Simple Crocheted Stand-up, Drawstring Bag Instructions ~ Great for Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes

I wanted to make a simple drawstring bag to hold marbles to put into a 10 to 14 year old Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift.  We had gotten several bags of marbles on clearance at Michaels after Christmas and once the little guy opens the bag they came in to play with them he would have nothing to keep them in.  So I designed this small bag.

I had a ball of cotton twine my girls had left over from an AWANA project and I thought it would be fun to use it for a boy's bag.  I liked how it looked as I was making it, but wanted just a splash of color so added a red pony bead to the end of the drawstring.  I then made one out of thin,
worsted weight yarn to test my pattern instructions.

Tho I planned this drawstring bag for marbles, it will work great for other small toys (like Legos).

Crocheted Stand-up, Drawstring Bag Instructions

Crocheted Stand-up, Drawstring Bag Instructions


Finished Size:  Bottom diameter (rounds 1 - 5) – 3 3/4"
                       Height of Side (rounds 6 - 15) – 4"
                       Circumference of top opening – 11 3/4"

Supplies:  Hook –  G

Thin worsted weight yarn or cotton twine (approx. 1 1/2 oz) – really anything you have will work, just work on the gauge or allow it to become any size.  I am thinking of trying two strands of baby yarn.

Optional – one pony bead

Gauge:  4 rows half double crochet = 1 1/2”

             7 half double crochets = 1 1/2”

Bag Instructions:

Ch 4, join with slip stitch (sl st)  to make a circle, ch 1

Note:  work in rounds, do not turn work.  Hand press the bottom round as you go--it wants to ruffle slightly.

Round 1:  Work 2 single crochets (sc) in back loop only (blo) of each stitch around (8 sc); join with sl st, ch 1

Round 2:  2 sc in blo of each stitch around (16 sc); join with sl st, ch 1

Round 3:  2 sc in blo of each stitch around (32 sc); join with sl st, ch 1
(Editing to add:  NOTE:  Elizabeth, my daughter, used "Sugar & Cream" yarn on this and in this row it began to ruffle a lot.  She changed it to 2 sc, 2 sc, 1 sc around.  There were less stitches obviously, but it was plenty big enough for marbles.  She said she crochets tightly but not sure if that made a difference).

Round 4: 1 sc in blo of first sc, [2 sc in blo of next sc, 1 sc in blo of next sc] around ending with 2 sc in last stitch (48 sc); join with sl st

By working in back loop only
a nice ridge design is achieved.

Round 5:  ch 2 (counts as first half double crochet [hdc]), hdc in blo of each stitch around (48 hdc), join with sl st

Rounds 6 – 13:  Repeat round 5 (may add more rows if you want it longer)

Round 14: ch 3 (counts as first hdc & first ch), skip first hdc in row below, [hdc in next st, ch 1, skip next st] around, join with sl st.

Round 15:  ch 2 (counts as first hdc), [hdc in next ch space, hdc in blo of next hdc] around, join with sl st.

Finish off.

Drawstring instructions:

Ch 55

Optional:  Slide the bead/button onto the chain about half way up.

Sl st in the back of the first 27 chains, pull up the bead/button tightly over the next chain, sl st in the back of the remaining chains.  DO NOT finish off.






Weave the drawstring thru round 14 using the finished end.  Join ends w/sl st and sl st in next st or two for a more secure attachment.

Finish off.


Fill with goodies for a special child.

If you would like to find more crochet patterns for Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes check out our others right here at Simply Shoeboxes:  Free Crochet Patterns.