In the aftermath of finishing the Little Boy Blue blanket, there was a lot of straightening up and organizing to be done and no doubt a hobo bag crochet adventure just might help with all of that work to be done.

First, there was a pile of blue yarns to be sorted through, untangled, and put away. Next, there were the seemingly endless ends to be tied one to another for use in a future scrap project, and when that was done, and the dog had been walked and lunch eaten, I turned my attention to the crocheted hobo bag that is the genius of Dao Lam.

When we last saw this project, I was preparing the lining from a much beloved, but overly worn, shirt that I intended to repurpose into a purse lining.

Today, using embroidery thread and a quilting needle, I finished sewing the side seams:

As can be seen from the photo, the lining is not perfect.

I probably should have measured more carefully and taken the time to better line up the stripes, but at the time I first started working on the lining, getting it done was my greatest imperative.

While the lining lacks perfection, it is good enough, so I took this good-enough-lining and pinned it into place:

Then, using the same quilting needle and the same color embroidery thread, I tacked the lining down:

With the lining firmly secured, I was feeling more confident, almost heady, and so (at the suggestion of a fellow crafter) I cut strips of fabric from the sleeves of the shirt used to line the purse and joined them by sewing a small seam along the bias.

Following the directions in a copy of a vintage crafting book, Better Homes and Gardens Rug Making, for how to join fabric strips, I made this giant, fabric “M.”

Here is a close-up of one of the seams:

and here is that same seam after being trimmed:

I finished trimming the seams and then starched and ironed the new, longer fabric strip which I wove through the last row of 3dc shells as seen here:

Still needing a handle/strap for this project, I sorted through various options and finally settled on a braided treatment. Using a 4.5 mm hook and two strands of worsted weight yarn in three different colors, I crocheted three long chains which I then braided:

I don’t yet know how I will pull together all of the finishing details of this bag, but I know that I will enjoy the process, and when it is done, I will enjoy my new (if not entirely stylish) hobo bag.