The Gift Box Soap Sack is a crochet soap bag pattern. Designed as part of my charity spotlight series, it meets the donation requirements for S.A.C.K.
This post contains affiliate links. I may receive compensation (at no added cost to you) if you make a purchase using these links. Yarn and hook for the sample were generously provided by WeCrochet.
This Month’s Featured Organization: S.A.C.K.
S.A.C.K., or Supporting A Community with Kindness, is a grassroots non-profit organization that inspires people to distribute crocheted and knitted soap sacks with bar soap to food pantries, homeless shelters, programs for veterans, and other organizations that help people in need. Low-income people often have to choose between personal hygiene and spending their money on other resources such as food and shelter. S.A.C.K. was founded in 2017 and estimates that over 150,000 soap sacks have been distributed since them.
Although you can arrange to ship donations of handmade soap sacks with bar soap in the original package to S.A.C.K.’s post office box in New Jersey, they encourage you to donate locally instead. S.A.C.K. recommends that you look for local food pantries through FoodPantries.org or local homeless shelters through HomelessShelterDirectory.org. Please note that once you find a local organization, your work isn’t finished. You’ll also need to contact them to make sure they accept handmade soap sack donations.
How To Make Great Soap Sacks for S.A.C.K.
S.A.C.K. doesn’t have many restrictions; they ask that you make soap sacks to include a loop or drawstring, and ensure that the finished sack measures at least 4″ (10 cm) x 6″ (15 cm). You can find free crochet and knitting patterns and printable soap sack tags here on the S.A.C.K. website.
Here are some more tips for making soap sacks in general:
- Choose 100% cotton, 100% bamboo, or cotton blend yarns. Non-mercerized cottons which can be machine washed and dried are the best for easy care.
- Choose stitch patterns that are dense. This will allow the recipient to use the soap sack as a scrubbie/washcloth even as the soap “shrinks” with repeated washings.
About the Gift Box Soap Sack
I’ve partnered with WeCrochet, who has generously provided yarn and hooks for this year’s charity spotlight series. When I got started on my design for S.A.C.K., I knew that Dishie, a workhorse 100% cotton yarn, would be the perfect choice for a soap sack that would last.
Since each project is small, you can get 3-5 soap sacks out of a single skein of yarn.
Scroll down for the free Gift Box Soap Sack pattern, or try this variation on the Basketweave Scrubbie: Seam one short edge and one long closed, and leave last short edge open for a soap sack version.
If you make your own Gift Box Soap Sack, I’d love to see it! Share your progress and questions by tagging me on Facebook as @Underground Crafter, Instragram as @ucrafter, or Twitter as @ucrafter. You can also share a picture in the Underground Crafters Facebook group. Sign up for my weekly newsletter and get a coupon code for your choice of one of my premium patterns and private access to my vault of subscriber goodies. Plus, you’ll never miss one of my free patterns again!
Add the Gift Box Soap Sack to your favorites or queue, or buy the ad-free PDF on Ravelry.
Gift Box Soap Sack
Crochet Soap Bag Pattern by Underground Crafter
This simple crochet soap bag pattern is big enough to hold a large bar of soap. It can be used as gift wrap and then for exfoliating while bathing with the soap inside. This pattern meets the donation requirements for S.A.C.K., a non-profit organization that distributes handmade soap sacks and toiletries to homeless shelters, food pantries, and other organizations helping people in need.
Finished Size
- 4.25” (11 cm) wide x 6” (15 cm) height when assembled.
Materials
- WeCrochet Dishie yarn (100% cotton, 3.5 oz/100 g, 190 yd/174 m) – 1 skein each in 28150 White (CA) and 25786 Fiesta Red (CB), or approximately 65 yd (59.5 m) in CA and 20 yd (18.5 m) in any medium weight, cotton or bamboo yarn.
- WeCrochet Mosaic US Size H-8/5 mm crochet hook, or size needed to obtain gauge.
- Clover bent-tip yarn needle.
Gauge
- 15 sts x 17 rows = 4” (10 cm) in sc. Exact gauge is not critical for this project. Stitches should be small to create a stiff and dense fabric.
Abbreviations Used in This Pattern
- BL – back loop only – Fiber Flux has a helpful video tutorial for identifying the back loop here.
- CA – Color A
- CB – Color B
- ch – chain
- rep – repeat
- sc – single crochet
- sl st – slip stitch
- st(s) – stitch(es)
- yo – yarn over
Pattern Notes
- Ch 1 at beginning and sl st at end of rows does not count as a stitch.
- Heart Hook Home has a helpful video tutorial for changing colors in the last yo of the final sc of a row here.
- A helpful photo tutorial for the whipstitch join is available here.
Pattern Instructions
Soap Sack
- With CA, ch 17.
- Row 1: Turn, skip 1 ch, sc in next 16 ch. (16 sts)
- Row 2: Turn, ch 1, sc in first st and in next 15 sts.
- Rows3-11: Rep Row 2, 9 times.
- Row 12: Rep Row 2, changing to CB in last yo of final sc (see Pattern Notes). Fasten off CA with long yarn tail (approximately 12”/30.5 cm) for seaming.
- Row 13: Rep Row 2 once.
- Row 14: Rep Row 2, changing to CA in last yo of final sc (see Pattern Notes). Fasten off CB with long yarn tail (approximately 8”/20.5 cm) for seaming.
- Rows 15-26: Rep Row 2, 12 times.
- Row 27:Turn, ch 1, scBL in first st and in next 15 sts.
- Rows 28-37: Rep Row 2, 10 times.
- Row 38: Rep Row 12.
- Rows 39-40: Rep Rows 13-14.
- Rows 41-52: Rep Row 2, 12 times. Fasten off CA with long yarn tail (approximately 12”/30.5 cm) for seaming.
Ribbon and Loop
- With CB, ch 63.
- Row 1: Turn, skip 1 ch, sc in next 52 ch, skip 9 ch, sl st to next ch to form loop.
- Row 2: Turn, skip ch-9 loop, sc in next 52 sc. Fasten off CB with long yarn tail (approximately 18”/45.5 cm) for seaming.
- Thread yarn needle with CB from last row of Ribbon. Starting approximately 1 stitch from the side and using photo below as guide, use yarn needle to join Ribbon to Soap Sack with whipstitch (see Pattern Notes). Weave in yarn tails from Ribbon on inside of Soap Sack.
- Fold Soap Sack at Row 27. Thread yarn needle with CA from last row of Soap Sack. Begin joining long, folded edges together with mattress stitch seam (see video tutorial below), changing to CB for CB rows and back to CA for CA rows. Weave in yarn tails from Soap Sack on inside of Soap Sack.
- If you can’t see the video for the mattress stitch seam above, click here to watch it on YouTube or here for a photo tutorial.
