Looking for a quick and easy crochet project? Try this adorable Seashell Coin Purse!  It is a cute, functional project that is quick to make, and only requires a small amount of yarn.

How to Crochet a Seashell

There are many ways to crochet seashell motifs, but most crochet sea shells are flat and don’t have a lot of detail or texture. The seashell motif used in the Seashell Coin Purse is 3-dimensional, and is designed to look like a clam shell.

This seashell starts with a small half-circle of crochet stitches. Then, the main portion of the shell is worked sideways in rows, using a special slip-stitch technique to create the 3D ridges of the shell. To finish it off, we work around the bottom edge of the shell to create the bottom corners.

You can use the seashell motif on its own for other coastal or beach themed projects, but I chose to join two sea shells together to make a coin purse. This tutorial will also show you how to do that, while hand-sewing a zipper in to close the pouch.

Seashell Coin Purse Crochet Pattern

by Yay for Yarn

Skill Level: Intermediate

You will need:

25 to 30 yards of DK weight yarn

US Size D (3.25 mm) crochet hook

7” long zipper (not an invisible zipper)

Yarn Needle or Blunt Tapestry Needle

Sharp Large-Eye Sewing Needle

Scissors

Ruler (for measuring gauge)

Gauge: 4.5 half-double crochet stitches = 1”

Finished Size: 4” wide by 3” tall by 1” deep

Abbreviations:

st: stitch

sp: space

sts: stitches

beg: beginning

ea: each

sk: skip

nxt: next

ch: chain stitch

sl st: slip stitch

sc: single crochet

hdc: half-double crochet

dc: double crochet

Note: Pattern will say to work into “  “ dc from side of half-circle. If you are right-handed, you will be working into “ “ dc from right-hand side of half-circle. If you are left-handed, you will be working into “  “ dc from left-hand side of half circle.

Seashell Coin Purse Instructions

Seashell Motif (make 2)

Ch 4, sl st in 1^st ch (see arrow in the photo below) to form a ring.

Row 1: Ch 3. 6 dc into ring (see arrow in the first photo below). You should have 7 sts, including beg ch sp. This creates a half-circle shape. We will be joining the main part of the shell to this half-circle as we go. Sts from half-circle will not be included in stitch counts in following rows.

Row 2: Turn. Sl st into 1^st st, sl st into nxt st (see arrows in the first photo below). Ch 16. Dc in 4^th ch from hook, dc in nxt 3 sts. Hdc in nxt 4 sts, sc in nxt 5 sts. Sl st into same dc from half-circle that the “ch 16” is coming from (see arrow in the second photo below) (should be the second dc from side of half-circle). You should have 14 sts, including 3 skipped chs from beg of row, but not including sl sts.

Row 3: Turn. Sl st in 1^st and 2^nd sc sts, sc in nxt 2 sts, hdc in nxt 9 sts. Hdc in top of beg ch sp from row below. You should have 14 sts, this time including the 2 sl sts at beg of row, because we will be working into those on the nxt row.

Row 4: Ch 2, turn. Dc in nxt 4 sts, hdc in nxt 4 sts, sc in nxt 5 sts. Sl st in same st from half-circle you joined to at the end of Row 2 (see arrow in the photo below) (should be the second dc from side of half-circle). You should have 14 sts, including beg ch sp, but not including sl st.

Row 5: Do not turn. Working backwards, sl st into 1^st st and in nxt 12 sts loosely (see photos below). You should be slip-stitching in the opposite direction you crochet. (If you are right-handed, you crochet from right to left, so should be slip-stitching from left to right. If you are left-handed, you crochet from left to right, so should be slip stitching from right to left.) You should have 13 sl sts.

Row 6: Ch 3. Working into sl sts from previous row, dc in 1^st st and in nxt 3 sts. Hdc in nxt 4 sts, sc in nxt 5 sts. Sl st into nxt dc of half-circle (see arrow in the photo below) (should be the third dc from side of half-circle). You should have 14 sts, including beg ch sp, but not including sl sts.

Row 7: Turn. Sl st in 1^st and 2^nd sc sts, sc in nxt 2 sts, hdc in nxt 9 sts. Hdc in top of beg ch sp from row below. You should have 14 sts, this time including the 2 sl sts at beg of row, because we will be working into those on the nxt row.

Row 8: Ch 2, turn. Dc in nxt 4 sts, hdc in nxt 4 sts, sc in nxt 5 sts. Sl st in same st from half-circle you joined to at the end of Row 6 (see arrow in the photo below) (should be the third dc from side of half-circle). You should have 14 sts, including beg ch sp, but not including sl st.

Row 9: Do not turn. Working backwards, sl st into 1^st st and in nxt 12 sts loosely. You should be slip-stitching in the opposite direction you crochet. (If you are right-handed, you crochet from right to left, so should be slip-stitching from left to right. If you are left-handed, you crochet from left to right, so should be slip stitching from right to left.) You should have 13 sl sts.

Row 10: Ch 3. Working into sl sts from previous row, dc in 1^st st and in nxt 3 sts. Hdc in nxt 4 sts, sc in nxt 5 sts. Sl st into nxt dc of half-circle (see arrow in the photo below) (should be the fourth dc from side of half-circle). You should have 14 sts, including beg ch sp, but not including sl sts.

Row 11: Turn. Sl st in 1^st and 2^nd sc sts, sc in nxt 2 sts, hdc in nxt 9 sts. Hdc in top of beg ch sp from row below. You should have 14 sts, this time including the 2 sl sts at beg of row, because we will be working into those on the nxt row.

Row 12: Ch 2, turn. Dc in nxt 4 sts, hdc in nxt 4 sts, sc in nxt 5 sts. Sl st in same st from half-circle you joined to at the end of Row 10 (see arrow in the photo below) (should be the fourth dc from side of half-circle). You should have 14 sts, including beg ch sp, but not including sl st.

Row 13: Do not turn. Working backwards, sl st into 1^st st and in nxt 12 sts loosely. You should be slip-stitching in the opposite direction you crochet. (If you are right-handed, you crochet from right to left, so should be slip-stitching from left to right. If you are left-handed, you crochet from left to right, so should be slip stitching from right to left.) You should have 13 sl sts.

Row 14: Ch 3. Working into sl sts from previous row, dc in 1^st st and in nxt 3 sts. Hdc in nxt 4 sts, sc in nxt 5 sts. Sl st into nxt dc of half-circle (see arrow in the photo below) (should be the fifth dc from side of half-circle). You should have 14 sts, including beg ch sp, but not including sl sts.

Row 15: Turn. Sl st in 1^st and 2^nd sc sts, sc in nxt 2 sts, hdc in nxt 9 sts. Hdc in top of beg ch sp from row below. You should have 14 sts, this time including the 2 sl sts at beg of row, because we will be working into those on the nxt row.

Row 16: Ch 2, turn. Dc in nxt 4 sts, hdc in nxt 4 sts, sc in nxt 5 sts. Sl st in same st from half-circle you joined to at the end of Row 14 (see arrow in the photo below) (should be the fifth dc from side of half-circle). You should have 14 sts, including beg ch sp, but not including sl st.

Row 17: Do not turn. Working backwards, sl st into 1^st st and in nxt 12 sts loosely. You should be slip-stitching in the opposite direction you crochet. (If you are right-handed, you crochet from right to left, so should be slip-stitching from left to right. If you are left-handed, you crochet from left to right, so should be slip stitching from right to left.) You should have 13 sl sts.

Row 18: Ch 3. Working into sl sts from previous row, dc in 1^st st and in nxt 3 sts. Hdc in nxt 4 sts, sc in nxt 5 sts. Sl st into nxt dc of half-circle (see arrow in the photo below) (should be the sixth dc from side of half-circle). You should have 14 sts, including beg ch sp, but not including sl sts.

Row 19: Turn. Sl st in 1^st and 2^nd sc sts, sc in nxt 2 sts, hdc in nxt 9 sts. Hdc in top of beg ch sp from row below. You should have 14 sts, this time including the 2 sl sts at beg of row, because we will be working into those on the nxt row.

Row 20: Ch 2, turn. Dc in nxt 4 sts, hdc in nxt 4 sts, sc in nxt 5 sts. Sl st in same st from half-circle you joined to at the end of Row 18 (see arrow in the photo below) (should be the sixth dc from side of half-circle). You should have 14 sts, including beg ch sp, but not including sl st.

Piece should look like this:

Row 21: This row will make the half-circle section at the bottom of the shell look more seashell-shaped.

Step 1:  Turn and sl st in nxt 3 sts of previous row. Turn. There should remain a beg ch 3 space in the half-circle with no sts worked into it yet (see arrow in photo below).

Step 2:  Work 2 dc into top of that ch sp. Rotate work so bottom edge of half-circle is facing up. Work 2 sc in top of side of dc just made (see arrow in photo below).

Step 3:  Sc evenly across bottom edge of half-circle (see photo below).

Step 4:  Ch 2, rotate work so side of shell is facing up. Insert hook into 1^st ch (see arrow in photo below), yarn over and pull up a loop.

Step 5:  There should remain a dc from half-circle without sts worked into top of it. Insert hook into that st (see arrow in photo below), yarn over and pull up a loop.

Step 6:  Yarn over and pull through 2 loops, yarn over and pull through 2 loops. (This creates equivalent of a linked dc, see photo below.)

Step 7:  Dc in same st you just worked into. Sl st in 3^rd ch from foundation ch of row 2 (see arrow in photo below). Tie off, leaving a long tail for assembling.

Finished Seashell Motif:

To Assemble:

Weave in small starting tails on both seashells. Thread one of long tails into yarn needle and sandwich the two shells together, with right sides facing out. Beginning at point where tail comes from, whip stitch side of shells together, stopping when you reach the place where the side of the shell curves into the top. Make a knot, remove seaming yarn from yarn needle. Twist end tightly and thread into sewing needle.

At point where you stopped seaming, line up the zipper teeth at the bottom end of the zipper with your seam. Take a few stitches across the zipper teeth to stop the zipper pull from going past that point. Lay one scalloped top edge of seashell along one side of the zipper tape. The shell edge should not touch the zipper teeth, but the “valley” of each scallop should come close to the edge of the zipper tape. Stitch the top edge of the shell to the zipper tape with a running stitch. Stop stitching when you reach the point where the top of the shell curves down to the side. Make a knot, remove seaming yarn from needle.

Thread the other long tail into yarn needle. Beginning at point where tail comes from, whip stitch other side of shells together, stopping when you reach the place where the side of the shell curves into the top and where the one side of the shell is stitched to the zipper. Make a knot, remove seaming yarn from yarn needle. Twist end tightly and thread into sewing needle.

At point where you stopped seaming, line up the zipper teeth at the top end of the zipper with your seam. Unzip your zipper so zipper pull is at the end that has already been stitched closed. At un-stitched end, take a few stitches across the zipper teeth to stop the zipper pull from going past that point. Trim excess zipper tape at both ends. At current end, stitch end of zipper tape to inside of pouch (see photo below). Lay the scalloped top edge of the other seashell along the second side of the zipper tape. The shell edge should not touch the zipper teeth, but the “valley” of each scallop should come close to the edge of the zipper tape. Stitch the top edge of the shell to the zipper tape with a running stitch. Stop stitching when you reach the opposite side seam. Stitch other end of zipper tape to inside of pouch. Make a knot. Remove seaming yarn from sewing needle and thread into yarn needle.

If you still have some length left in your seaming yarn, you can just weave it into the fabric until you get to the bottom of the side seam. If your yarn isn’t long enough, weave in end and thread a new piece of seaming yarn through your yarn needle. Whip stitch the bottom of the pouch closed around the bottom three sides, lining up corners. When you reach bottom of other side seam, make a knot and weave in end.

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