Popcorn Motif Carry-On Crochet Tote Bag Pattern Free: Gusseted Market Bag

If you love the look of modern motif bags but want a roomy, structured carryall with real depth and architectural piping, the Popcorn Motif Carry-On Crochet Tote Bag is a joy to construct. Worked in smooth, tubular #5 bulky Bernat® Maker™ cotton-nylon yarn with a 6.0 mm (US J/10) hook, the bag pairs two 9-round Cream square motifs—featuring diagonal lines of 5-dc corner Popcorn stitches—with a clever Navy front-loop edging. By working the 8-row Side Gusset into the remaining back loops of that Navy round, the Navy stitches pop outward into a crisp, store-bought piping ridge around three sides of the bag!

How the Exposed Navy Piping Ridge & Side Gusset Work

Most two-square tote bags are sewn flat together along three edges, which limits how much you can fit inside. Here, after completing the 9-round Cream square motif, you join Contrast A (Navy) in the front loops only (FLO) along the left side, bottom, and right side of each motif (leaving the top edge unworked). Then, you join Main Color (Cream) into the unused back loops of that Navy edging round to crochet an 8-row single crochet Side Section that wraps around all three sides and slip-stitches directly into the back loops of the second motif’s Navy edging—pushing both Navy front-loop borders forward like tailored welting!

Materials & Bag Architecture Overview

• Main Color (MC — Motifs & 3-Sided Gusset): 1 ball of Bernat® Maker™ in Cream (06003).
• Contrast A (Piping Ridge, 12-Round Upper Yoke & Straps): 1 ball of Bernat® Maker™ in Navy (06017).
• Hook & Notions: Size U.S. J/10 (6.0 mm) crochet hook, yarn needle, and scissors.

Abbreviations & Special Stitch Guide (US Crochet Terms)

• Ch = Chain(s)
• Dc = Double crochet
• Hdc = Half double crochet
• Popcorn (5-Dc Popcorn) = Work 5 dc in the indicated corner space. Drop loop from hook, insert hook from front to back into the top of the first of the 5 dc, grab the dropped loop and pull it through, then ch 1 tightly to close the popcorn.
• Rep = Repeat
• RS / WS = Right side / Wrong side
• Sc = Single crochet
• Sl st = Slip stitch
• Tr = Treble crochet

Step-by-Step Crochet Instructions

Part 1: Crocheting the Two Cream Popcorn Motifs (Make 2)

Note: Ch 3 at the beginning of a round always counts as the first dc.

1. Center Ring: With MC (Cream), ch 4 and join with a sl st to first ch to form a ring.
2. Round 1: Ch 3, work 3 dc in ring. Work (Ch 2, 4 dc in ring) 3 times. Join with 1 hdc to top of ch-3 (creates the 4th corner ch-2 space).
3. Round 2: Ch 3, work (3 dc, ch 2, 4 dc) all in the corner sp just created. *Ch 1. Work (4 dc, ch 1, 4 dc) all in next corner ch-2 sp. Repeat from * twice more. Ch 1, join with sl st to top of ch-3.
4. Round 3 (First Popcorn Corner Round): Ch 3, work 1 dc in each of next 3 dc. *Work (1 dc, Popcorn, 1 dc) all in next corner sp. Work 1 dc in each of next 4 dc, 1 dc in next ch-1 sp, and 1 dc in each of next 4 dc. Repeat from * twice more. Work (1 dc, Popcorn, 1 dc) in last corner sp, 1 dc in each of next 4 dc, 1 dc in last ch-1 sp, and join with sl st to top of ch-3.
5. Round 4 (Treble Corner Expansion Round): Ch 3, work 1 dc in each of next 4 dc. *Work (1 dc, 1 tr, ch 1, 1 tr, 1 dc) all in top of next corner Popcorn. Work 1 dc in each of next 11 dc. Repeat from * twice more. Work (1 dc, 1 tr, ch 1, 1 tr, 1 dc) in top of last Popcorn, 1 dc in each of last 5 dc, and join with sl st to top of ch-3.
6. Round 5 (Second Popcorn Round): Ch 3, work 1 dc in each dc to next corner ch-1 sp. *Work (2 dc, Popcorn, 2 dc) all in next corner ch-1 sp. Work 1 dc in each dc to next corner ch-1 sp. Repeat from * 3 times across all 4 corners, working 1 dc in each remaining dc to end of round. Join with sl st to top of ch-3.
7. Round 6: Ch 3, work 1 dc in each dc to next Popcorn. Work (1 dc, 1 tr, ch 1, 1 tr, 1 dc) in top of each of the 4 corner Popcorns and 1 dc in each dc along the sides. Join with sl st to top of ch-3.
8. Rounds 7 & 8: Repeat Rounds 5 and 6.
9. Round 9: Repeat Round 5. Fasten off (note: the fasten-off point marks the bottom edge of the motif; each side edge now has 37 stitches between corner popcorns).

Part 2: Navy Front-Loop Motif Edging & Cream Side Gusset

1. 3-Sided Navy FLO Edging (Both Motifs): With RS facing, join Contrast A (Navy) with a sl st in the front loop only (FLO) of the upper-right corner Popcorn of Round 9. Working in front loops only throughout, work 1 sc in each stitch down the right side to the bottom-right corner Popcorn, work 3 sc in FLO of the corner Popcorn, work 1 sc in FLO of each stitch across the bottom edge to the bottom-left corner Popcorn, work 3 sc in FLO of the corner Popcorn, work 1 sc in FLO of each stitch up the left side to the upper-left corner Popcorn, and work 1 sc in FLO of the upper-left Popcorn. Fasten off. (Top edge of motif remains unworked in Navy.)
2. Cream Side Gusset (Rows 1–8): With RS of the first Motif facing, locate the remaining unused back loops from the Navy Motif Edging round. Join MC (Cream) with a sl st in the first remaining back loop, ch 1, work 1 sc in the same loop, and work 1 sc in each remaining back loop all the way around the 3 edged sides of the motif (pushing the Navy FLO stitches forward into a raised ridge). Turn. For Rows 2–8, ch 1 and work 1 sc in each sc across. Turn. Do not fasten off after Row 8.
3. Joining Gusset to Second Motif: Hold the two Motifs with Right Sides facing each other, aligning Row 8 of the Side Gusset with the unused back loops of the second Motif’s Navy Edging round. Working through both thicknesses, join Row 8 of the Side Gusset to the remaining back loops with 1 row of slip stitches (sl st). Fasten off and turn the bag Right Side out.

Part 3: Navy Top Border & One-Piece Shoulder Straps

1. Round 1 (RS – Upper Yoke Pickup): Join Contrast A (Navy) with a sl st at the top of the Navy ridge on the upper-left corner of the front Motif. Ch 1. Work 9 sc evenly across the top edge of the first Side Gusset, 37 sc across the top edge of the front Motif, 9 sc across the top edge of the second Side Gusset, and 37 sc across the top edge of the back Motif. Join with sl st to first sc. (92 sc total)
2. Rounds 2–7: Ch 1. Work 1 sc in each sc around. Join with sl st to first sc. (92 sc)
3. Round 8 (Strap Foundation Chains): Ch 1. Work 1 sc in each of first 15 sc. Ch 51, skip next 25 sc (first handle opening). Work 1 sc in each of next 21 sc. Ch 51, skip next 25 sc (second handle opening). Work 1 sc in each of last 6 sc. Join with sl st to first sc.
4. Round 9: Ch 1. Work 1 sc in each sc and in each chain of both ch-51 arches around. Join with sl st to first sc. (144 sc)
5. Rounds 10–12: Ch 1. Work 1 sc in each sc around (144 sc). Join with sl st to first sc, fasten off after Round 12, and weave in all ends.