These denim applique heart pockets are fun to use as little gift bags for Valentine’s Day and other occasions, such as Mother’s Day and Birthdays.

The reverse heart applique technique I used here is straightforward to do. Even though this project involved a small amount of hand stitching, making denim pocket gift bags without sewing is possible.

There are many fun ways to upcycle denim pockets. I’ve made a few excellent denim storage items with pockets, including a large denim pocket wall organizer I made years ago for my son.

With this craft, I used one denim pocket for each gift bag. But what makes these cute denim gift storage bags unique is the reverse applique heart.

Besides the back pockets from an old pair of jeans, all you need are some fabric scraps, which makes this a very affordable craft. The heart pockets are also effortless to make.

We’re a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

What You Need To Make Applique Heart Pockets

• Back pockets from an old pair of jeans
• A small square of scrap cotton fabric – I used some Liberty print scraps, but you could use some material from an old patterned shirt. Fabrics with a small pattern print work best, and if the pockets are for Valentine’s Day, then red or pink patterns would be even better.
• Fray Stop fabric glue
• Heart shaped cookie cutter and pen
• Embroidery thread and needle
• Small sharp scissors
• Iron on fusible interfacing

How To Make The Cute Valentine’s Heart Pockets

Step 1: Cut out the back pockets from old jeans. Cut as close to the seam of the pockets as possible. Cut the whole pocket, front and back, so the pocket is kept intact.

Step 2: Next, turn the pocket inside out. Then, place a heart-shaped cookie cutter in the centre of the pocket and draw around it with a pen. The size of the cookie cutter you use will determine the size of the heart applique. A standard heart cookie-cutter should be fine.

Step 3: Denim fabric frays easily. To stop my denim hearts from fraying, I applied a thin layer of Fray Stop glue around the edge of the drawn heart. Other fabric glues should also work if you don’t have Fray Stop glue.

Step 4: Once the glue has dried (about 20 mins), carefully cut out the heart from the centre of the pocket. This should be easy to do with small, sharp scissors.

Top Tip: Don’t discard the heart cut out; it can be used to make cute denim heart keyrings or these cool hanging denim decorations.

The Reverse Applique Heart

Step 5: Cut a small square of scrap fabric slightly larger than the cutout heart—iron on some fusible interfacing on the back to stiffen the fabric scrap. Follow the instructions that come with the interfacing.

Top tip: Stiffening the scrap fabric is not essential, but it does make the craft more manageable and the applique heart more robust.

Step 6: Next, turn the cutout denim pocket the right way around. Then, place the stiffened fabric inside the pocket covering the heart hole. Pin the fabric in place.

Top Tip: If you don’t want to do any sewing, you can glue the fabric square in place and miss out on the next stage.

Step 7: Next, stitch the reverse applique heart in place. Use embroidery thread and a needle with a decorative blanket stitch for this. I used the full six strands of the embroidery thread.

It helps to keep one hand in the pocket to keep it open as you blanket stitch. This will ensure you don’t accidentally sew both sides of the pocket together.

Step 9: Turn the denim pocket back inside out when the stitching is finished. Then, cut away any of the excess applique fabric.

Step 10: Turn the pocket back to the right way and add a small hanging strap. Small strips of leather, denim seams or ribbon can be used for the straps.

If using leather, attach the straps with an eyelet punch, just like I did with my embroidered hanging pocket storage.

Denim seam and ribbon straps can be handstitched into the top of the applique heart pockets.

These denim applique heart pockets are perfect little pouches for giving Valentine’s or Mother’s Day treats. They are so easy and affordable to make that I made a few, each with a slightly different design.

I’ve used the same reverse applique technique on denim when making these cute Christmas denim pot holders and Christmas denim pockets. I used my Christmas cookie cutters for those projects.

Check out these mushroom painted jeans pockets for another whimsical upcycled denim idea! Or these spooky Halloween embroidered jeans pockets.

If you liked this upcycled denim craft, you should check out the other things you can make, from an upcycled pair of jeans and my comprehensive A to Z of denim crafts. I even have a collection of denim Valentine’s ideas , 50 Valentine’s sewing projects and many more fabric heart crafts.

More cool adult crafts and Valentine’s Day craft ideas can be found here.