Mesh Laundry Bag Crochet Pattern: A Complete Guide to Making Your Own

If you’ve been searching for a practical crochet project that you’ll actually use every single day, a mesh laundry bag might be exactly what you need. This isn’t one of those decorative pieces that sits on a shelf looking pretty — it’s a functional, washable, durable bag that solves a real problem in your home. Whether you’re trying to protect delicate garments in the wash, sort laundry by color, or simply reduce your reliance on single-use plastic bags, crocheting your own mesh laundry bag is one of the most satisfying makes you can add to your repertoire.

This guide walks you through everything you need to know: the best materials to use, how to read the pattern, step-by-step instructions for beginners and intermediate crocheters alike, and plenty of tips for customizing your bag to suit your specific needs. By the time you finish reading, you’ll have all the knowledge you need to sit down, pick up your hook, and make something genuinely useful.

Why Crochet Your Own Mesh Laundry Bag?

Before we dive into the pattern itself, it’s worth taking a moment to appreciate why handmade is better here. Store-bought mesh laundry bags are fine, but they tend to be made from thin nylon that snags, frays at the zipper, and eventually falls apart after a year or two of regular use. A crocheted mesh bag, made from quality cotton yarn, is a completely different story.

Cotton is naturally strong and becomes even more durable with washing. Unlike synthetic mesh, cotton won’t melt or distort at higher wash temperatures. It’s also breathable, which means your bag won’t trap moisture or cause mildew if it gets tucked away damp. Aesthetically, a handmade bag has a warmth and texture that mass-produced options simply can’t match.

There’s also the size and shape advantage. You can make your bag exactly as large or small as you need it. Want a tiny bag for socks and lingerie? Easy. Need a large bag to hold a whole load of delicate sweaters? You can make that too. The pattern below is written for a standard medium-sized bag, with clear notes on how to adjust the dimensions.

Finally, making your own puts you in complete control of the materials. Many people are moving toward more sustainable households, and a reusable cotton mesh bag — used for laundry, produce shopping, storing toys, or organizing the bathroom — is a small but meaningful step in that direction.

Materials You’ll Need

Getting the right materials before you start will save you frustration later. Here’s what you’ll need for this pattern.

Yarn: 100% cotton yarn in a worsted weight (size 4) is the best choice for this project. Cotton holds up to repeated washing without stretching out of shape or pilling. Look for a yarn labeled “machine washable” to be safe, though most pure cotton yarns handle the washing machine well. You’ll need approximately 200–250 yards for a medium-sized bag. Popular options include Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton, Paintbox Simply DK (held double), or any affordable cotton yarn you find at your local craft store. Avoid acrylic for this project — it can trap heat against your clothes and doesn’t breathe as well as cotton.

Hook: A 5.0mm or 5.5mm crochet hook works well with worsted weight cotton. Cotton yarn has less give than acrylic, so you may want to go up half a size from what the yarn label recommends to keep your tension relaxed and your mesh open. If your finished swatch feels stiff or the holes are very small, try a larger hook.

Additional supplies: A yarn needle for weaving in ends, scissors, stitch markers (optional but helpful), and a measuring tape. You’ll also need about a yard of cotton cord, ribbon, or a length of chain made from the same yarn to thread through the top as a drawstring closure.

Understanding the Stitch Pattern

This bag is made using a simple mesh stitch, which creates the open, net-like fabric that allows water and detergent to flow freely through the bag while keeping your garments safely inside.

The mesh is created by alternating chain spaces with single crochets or double crochets. If you can chain, single crochet, and double crochet, you have every skill you need for this pattern. The stitch repeat is very easy to memorize after the first couple of rows, and most people find they can work it without looking at the pattern after ten minutes.

For this pattern, we’re using a simple chain-2 mesh: you’ll work a double crochet, then chain 2, skip 2 stitches, and repeat. This creates a uniform grid of open squares across the fabric. The size of the squares can be adjusted by changing the number of chains between your double crochets — chain 1 for a tighter mesh, chain 3 for a looser one.

Gauge

Gauge matters more than many beginners realize, but it’s also more forgiving here than in garment patterns. Since this is a bag rather than a fitted item, you have some flexibility. That said, checking your gauge before you start will help you end up with a bag that’s close to the intended size.

Work a swatch of approximately 20 stitches and 10 rows in your mesh pattern. After working the swatch, lay it flat and measure. You’re aiming for roughly 14 stitches and 8 rows to equal 4 inches (10 cm). If your swatch is larger than this, go down a hook size. If it’s smaller and feels stiff, go up a hook size.

Don’t skip the swatch — it only takes ten minutes and it tells you a lot about how your yarn and hook are working together.

The Mesh Laundry Bag Crochet Pattern

Finished size: Approximately 14 inches wide by 18 inches tall (before adding the drawstring casing)

Abbreviations:

• ch — chain
• dc — double crochet
• sc — single crochet
• sl st — slip stitch
• sp — space
• rep — repeat
• st — stitch

Foundation

Chain 60. Join with a slip stitch to form a ring, being careful not to twist your chain. (If you prefer to work flat and seam later, simply turn at the end of each row instead of joining.)

Round 1: Ch 3 (counts as first dc), dc in same st, ch 2, skip 2 ch, dc in next ch; rep from around, ending with ch 2, skip 2 ch, sl st to top of beginning ch-3 to join. You should have approximately 20 dc and 20 ch-2 spaces around.

Round 2: Sl st into first ch-2 sp, ch 3 (counts as dc), dc in same sp, ch 2, dc in next ch-2 sp; rep from around, ending with ch 2, sl st to top of beginning ch-3 to join.

Repeat Round 2 until your bag measures approximately 16 inches from the foundation, or until it reaches your desired length. This should be around 32–35 rounds depending on your gauge, but go by measurement rather than count.

Creating the Drawstring Casing

Once your bag body is at the right length, you’ll work a few solid rows to form the top casing, which will hold your drawstring.

Casing Round 1: Ch 1, sc in each st and 2 sc in each ch-2 sp around. Join with a sl st. (This closes the mesh and gives you a solid row to start the casing.)

Casing Round 2: Ch 1, sc in each sc around. Join with a sl st.

Casing Round 3 (drawstring holes): Ch 4, skip 2 sc, dc in next sc, ch 2, skip 2 sc; rep from around. Join with a sl st to second ch of beginning ch-4. (These holes allow you to thread your drawstring through.)

Casing Rounds 4 and 5: Ch 1, sc in each st and ch sp around. Join with sl st.

Fasten off. Weave in your ends securely using your yarn needle.

Closing the Bottom

Turn your bag inside out and fold the foundation edge flat. Using your yarn needle and a length of the same yarn, whipstitch the bottom closed with a firm seam. Run back along the seam a second time for extra durability — laundry bags take a lot of mechanical stress in the washing machine, so a double seam is worth the extra minute it takes. Alternatively, if you prefer not to seam, you can begin your bag from the bottom up: make a magic ring, chain 2, work your mesh increases across a few rounds to create a circular base, then continue straight up the sides. This method gives you a seamless bottom but requires a bit more shaping experience.

Adding the Drawstring

Cut a piece of cotton cord approximately 40 inches long, or make a chain of 80–90 stitches using your yarn. Thread it through the drawstring holes in the casing, going in and out of each hole all the way around. Tie the two ends together in a secure knot, or thread them both through a toggle bead or cord lock for a cleaner closure. Pull to cinch, and your bag is ready to use.

Tips for Success

Cotton yarn is less stretchy than acrylic, which means you’ll want to keep your tension a little looser than usual. If you tend to crochet tightly, consciously relax your grip on the yarn and allow each stitch to sit a bit more loosely on the hook before you pull through. Stiff, tight mesh won’t allow water to circulate freely through your laundry.

When counting rounds, place a stitch marker at the beginning of each round and move it up as you go. The mesh can be tricky to count after a few rounds because the holes all look similar.

Wash your finished bag before its first use. This will preshrink the cotton slightly and give you a sense of how the fabric responds to the washing machine. Most cotton bags shrink a little in length the first time — this is expected and totally fine.

If you find that small items like socks are slipping through the mesh holes, simply use a tighter stitch pattern on your next bag: chain 1 between double crochets instead of chain 2, or substitute half double crochets throughout for a denser fabric.

Customizing Your Bag

One of the real pleasures of this pattern is how easy it is to make it your own.

Size adjustments: To make the bag wider, add multiples of 3 to your starting chain (since the stitch repeat is a multiple of 3). To make it longer, simply work more rounds before starting the casing. To make a smaller bag for delicates, start with a chain of 30–36 and work fewer rounds.

Color: Use a single solid color for a clean, modern look, or change colors every few rounds for a striped effect. Because you’re joining at the end of each round, changing colors is very straightforward — simply fasten off the old color at the join and attach the new one at the same point.

Handles instead of drawstring: If you’d like a tote-style laundry bag rather than a drawstring version, skip the casing and instead work a row of solid single crochets at the top, then add two chains of 50–60 stitches on opposite sides to form handles. Reinforce the attachment points with several slip stitches.

Labeling: If you’re making bags for different family members or different types of laundry, crochet each one in a distinct color so you can sort at a glance. A red bag for reds, a white or cream bag for lights, and a dark color for darks makes laundry sorting almost automatic.

Beyond the Laundry Room

Once you’ve made one of these bags, you’ll quickly realize that the pattern has dozens of applications beyond the laundry room. The same basic mesh construction works beautifully as a produce bag for the farmers market — lightweight enough that it doesn’t affect the scale reading much, and sturdy enough to carry a few pounds of apples or onions. It makes a great beach bag for carrying wet swimwear home, since the mesh allows water to drain and air to circulate. Hung on a hook in the bathroom, it’s a perfect storage solution for bath toys, keeping them contained while they drip dry naturally.

Gifted versions of this bag tied with ribbon make a lovely, practical, and genuinely eco-conscious present. A set of three in coordinating colors tucked inside a handmade laundry basket would be a beautiful housewarming gift. Because the pattern is so quick to work once you’ve memorized the repeat, you can make several in an afternoon once you’ve got your rhythm.

Caring for Your Crocheted Bag

To keep your bag looking great for years, wash it in cold or warm water on a gentle cycle. Most cotton yarns are fine in a regular machine wash, but if your yarn label recommends hand washing, do follow that guidance. Lay flat to dry or tumble dry on low — high heat can cause cotton to shrink more than that initial wash, and over time it can weaken the fibers.

If a section of mesh gets pulled or distorted during washing, gently stretch it back into shape while the bag is still damp, then lay it flat to finish drying. Cotton is very forgiving and usually relaxes back into shape easily.

Final Thoughts

A mesh laundry bag crochet pattern is one of those projects that strikes the perfect balance between simplicity and usefulness. The stitches are basic, the construction is logical, and the end result is something you’ll reach for constantly. Whether you’re a beginner working on your first “real” project or an experienced crocheter looking for a quick, satisfying make between larger pieces, this is a pattern worth keeping in your collection.

Make one for yourself, make a few to give away, and once you see how versatile the mesh technique is, consider what else you might like to make with it. The pattern is a doorway into a whole family of practical, beautiful, everyday crochet — and it all starts with a chain, a hook, and a little bit of cotton yarn.