Ah, the sack dress. You remember them. Those baggy shapeless, sleeveless sacks with straight sides that dove to the floor – and just about everyone wore one with a white t-shirt. If you were feeling kind of sexy, yours might have had strings that tied in the back. Ten years ago it was a wardrobe staple. Now it’s a “What was I thinking and why is it still in my closet?” Somehow this dress escaped my last closet purge. Call it the allure of linen. I could donate this dress to charity, but why not give it a second chance as my new spring purse?

• MC: One long, straight sack dress. 20” wide x 45” long (armpit to hem measurement) or about 1 1/4 yds. of 42” wide fabric, which will yield approximately 110 yds of 1/2” fabric yarn. Look for mid-weight cotton or cotton blends. This dress was a 50% cotton/50% linen blend.
• CC1: One silk or satin slip or blouse for lining, or about 1/2 yd of lining fabric.
• US P / 10.0 mm crochet hook
• Yarn needle
• Seam ripper
• Cutting implements to cut up the dress (scissors and a ruler or a rotary cutter, plastic ruler and cutting mat with a grid)
• Scissors
• Washable marking pen/pencil (a regular #2 pencil may also work, for darker fabrics use 1/4” paper tape)
• Pins
• Sewing thread to match the lining and sack fabric
• Sharp sewing needle
• Sewing Machine (optional)
• Iron (optional)

9” wide x 6.5” high x 4.5” deep

7 dc / 4.5 rows = 4”

The raw edges of the strips will fray. This can be very messy when you are working on your sack. If you do not want a frayed look to your sack or you do not want to deal with the mess, you will need to use 5 yds. of fabric cut into 2” strips. Sew each strip together. Press the strip in half and then fold and press each raw edge to the center press line. Using a bias tape maker can help you do this faster. Roll into a ball.

Beginning ch 2 counts as 1st dc.

The body of the sack is worked in the round; use a stitch marker in the first stitch of each round and do not turn at the end of each round.

The flap and strap of the sack are worked in rows. Turn at the end of each row.

Dress Prep

1. Remove the seams, hem and facings of the dress using a seam ripper. Use an iron to press out any creases.
2. Using your cutting implements, cut the front and back of the dress into 1/2” strips from the hem to the shoulders.
3. To join the strips of fabric using one of the following methods:
1. Sew the strips together on a sewing machine. Roll into a ball.
2. Cut a small vertical slit into each end of every strip. Insert strip B 1” into a slit in strip A. Pull the long tail of strip B through the slit of strip B. Pull tight and repeat (see photo). Roll into a ball.