During the Regency period, sisters and friends knit small bags known as “Sovereign purses” to exchange as gifts. After seeing them in Candice Hern’s wonderful Regency collection, I was inspired to replicate something Jane Austen might have made for her sister, Cassandra.

Keeping with the historical feel, I knit one bag in linen and the other in silk. To give these purses a modern practicality, since the originals were sized only to hold a few coins, my versions are large enough for an evening out or as a lovely gift bag.