Ever dreamed of a purse that looks like a real butterfly just landed on your arm? This mint seafoam version delivers exactly that with layered wings in soft greens fading to white, a zippered body for your essentials, and those delicate antennae that seal the deal. You get a functional bag that turns heads without needing advanced skills beyond solid intermediate basics. Grab your hook—we’re diving in.
About This Butterfly Purse Crochet Pattern
This purse spans about 12 inches wingtip to wingtip and stands roughly 9 inches tall from the top of the upper wings down to the lower points. The central body pouch measures around 5 inches tall by 1.5 inches wide—perfect for a phone, cards, lip balm, and keys. A zipper keeps everything secure while the separate twisted rope strap stays out of the measurement.
You build it from flat wing panels worked in rows, a stuffed body tube in continuous rounds, and simple antennae. The four main wing pieces get white scallop edging, then sandwich together with smaller inner layers for that realistic depth. Everything finishes flat, about as thick as two layers of worsted plus the lightly stuffed center.
The color flow starts deep sage on the outer edges, shifts through seafoam and mint, and lands on crisp white at the tips. It echoes the markings on a real white-veined green butterfly. Once you hold the finished piece, you’ll see why the gradient feels so satisfying.
Skill Level
Call this intermediate. You need comfort with continuous rounds, mid-row color changes, careful stitch counts on shaped rows, inserting a zipper into a crocheted tube, and working scallop edging. No Tunisian or fancy overlays required. Symmetry in the wing curves matters most—rush those rows and the wings look lopsided.
Plan on 12 to 18 hours total, spread across a few sessions. The wing panels eat most of that time. Body, edging, and assembly add another three or four hours. Take breaks. Your hands will thank you.
Materials Needed
Yarn:
Color A (deep sage): about 120 yards
Color B (medium seafoam): about 90 yards
Color C (mint): about 80 yards
Color D (white): about 110 yards
Hook: US G-6 (4.0 mm)
Notions:
6 stitch markers
Yarn needle
Scissors
One 5-inch white coil or nylon zipper
White sewing thread and hand-sewing needle
About 0.5 oz polyester fiberfill
50 inches of natural cotton twisted rope (¼-inch diameter) for the strap
4 small safety pins or split-ring markers for the strap loops
That’s the full shopping list. Nothing exotic.
Yarn Suggestions
Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton in sage, mint, and white gives sharp stitch definition and holds shape without heavy blocking. One skein of each color covers you with room to spare.
Paintbox Yarns Simply DK held double works if you prefer a softer hand and wider color range. Grab two skeins per shade.
We Are Knitters The Petite Wool in similar greens and ecru, also held double, brings a warmer feel. Just remember wool needs gentle hand washing.
Stick to smooth worsted or doubled DK. Fuzzy yarns hide the layered wing shapes. Test your gauge before diving into the full panels.
Gauge
18 single crochet stitches and 20 rows measure 4 inches by 4 inches with the G-6 hook in worsted weight, worked flat.
Chain 22, work 24 rows of single crochet, fasten off, and measure the center 18 stitches over 20 rows. Go up a hook size if your swatch runs small; drop a size if it runs large. Even a half-stitch difference per inch throws the total width off by nearly an inch on each side. Check early.
Abbreviations (US Terms)
ch – chain
sl st – slip stitch
sc – single crochet
hdc – half double crochet
dc – double crochet
tr – treble crochet
inc – single crochet increase (2 sc in same stitch)
dec – invisible single crochet decrease
sk – skip
st(s) – stitch(es)
sp – space
RS – right side
WS – wrong side
BLO – back loop only
FLO – front loop only
pm – place marker
yo – yarn over
rep – repeat
rem – remaining
fasten off – cut yarn, pull tail through final loop
Keep this list nearby while you work.
Special Stitches
Shell: 5 dc in the same stitch or space.
Scallop edging: Sc in next stitch, skip 2, 5 dc in next, skip 2. Repeat around. Base stitch count must land on a multiple of 6.
Invisible decrease: Insert hook in front loop only of next two stitches, yarn over, pull through both, yarn over, pull through remaining two loops.
Magic ring: Loop yarn, insert hook, yarn over, pull up loop, chain 1, work stitches into the ring, then pull the tail tight.
These show up throughout the wings and edging.
Pattern Notes
Work the pieces in this order: four large upper wings (two right, two left), four small upper wings, four large lower wings, four small lower wings, the body pouch, two antennae, scallop edging on the front large panels, then assembly and strap.
All wing panels work flat in rows. Turning chain of 1 does not count as a stitch. Mark the right side on Row 1. Mirror the left wings by flipping the increase and decrease sides.
The body works in continuous rounds like amigurumi and gets light stuffing. Change colors on the last yarn-over of the stitch before the new color. The strap is plain rope threaded through crocheted loops—no crochet needed there.
Block every piece flat before you sew. Mist lightly and pin to the finished measurements. Stitch counts appear in parentheses at the end of each row.
Large Upper Wing Panel (Make 4 total: 2 right, 2 left)
Each finished large upper wing measures roughly 6 inches at the widest point and 5 inches tall. Start with Color A.
Foundation: Ch 17.
Row 1 (RS): Sc in 2nd ch from hook and each ch across. Turn. (16)
Rows 2–4: Ch 1, inc in first, sc across to last, inc in last. Turn. (18, 20, 22)
Row 5: Ch 1, inc in first, sc across (no increase on outer edge). Turn. (23)
Row 6: Ch 1, sc across to last, inc in last. Turn. (24)
Row 7: Ch 1, inc in first, sc across. Turn. (25)
Rows 8–11: Ch 1, sc across. Turn. (25, then 26 on Row 9)
Rows 12–14: Shape the curve with a decrease on the outer edge and an increase on the inner edge, keeping the total at 26.
Rows 15–23: Steady decreases on both ends until you reach 11 stitches.
Fasten off Color A. Join Color B.
Continue decreasing through Color B until three stitches remain, then draw up loops in all three and pull through. Fasten off.
Checkpoint: 6 inches wide, 5 inches tall. Make the left pair by reversing the increase and decrease sides.
Small Upper Wing Panel (Make 4 total: 2 right, 2 left)
These inner layers measure about 4 inches wide and 4 inches tall. Start with Color C.
Foundation: Ch 13.
Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch and across. Turn. (12)
Rows 2–3: Inc on both ends. (14, 16)
Row 4: Inc on the inner edge only. (17)
Rows 5–6: Sc across.
Begin decreasing until 13 stitches remain. Fasten off Color C. Join Color D.
Continue decreasing to a single tip stitch. Fasten off.
The white tip lines up with the white section of the large panel later.
Large Lower Wing Panel (Make 4 total: 2 right, 2 left)
These wider, rounder panels finish about 5.5 inches wide and 4.5 inches tall. Start with Color A.
Foundation: Ch 19.
Row 1: Sc across. (18)
Rows 2–5: Inc on both ends until 26 stitches.
Rows 6–8: Sc across.
Then steady decreases on both ends, switching to Color B around Row 12, until a single tip remains.
Mirror the left pair the same way you did for the upper wings.
Small Lower Wing Panel (Make 4 total: 2 right, 2 left)
These measure roughly 3.5 inches square. Start with Color C, increase to 18 stitches, work a few plain rows, then decrease while switching to Color D at the halfway point. End at a single tip.
Set all eight small panels aside for layering later.
Body Pouch (Make 1)
Work entirely in Color D using continuous rounds.
Magic ring, 6 sc.
Round 2: Inc around (12).
Round 3: Sc, inc around (18).
Round 4: 2 sc, inc around (24).
Round 5: 3 sc, inc around (30).
Rounds 6–7: Sc around.
Begin decreasing every few rounds until 12 stitches remain. Stuff lightly—puffed but still able to lie flat. Close the remaining stitches and weave the tail.
Position the 5-inch zipper vertically along the front center from roughly Round 3 to Round 14. Whip-stitch the zipper tape with white sewing thread. Test the zipper before finishing the ends.
Checkpoint: about 5 inches tall and 1.5 inches wide.
Antennae (Make 2)
Color D only. Chain 22. Slip-stitch the first four chains for the base, then single crochet the next five, and slip-stitch the rest. Fasten off with a long tail.
Make a tiny magic-ring knob of 6 sc and sew it to the tip at a right angle. Repeat for the second antenna.
Scallop Edging
Work this only on the outer edges of the front large upper and lower wing panels. First run a surface single crochet border in Color D to even out the edge. Aim for a multiple of 6 stitches.
Then: Ch 1, (sc, skip 2, 5 dc in next, skip 2) around. Slip-stitch to join. Fasten off. The upper wings need about 18 scallops; the lower ones need about 10.
Leave the inner edges and top strap corners plain for assembly.
Assembly Instructions
Layer each front large panel (with scallops) against its matching back panel, wrong sides together. Whip-stitch the three outer edges with matching yarn, leaving the inner vertical edge open. Slip the corresponding small panel between the layers and tack it in place at four or five points.
Join upper and lower wings on each side by overlapping the inner edges about half an inch and stitching 1.5 inches at the junction.
Center the body pouch over the wing joins so it overlaps about an inch top and bottom. Stitch only the sides of the body to the wings, zipper facing out.
Sew the antennae to the top of the body, angling them outward and slightly up.
At each top outer corner of the upper wings, join Color D and chain 8, then slip-stitch back into the same spot to form a sturdy loop. Thread the 50-inch rope through both loops and knot the ends securely.
Done. Your butterfly is ready to fly.
Care Instructions
Hand wash in cool water with mild detergent. Lay flat to dry and reshape the wings while damp. Skip the machine—zipper and shape both suffer. Store flat or hang by the strap when not in use.
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FAQ’s
Can I make this bigger or smaller?
Yes. Go up or down a hook size and adjust yarn weight, but recheck gauge carefully. Bigger versions need longer zippers and more stuffing.
What if my wings come out uneven?
Block aggressively. Pin them to matching measurements and mist. Most asymmetry disappears once the pieces dry flat.
Do I have to use a zipper?
No. You can leave the body open or add a button loop instead. The zipper just keeps contents safer when you swing the bag around.
How much yarn do I really need?
The listed amounts leave a comfortable buffer. If you tension tightly you might finish with leftovers. Better to buy an extra skein of the deep sage than run short mid-wing.
Is the strap length adjustable?
Absolutely. Cut the rope longer or shorter before knotting. Test the hang against your body first.
Final Thoughts
This project rewards patience. The layered wings and soft color shifts create real dimension that photos never fully capture. Take your time on the shaping rows—they make or break the graceful curves. Once you finish, the bag feels both delicate and surprisingly sturdy.
Tag your finished purses online so the rest of us can admire them. Happy stitching—now go make something that looks like it might flutter away.
