With the first hints of autumn beginning to creep in, I’ve found myself drawn to darker landscapes, old portraits, magical themes and small projects made slowly by hand.
A little more texture.
A little more faded colour.
And something beautifully imperfect.
These little scrappy heirloom bags are made using our Mini Vintage Art Fabric Prints, old pieces of quilting, scraps of vintage fabric and soft ribbon.
Perfect for small treasures, jewellery, keepsakes or tiny gifts — and lovely to make in mismatched pairs or small collections.
Here’s how to make your own.
What You’ll Need
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Old pieces of quilting
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Scraps of vintage fabric
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Scissors
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Fabric glue
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Needle
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Sewing thread
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Fine embroidery thread in a contrasting colour
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Ribbon or binding for the drawstring channel
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Soft ribbon for the drawstring
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Sewing machine (optional)
Step 1
Cut two pieces of old quilting, each measuring approximately 20 x 15 cm (8 x 6 inches).
These will form the front and back of your bag.
There’s no need for perfect edges — everything can stay wonderfully soft and frayed.
Step 2
Choose your Mini Vintage Art Fabric Prints (one for the front of the bag, and one for the back.) Here I've used our Gothic, Faery Tale and Winter collections.
Lightly write your words onto the fabric in pencil - I used “A pocket full of dreams”.
Using fine embroidery thread, stitch over the pencil marks with simple back stitch.
Keep the lettering loose and handmade — it doesn’t need to be perfect.
Step 3
Layer your Mini Prints with small scraps of vintage fabric.
There are no measurements here and no need for neat edges — just play around until the layers feel right.
You can secure the pieces with a few dots of fabric glue, or attach them with simple running stitch around the edges.
Leave everything softly frayed for that scrappy, collected feel.
Step 4
Place the front and back quilt pieces wrong sides together, so the seams sit on the outside.
Machine stitch — or hand stitch if you prefer — around the two sides and bottom using approximately a 1 cm (⅜ inch) seam allowance.
Leave approximately 2.5 cm (1 inch) of the top edge raw.
To create the drawstring channel, stitch a length of ribbon or binding around the bag, one row of stitching close to the bottom edge and one row close to the top edge, approximately 2.5 cm (1 inch) down from the top of the bag.
Snip a hole in the centre of the channel, and thread soft ribbon through, using a safety pin.
Now you can gather the bag closed.
Velvet ribbon works beautifully here, and gives the bag a soft, heirloom feel.
Step 5
Fill your little bag with something special.
Jewellery, keepsakes, sewing treasures, tiny gifts — or use it as a beautiful little gift bag in its own right.
They’re especially lovely for small handmade presents or treasures you want to keep safe.
Step 6
Then make another.
Try a different Mini Print, another combination of vintage fabrics, or a new ribbon colour.
Before long you’ll have a little collection of pockets full of dreams — each one slightly different and entirely its own.
Happy stitching,
Rachel x