Sale of Handmade Cotton Bags

Sale in Our Etsy Shop of all Handmade Cotton Bags

 We are getting our stock ready for Christmas and some of our Children's Cotton Bags have all been reduced while we update.
All our cotton bags are made with good quality, 100 percent cotton fabric, are double-sided, plus have interfacing to ensure they keep their shape. Some are fully reversible too, so you get two bags in one 😀
Oh yes, and each bag comes with a little teddy bear either in the front pocket, or inside the bag. 🧸

So why not have a look. It will be very difficult to find  any handmade cotton bags at a better price! Links lead to their Etsy page which has a longer description and more pictures.

Childs Teddy Print Cotton Shopper Tote With Teddy In Front Pocket

Teddy print outside and pretty polka dots inside.
All in 100 percent cotton.

Pockets back and front and little 7.5cm brown jointed  teddy in the front pocket. Price Reduced.

For sale here on Etsy at £9.50.

Price includes postage and packing. UK only.

Childs Blue Stars Reversible Cotton Bag With Teddy In A Crochet Blanket

Reversible small shoulder in 100 percent cotton fabrics - blue polka dot outside and pretty white and beige flowers inside.

Teddy is approximately 12.5 cms (5 inches) in height and has jonted arms and legs.

For sale here on Etsy at £9.00.

Price includes postage and packing. UK only.

Childs Elephant Print Cotton Shopper Tote With Teddy In Front Pocket

Child's 'shopper style' double-sided 100 percent cotton bag. Lots of room inside, plus outside pockets frolnt and back for little extras.

Small, 7.3cm teddy bear is in the front pocket. Price Reduced.

For sale here on Etsy for £9.50

Price includes postage and packing. UK Only.

Childs Teddy Cotton Print Shoulder Bag With Teddy In Front Pocket 

Child's 'puff style' shoulder bag, with teddy print outside and pink and white inside. 100 percent cotton.

Front pocket has a 7.5cm brown jointed teddy bear.  Reduced Price.

For sale here on Etsy for £9.50.

Price includes postage and packing. UK only.

Childs Floral Cotton Shopper Tote With Teddy In Front Pocket 

Very pretty, 100 percent cotton child's 'shopper' bag, in navy 'roses' floral print on one side and pink and white small floral print inside.

Pockets front and back and inside front pocket is a small, 7.5cms jointed teddy bear.
Reduced Price.

For sale here on Etsy for £9.50

Price includes postage and packing. UK only.

Childs Small Reversible Cotton Bag With Teddy In A Crochet Blanket

Fully reversible small shoulder bag in 100 percent cotton. One side has pink and white flowers and the other side has pink flamingos.

Inside the bag is a 12.5cm (5 inch) teddy bear with fully jointed arms and legs.

For sale here on Etsy at £9.00.

Price includes postage and packing. UK only.

Childs Teddy Print Cotton Tote Bag With Teddy In Front Pocket

Child's two-tone tote/shoulder bag in 100 percent cotton. Outside is a teddy print with floral 'band' at the top plus large front pocket.

Inside the pocket is a 7.5cm brown, jointed teddy bear.

For sale here on Etsy at £9.00.

Price includes postage and packing. UK only.



Most items are one only, so once they are gone, they are gone, as we are making room for new items in the run up to Christmas.
So do check out our Elephant Sun Dog Etsy Shop for these bargains while they are still there 😀

Introduction To Our Sister Site ESD Crafts

And A Look at a Great Papercraft Site Too

You may have noticed that Elephant Sun Dog has a sister site. It is called ESD Crafts (which of course is based upon the initials for Elephant Sun Dog 😀).

Whereas Elephant Sun Dog at the moment looks mainly at crochet, sewing and jewellery making, with links to useful CALS, patterns, and YouTube videos, plus offers free and paid patterns; ESD Crafts looks at these, but also looks at and writes about other crafts as we try them out.

Photo courtesy Estee Janssens on Unsplash

 Recently I have ventured into the world of Scrapbooking and Journaling, and was totally amazed at the creativity involved in these hobbies, and how useful they are to many crafters to use in their work.
So, I have written a full article here: called Scrapbooking, Journaling and Bullet Journaling.

The article is fairly long, because I wanted to cover many of the things I am discovering about these three overlapping crafts. And I think I've provided lots of information which will help you as well as me.

Here on Elephant Sun Dog, we like to keep you updated about our latest projects, craft makes, fairs and news of other's work too. But having ESD Crafts as our sister blog allows us to search and experiment with different crafts and to pass on what we find.

It also gives us the capability to upload larger files we want to share with you, like the Free Downloadable Tutorial On How To Line A Crochet Or Knitted Bag which we posted about here earlier this month.

So we think it's a win, win! 😀

You can see the ESD Crafts RSS feed in the sidebar on this site, so you can check out new posts you may be interested in.

Photo courtesy Victoria Bilsborough on unsplash

And if you are interested in finding out more about Scrapbooking and Journaling mentioned in the ESD Crafts post above, or about Papercrafts in general, I highly recommend you check out CraftStash.
Not only are they authorities on these crafts, but they have lots of special offers too, like this one:

Save On 1000s Of Arts & Crafts Supplies At CraftStash
Plus UK Customers also get:


With free delivery offers in Europe, Canada and the US too. So it's a offer which I think is well worth checking out!

~ Silvi

Two Lovely Free Snuggle Blanket Patterns

Make a snuggle/lovey blanket for a very special Christmas present.

You Are My Sunshine Crochet Lovey
by Lorene Haythorn Eppolite - Cre8tion Crochet

This is a pattern which really makes you happy.
A lovely bright yellow sun and a soft snuggle blanket. I think most children (and adults) will like this one 🌞!

My Bright Sunshine Lovey using Cre8tion Crochet's Pattern

The pattern was originally designed for worsted weight (10 ply) yarn, but it's easy to change to the yarn of your choice.
I made mine in double knit (8ply) yarn. I used Stylecraft Special DK in:
Lemon, Cloud Blue, Aster, Lapis, Petrol, Matador, Jaffa, and Citron.

 I added some extra rows to the blanket and the amigurumi sunshine to make up the size difference.
And my Sunshine Lovey/Snuggle measures 16 x 16 inches, which is about right.

What I really like about this pattern is that it's quite easy and quick to make and the Sunshine centre is a good start for someone new to amigurumi crochet.

I've made quite a few of these Sunshine Lovey/Snuggles, all in bright rainbow colours.

This is one of my Bright Sunshine Lovey Snuggles available now on Etsy:
 Bright Colours Sunshine Lovey Snuggle Blanket with Sun in the centre

You can find the Free Crochet Pattern for the Sunshine Lovey here:
You Are My Sunshine Free Crochet Lovey Pattern

 I think you'll enjoy making it! 🌞

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Amigurumi Elephant Snuggle by Dennis van den Brink

A Free Pattern – Elephant Snuggle

This is a lovely little pattern. 🐘
It uses a basic granny square stitch for the blanket and an amigurumi pattern for the elephant part.

One of the Elephant Snuggles I made from the Elephant Snuggle Free Pattern

 It's an easy pattern which looks great when it's finished, so well worth doing.

And you can always ring the changes with this pattern: either with colour changes, yarn used, or with decorating the elephant.
I added a sweet little bow to my elephant, using a pattern called Scrapbusting Mini Bows by ChiWei Ranck of One Dog Woof
You can find the bow pattern on her site here:
Sweet and Simple Crochet Bows

My Elephant Snuggle with Bow design by One Dog Woof

 I love this pattern and have put one of my Elephant Snuggle Blankets in our Etsy shop.
You can see it here:
Elephant Snuggle Blanket Sweet and Cuddly Gift Lilac Pink & Cream

 You can find the Free pattern to make your own Elephant Snuggle here on the DenDennis site:
A Free pattern – Elephant Snuggle 🐘

 And while you are there, have a look at all the other patterns Dennis has made.
His website is a treasure trove for amigurumi lovers, both beginners and advanced. And you'll find lots of papercraft and woodland crafts items there too.
Some of the patterns are in Dutch, but many are in English, including the Elephant Snuggle pattern (and Google Translate can be your friend for some of the others 🙂 ).
So very well worth a look!
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Well that was an almost perfect post for Elephant  🐘 Sun 🌞 Dog 🐕
(I'll find a crochet dog to make it perfect soon. I promise! 😀)

Those are two of the best free snuggle blanket patterns I have found.
I think that they are great for all levels of crochet experience and, as you can see, I can prove that they work!

Hope you like them too!

~ Silvi

Quality Yarn at an Amazing Low Price

I use Stylecraft Special DK yarn for many of my craft projects.



Like most people nowadays, I find that money is tight, so at a budget price and in large, 100 gram balls which produce 295 meters of yarn to work with, Stylecraft Special DK works out a very good buy.

And it's a good buy because it's easy work with, soft, machine washable (and can be tumble dried), and you can use it to make a vast range of items, from all sorts of clothing to blankets and bags.

But here's another reason why I use this yarn.
The colours are fantastic!
All the colours of the rainbow and some you hadn't even thought of!

Stylecraft Special DK Colours

One of my crochet makes using Stylecraft Special DK was the Jacaranda Cal.
I wanted to use pretty colours which enhanced the intricate pattern design, and I think I chose well 😀

I used Cream, Cloud Blue, Violet, Clematis, and Parma Violet.
They are colours I would have found difficult to find in many budget yarns, but I knew I could rely on Stylecraft to produce them and for Deramores to stock them.

So why am I writing this post about Stylecraft Special DK right now?
Because I've just discovered that Deramores has special savings on their yarn with lots of savings.

Stylecraft Special DK is part of their Everyday Low Price Collection, plus,if you are looking for particular colours, buying in value packs will save you 10% more, plus for members, you will get rewards for your next purchase.

Now, like many crafters, I may be a yarnaholic, but I'm also very aware of the need to budget on my yarn purchases.
And this looks like a great deal to me.

And when I, an intermediate crocheter, can produce projects like the Jacaranda which look even more intricate because of the colours, then I'm happy! :)

You can find All Stylecraft Special DK colours on the link at Deramores here:
Stylecraft Special DK colours and info

Go on have a look.
I bet you love looking at yarn colours as much as I do! 😀

Free Tutorial on Lining A Crochet Bag

Full printed sewing and pattern making tutorial with instructions and pictures to download.

When you make a crochet bag it is often necessary to line it. I find that particularly the case when making a shoulder bag from two large crochet squares.

 Crochet squares, like other decorative crochet designs, often have gaps between stitches, which makes them look pretty, but also makes carrying small items inside the bag quite risky.

For some time I have been lining my more decorative crochet bags, and over that time I have found the best ways to do it. And I thought it was time to share the bag-lining tricks I had learned with you 😀

So I have made a free, downloadable tutorial on how to line a crochet or knitted bag.

It is a sewing and pattern making tutorial to show you how to make and fit a double-sided lining with an inside pocket.

The tutorial is easy to follow and the steps should help you, particularly if you have been putting off lining your bags because you could never find the right advice.

This tutorial has been written by me - Silvi Veale - and the pictures used are mine. The tutorial is free to download and it would be great if you shared the link too. However, please do not claim this tutorial as your own, or use the pictures as if they are yours.

To follow this sewing and pattern making tutorial you will need:

• 2 Different fabrics – one to display inside the bag and one to face the outside of the bag. Fabric size will depend upon size of bag, but as a rough estimate, half a meter of each fabric should be plenty.
• Dressmaking scissors.
• Pins.
• Sewing needle.
• Sewing thread to match both bag and lining material if possible (if in doubt, and the fabric is light, use white thread).
• Sewing machine, or you may chose to sew the seams by hand.

You will find the tutorial in the pdf file on ESD Crafts, our sister site, on this post here:
Sewing Tutorial – How To Line A Crochet Or Knitted Bag.

 The free downloadable file contains a written tutorial with 27 pictures - one for each part of the making process.

Now, not everyone wants to print out a file with so many pictures in it and you may prefer to download the pattern to read on your phone or laptop, rather than printing it out.
Or you can just read it online.

But for those who like to work with a printed copy to hand for reference, I think this tutorial will be very useful.

 If you have any questions about the instructions (or any suggestions also), please post them in the comments here or on the post on ESD crafts, and I will do my best to answer.

Anyway, I hope you find this sewing tutorial useful and that it helps you to line many lovely bags!

Here's another bag I lined using my tutorial:

Hope you like it 😀

~ Silvi

Updates To Our Free Patterns

Updates to patterns designed by Elephant Sun Dog:

I'm slowly working my way through some of the free crochet patterns I designed to see if they need updating, so I'm listing them here as I update them:

Teeny Tiny Basket Pattern

I have made a minor alteration to the Teeny Tiny Basket Free Crochet Pattern.
This just needed a change of stitch count in the first row, and that has now been altered on this blog and on the free download in my Ravelry store.

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I have also substantially altered 2 of my free patterns for children's crochet bags.
These were the first patterns I designed, so they were not as clear as they could have been.
Updates have put this right and they should now be clear to understand and beginner friendly.

The updated patterns for small bags are:

Child's Small Bag With Pocket

Has been updated with clearer instructions as follows:

• Full explanation of crochet terms used;
• Written in accepted crochet (US) terminology;
• Stitch counts added;
• New pictures to help explain instructions.

This pattern is a Free Ravelry Download and you can find it here:
Child's Small Bag With Pocket by Silvi Veale

Small Bag With Granny Pocket

I have now updated this pattern and it should be much easier to understand 😀
Changes made:

• Ensured that crochet terms (US) are used throughout.
• I’ve taken out a couple of suggested options, because they simply confused the original pattern.
• I’ve made the instruction section on making the shoulder strap clearer.
• Added stitch counts where they were missing.

This pattern is a Free Ravelry Download and you can find it here:
Small Bag With Granny Pocket by Silvi Veale

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That's the pattern updates for now.
But if I update any of my patterns (or hear of others that have been changed up) I will let you know here.

And in the meantime...
See you very soon with more craft posts 🙋

~ Silvi

6 Free Crochet Patterns Which Make Beautiful Baby Blankets

Here are 6 Free Crochet Patterns which have been tried and tested to ensure that they will make beautiful baby blankets.
Where possible, there are also links to the Ravelry project pages for the patterns, so that you can see what other crocheters have achieved with them.

1: Granny Stripe Pattern by Lucy of Attic 24
 Lucy's Attic24 blog is a great go-to place for blankets and the Granny Stripe Pattern is a nice, basic pattern which is ideal for a first baby blanket.
On Lucy's site, you can also find ideas for blanket borders. And you'll enjoy looking at all the lovely ideas she has there.
I'm making my Granny stripe Blanket in different shades of red as it should feel nice and warm for the winter months.

My 'shades of red' Granny stripes blanket in progress

But if you look at the Ravelry page for the pattern here:
Granny Stripes by Lucy of Attic24 - Ravelry Page
You can click the project link on the right of the page and scroll through over 7,000 projects ( 😵!) to find colours that you would prefer.
Or just go for it with colours you have from stash. This pattern is very adaptable.

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In fact, most of the Attic24 patterns would work great as a baby blanket.
And as Lucy makes such fabulous blanket patterns, I must include another of her designs....

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2: This one in particular is a huge success with baby blanket lovers:
Neat Ripple Pattern by Lucy of Attic 24
 In fact, when you go to the Ravelry page for this pattern:
Neat Ripple by Lucy of Attic24 - Ravelry Page
 and click on the projects link on the right hand side, you will see that there are over 9.5k projects made using this pattern! That's quite amazing!
 So do have a scroll through the projects if you want ideas on yarn types and colours to use (and tips about the pattern from other crocheters).
With that many crocheters making this pattern, there must be loads of help within those project pages!
Here is my Neat Ripple Baby Blanket:

My neat ripple baby blanket in progress

As you can see, it's still a 'work in progress', but I love the colours so had to include a picture here 😉.
I think those colours with this pattern will make a beautiful baby blanket!

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3: The next pattern is on my 'to-do list, but will definitely be made soon:
Four Color Baby Blanket  by Crochet n Create
 (When you click the above link, scroll down the page for both US and UK pattern versions).
This is "A Candy stripe baby afghan blanket free crochet pattern, made in worsted weight yarn using soft pastel colours." As described on the Ravelry pattern page.
(although you can of course use dk yarn if you prefer - but perhaps in this case add a number of chains to get the size required - just ensure that you increase in multiples of 6).
This is a very pretty blanket with a puff stitch design.
You can see some projects done using this lovely pattern if you follow the projects link from the Ravelry page for the pattern linked below:
PFC72 Baby Afghan Blanket - Ravelry pattern page
(but a word of advice: don't bother following the link on the Ravelry pattern page - it will just redirect you to the new page at Crochet n Create which I've linked to already above 😉)

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4: Unicorn Stripes Baby Blanket by Megan Meyer
Megan has designed a beautiful but relatively easy to make baby blanket.
She designed her pattern for colour changing yarn and it works a treat as you will see in her pictures on the pattern's Ravelry page here:
Unicorn Stripes Baby Blanket by Megan Meyer
This lovely baby blanket pattern is a paid pattern on the Ravelry link - and it's worth it because the pdf download contains lots of help and advice (and all the work put in by Megan to get the pattern right) and no adverts.
However, I have listed this as a free pattern, because, at time of typing this post, there is a free version of the pattern here:
Unicorn Stripes Baby Blanket at Left In Knots
 My version of the Unicorn Stripes Baby Blanket is a 'Bright Rainbow' version, in the picture below. I also used different skeins of yarn for each colour (but that wasn't a huge problem).
I also added a few rows to the end of the pattern, to make a cot blanket.

My Bright Rainbow Version of the Unicorn Stripes Baby Blanket

 This is a lovely pattern - an easy stitch sequence, but decorative enough to make a pretty design.
And the border is lovely too.

Unicorn Stripes Baby Blanket Border

 This pattern is definitely a keeper!

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5:  Another free baby blanket pattern on my to-do list and it looks very pretty:
One Skein Baby Blanket by Marilyn Losee
 (although the above website page has a checkout, you can download the pdf pattern for free)
This is a fairly easy and quick-to-work pattern which looks beautiful when completed.
And seems to have a lot of fans who have made several of these baby blankets.
You can see hundreds of projects made using this pattern by looking at the Ravelry page for the pattern here:
One Skein Baby Blanket on Ravelry

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6:  You Are My Sunshine Baby Blanket by Christine Bumgarner

My You Are My Sunshine Baby Blanket

I've shown you this one before, but it's an ideal addition to a free baby blanket pattern post.
The pattern is made up from posts from the You are my Sunshine Afghan CAL by Christine Bumgarner
And you can find all 6 parts of the Cal from the links on this page:
You Are My Sunshine, my only Sunshine!

 Or you can click the project page link on the RH side of the Ravelry page for the pattern here:
You are my Sunshine Afghan CAL by Christine Bumgarner

and see the different colours and yarns which others have used to make their baby blanket.

This is mine completed and I love it!

You are my Sunshine Baby blanket

I love the central Sun design and the different stitches throughout.
I would say that this pattern is for an adventurous beginner or intermediate crocheter, but the instructions are very helpful, so you should manage fine with the more decorative stitch patterns.
And the bonus is that this pattern is available in English (US), Hebrew, Swedish and Dutch!
And it makes such a pretty blanket!

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And that's the last of the 6 Free Crochet Patterns Which Make Beautiful Baby Blankets.

But I'm sure there will be more soon.

In the meanitme, I hope you enjoyed this post and have found a good pattern to use to make your next baby blanket.

~ Silvi