75 in / 4.4 cm):
– Rnd 1 (yellow): Magic ring, 8 sc. Join and fasten off. (8)
– Rnd 2 (white): Join in any st, (ch 2, 3 dc, ch 2, sl st) in same st, sl st in next st — this makes 1 petal across every 2 sts — 4 times. Then work a second set of 4 petals in the sl sts between them. (8 petals)
Bud (0.5 in / 1.3 cm, white): Magic ring, ch 2, 4 dc in ring. Pull the ring tight and sl st in top of ch-2.
Rose colorway: 1 large dusty rose, 1 small dusty rose, 1 large blush rose, 4 leaves. Sew the cluster on the upper left front, with the top rose 1 in (2.5 cm) below the band. Tuck the leaves between the roses.
Daisy colorway: 4 daisies, 4 buds, 6 leaves.
– Upper group (2 daisies, 1 bud, 3 leaves): just below the band on the front, to the right of center.
– Lower group (2 daisies, 3 buds, 3 leaves): about 10 in (25.4 cm) below the band, toward the right side.
Sew through the mesh posts, not across the open spaces, so the flowers don’t droop.
Final Blocking
- Wet the finished holder in cool water and squeeze out the water gently. Don’t wring it.
- Roll it in a towel to remove excess water.
- Slide it over a rolled towel or a cylinder 3.75 in (9.5 cm) across.
- Ease the mesh until the squares are even and the holder measures 18 in (45.7 cm) tall.
- Shape the opening rim into a smooth oval and press the base into a round cup.
- Fluff the rose petals and flatten the daisy petals with your fingers.
- Let it dry completely standing upright, then attach it to its hook.
Final Quality-Control Checklist
- Base is 3.75 in (9.5 cm) across and the cup is 2 in (5.1 cm) tall
- Every mesh round has 24 dc and 24 ch-1 spaces
- Opening is centered on the front, about 2.25 × 1.5 in (5.7 × 3.8 cm), with 34 rim sc
- Top band has 48 sc in every round and is 2 in (5.1 cm) deep
- Tab is centered on the back and the ring is sewn securely
- Total height is 18 in (45.7 cm) and flat width is 6 in (15.2 cm)
- Appliqués are sewn through posts and all ends are woven in
Troubleshooting
- Mesh twists around the tube: You probably joined in the wrong chain. Always join in the 3rd ch of the beg ch-4, in the same column every round.
- Opening isn’t centered: Rows 2–5 must cover exactly 19 dc posts. Recount before working Rnd 6.
- Mesh doesn’t line up above the opening: In Rnd 7, skip the first chain of the ch-11 before starting the 5 dc.
- Top band flares: Work exactly 1 sc per dc and per space. Don’t add any extra stitches.
- Holder sags when full: Go down a hook size for the mesh, or block it shorter.
- Rose looks flat: Roll it more tightly and add extra stitches through the base.
Care
Hand wash or machine wash on gentle in cool water, then reshape and dry flat or upright. Don’t tumble dry, because heat can shrink the cotton unevenly.
Final Notes
The measurements chain together in one simple line. The base circle grows to 48 stitches, which is 12 in (30.5 cm) around. The mesh keeps those 48 positions as 24 mesh, and the top band turns them back into exactly 48 sc. Base walls of 2 in (5.1 cm), plus 14 in (35.6 cm) of mesh, plus a 2 in (5.1 cm) band give a holder 18 in (45.7 cm) tall and 6 in (15.2 cm) wide when flat. Check the base first and count your mesh every round, and the dispensing opening and tab will land exactly where they should.
Happy crocheting!