Vintage Inspired Crochet Church Purse: Bassinet Cradle Purse

 

Okay, all my ladies of a certain age!!  Who had one of these as a child?  I know I made my 3 girls each one when they were little and they still remember them even though they are all adults now.  They recently told me that they looked forward to car trips because they got to take them with us on our journey.

Here is a fun little update to this vintage inspired sweet baby cradle purse also known as a “church purse.”

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THESE ARE THE LITTLE DOLLS THAT I PURCHASED FOR MY BABY CRADLES.

First, the boring bits:

This pattern is intended for personal use only.  This pattern -and all my patterns- are offered for free or a small fee to help support my family so please do not redistribute, sell, copy or use them in any way not in accordance with fairness.

You may sell products made from these patterns, but please give me credit as the designer.  Please do not use my photos as your own work, but you may use my photos to reference back to my blog, Etsy, Pinterest, IG or FB, but please link back to me.

If you find any problems with this pattern, please let me know and if you have any problems with any of it feel free to message me and ask for support.

Kristi Bergin-Smith and The Burgundy Basket, 2026. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to me, Kristi Bergin-Smith and The Burgundy Basket with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Most of my patterns are worked in the CONTINUOUS Round: I do not join and chain but continue to work in the next stitch. Use a stitch marker for this so you don’t lose your place.  I will always note if this is not the case.  

*This pattern is not always worked continuously, and I will write each step below.

You can assume that I have used my I/5.5mm for all of these patterns unless it is stated otherwise.

Pattern Note: If I write, “sc 3” it means single crochet in the next 3 stitches – whereas “3sc” means to make 3 single crochet in one stitch.

Pattern Note: (sc, 2sc) repeat around – this is read as you make a single crochet in the next stitch and then 2 sc in the next stitch and repeat this sequence around the entire round. 

Another example, (sc 2, inv dec) repeat around.  This is read as you make a single crochet in the next two stitches and then you do an invisible decrease and then you repeat this sequence all the way around.

More complicated example: sc 12, (inc, sc) 6, sc 6 – This is read as you do 12 single crochet, then you do an increase sc, then single crochet, but what is in parenthesis gets done as many times as the number after says – so, you would do increase sc then sc 6 times total and then do the single crochet 6.

This sweet pattern was inspired by the little purses that I made my girls over 25 years ago like these.  This is not a new idea or concept, but I wanted to put an update on this oldie.

MATERIALS:

I have used various types of yarn for this project. For most of my examples, I held two strands of a regular weight 4-ply yarn like ILTY (I Love This Yarn from Hobby Lobby) together to create a bulky weight yarn.  I will show you below the different examples and yarns.  You will need about 160 yards of yarn for each purse.  I used cakes that were 164 yards and had some left after making the little accessories like the pillows and blankets.

When I held two strands together and for the bulky weight yarn, I used my size I/5.5mm hook, but you can also use a single strand of yarn and a smaller hook for a smaller purse. The solid pink purse is single-stranded with a size H/4.5 mm hook.

The purses are between 5” and 7”

The little dolls that I used are 4”

This purse above was created using a bulky weight yarn and my size I/5.5 mm hook.  This yarn is Lion Brand Yarn Mandala Impressions in Mermaid.

Most of the purses that I made I used two strands of a regular 4-ply weight yarn together to create a bulky weight interesting fabric that was sturdy but soft.  The one in the top of the next graphic is Sundance Sweets yarn in Bubblegum.

NOTE:  When making accessories like pillows and blankets for the baby purses, I went down a hook size or two for the pillows since I was adding a bit of stuffing and up a hook size for the blankets to make them more flexible.  You can also just single strand the blankets if you are making those.

Some other pattern notes:

We all crochet differently and were taught differently.  I do not count my chain up 2 as a double crochet at the beginning of rows/rounds or a chain 1 or 2 as a single crochet.  I do my chaining and then also a stitch in the place where I did the chain.  If you don’t like to do that and prefer to count a chain up 2 or 3 as a double crochet and a chain up 3 or 4 as a treble crochet, please feel free to do it that way.  In the end it will not make any difference to the form or function of this pattern.  I find that my work looks neater when I do not use this chain up as a stitch.

This is NOT my original idea by a long shot.  This is a vintage inspired pattern that I created after the purses I made for my own girls when they were little.  I have no idea the source of the pattern I used 25-30 years ago.  This may very well resemble those vintage creations, but it is my own update.

You will start at the bottom of the cradle and work it in one piece.  There is no cutting until the bottom of the cradle and the sides are finished and then you cut and reattach your yarn to form the cradle top.

Let’s get started.  Grab the yarn you have chosen with the appropriate hook.

Chain 21.

Round 1: Dc in the 4^th chain from the hook and in the next 16 chains.  The chain 3 at the beginning DOES count as a dc for this part.  You will put 5dc in the last chain and then turn to work on the other side of the chain. Dc 16 down the other side of the chain and then end with 3dc in the place where you started.  *The chain 3 at the beginning is the 4^th dc in this set of 5dc.

MY PAID PDF CONTAINS OVER 25 PICTURES TO HELP WITH THESE STEPS.

After you make the last 3 dc on the end, you will join with a sl st to the top of the chain 3 space.

Round 2: Chain 2 (not a stitch) and dc in that same stitch and in each stitch around. (42) – join to the top of the dc and not the sl st at the end of this round and the next rounds.

You will make rounds 3-6 just as you did round 2.

Round 7:

At the end of round 6, join with a sl st to the FRONT LOOP ONLY (FLO).  Chain 2 and make 2dc in EACH stitch around in the FLO. Join with a sl st to the 1^st dc and chain2.

Round 8: dc in each stitch around and join to the top of the 1^st dc

**For this treble cluster (tr) I do count my chain 4 as a stitch.

Round 9: chain 4 and make 3 more tr in the same space.  Skip 3 stitches and make 4tr in the next space.  Continue around by skipping 3 stitches and doing 4tr in the next stitch. Join to the top of the chain 4 when you are finished on that round.

Chain 1 and turn.

Round 10: After you chain 1 and turn from the round below you will sl st in the next space and then chain 4.  You will repeat the tr 4 cluster in each space around between the clusters from the round below.  Round 10 is made just like round 9 except you are working in the spaces you made and not a stitch. Join the same way and finish off. Weave in your end.  You want to open your cradle and mark the 21 open loops that you made from working in the FLO from round 7.

Since you had 42 stitches around, you will mark 21 stitches on one half to form the cradle hood.  It does not matter which way you choose to work because either direction will give you 21 sc.

Join your yarn and sc from marked stitch to marked stitch. Chain 1 and turn.

Row 2: hdc 3, dc in all the rest of the stitches until you get to the last 3 and then hdc 3.  Chain 1 and turn

Row 3: Repeat row 2

Row 4: hdc, skip 1 stitch, hdc, skip 1 stitch, hdc, skip 1 stitch, dc, skip 1 stitch and repeat to end with the last stitches being hdc and having a skipped stitch between.  These skipped stitches create the gentle curve at the top of the cradle.  Chain 1 and turn and single in ALL the stitches all the way around the cradle and fasten off.

The last step is just to chain some ties to draw the top closed.  My ties are usually about 85 chains.  You will make 2 ties that get woven between the tr clusters.

You weave over and under the clusters from round 9.  Start one tie on one side and the other tie on the other side.  You will find that on one side the ties are opposite, but on the other side they are the same and that is okay.  (see pictures below) It still draws the purse closed.

Thank you for choosing my pattern.  I would love to see your cradle purses over on IG.

Find me @theburgundybasket

Now go make all the colors <3