Bella Ruffle Purse

I love purses. Usually I am too broke to purchase them, but I still love to look. I have had a hard time finding a purse that will fit all my needs. So, since my last purse needs to be retired, I decided that I would make my next purse. That way, I can make it to fit my needs. I searched and searched until I found a purse that I liked, and stumbled upon the Bella Purse. The best part is that the pattern was free. Click here for the free PDF pattern.

The pattern maker did a good job of explaining and showing how to make the purse, but there were some very unnecessary steps. On Round 8, the pattern calls for a round of slip stitches. So not necessary. Instead of the slipstitches, just crochet in the back loop only and leave the front loops for the ruffles. By taking out that extra round I got confused on which round I was on (I actually set the purse aside for a couple months, so when I went back to it, I forgot that was what I had done.) To help keep counting the rounds easy, count the round and the front loops separate. I hope that makes sense. Also, the pattern says to crochet the purse up to the ruffles, then crochet the ruffles with another skein. That's not necessary either. The way I did it was to crochet the purse part first, then I went back later and added on the ruffles once I was finished. 

The final modification I made was for the handle. I wanted a bigger handle than the 2 inch handle that I would have got had I followed the directions. To fix this, at the end of round the pattern's Round 21 (I think that's actually Round 18 with removing the slip stitches) I finished off the round. Then I flattened the purse and rejoined my yarn on the end. Instead of chaining 15, I chained 20 for the handle. Finally on the final round, I did a single crochet decrease at the corners where the handle is to give the handle a little more of a curved look. All in all, I think it turned out pretty good. I enjoyed making this purse and will probably be making more. I plan on making a change purse that I can attach to the purse and also a pocket on the inside for my cell/ipod, money, etc.