If you love creating meaningful holiday traditions, you are going to love this project. Today I’m sharing how to make a personalized Valentine’s Day gift sack using sublimation and a simple pillowcase. It’s easy, affordable, and such a fun way to package Valentine’s treats, small gifts, or sweet love notes.
For this project, I used a Valentine’s Day design that I created, and it’s available in my shop if you’d like to make one just like mine. I love designing pieces that feel festive but still classic enough to reuse year after year. Let’s get started!
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
How to Make a Personalized Valentine’s Day Gift Sack
Why Make a Valentine’s Day Gift Sack? Valentine’s baskets are cute, but a reusable gift sack feels more special and personal. You can customize it with a name, a sweet message, or even a faux “special delivery” theme. It becomes part of your family tradition year after year.
These are perfect for:
- Valentine’s morning surprises
- Larger hard to wrap gifts
- Grandparent gifts
- Galentine’s gifts
- Romantic date night surprises
And the best part? You can make them for just a few dollars.
Supplies You’ll Need
- 100% polyester pillowcase (Dollar Tree satin pillowcases work great)
- Sublimation printer
- Sublimation ink
- Sublimation paper
- Heat press
- Butcher paper
- Heat resistant tape
- Lint roller
- Scissors
- Ribbon or twine
- Drawstring threader or safety pin
Optional for personalization:
- Cricut machine
- Heat transfer vinyl
- Mini heat press
- Editing Software
Here is a quick video of the process…
Step 1: The Valentine’s Design
For my sack, I used a Valentine’s themed “Special Delivery” design that I created. It features sweet details that give it that oversized envelope look, and it presses beautifully with sublimation.
If you’d like to use the exact design I used in this tutorial, you can find it available for purchase in my shop. It comes ready to print for easy resizing depending on your project.
If you’re creating your own design, you can include:
Be Mine
Love You Forever
Happy Valentine’s Day
Filled With Love
- Open your design software and resize the image to fit the front of your pillowcase. Make sure you mirror your design before printing since you’ll be pressing it face down.
- Print using your sublimation printer and let it dry for a few minutes before handling.
Step 2: Prep the Pillowcase
- Press your pillowcase for a few seconds to remove wrinkles and moisture. This helps your sublimation transfer evenly and keeps colors vibrant.
- Use a lint roller to remove any debris or fibers. Even tiny lint pieces can show up after pressing.
- Place a piece of butcher paper inside the pillowcase to prevent ink from bleeding through to the back.
Step 3: Press the Sublimation Design
- Preheat your heat press to 400 degrees.
- Position your design face down and secure it with heat resistant tape. Cover with butcher paper.
- Press for 60 seconds using medium pressure. If your design is larger than your press area, press in sections without shifting the paper.
- Carefully remove the paper while it is still warm. You’ll immediately see those bright Valentine colors come to life.
Step 4: Add Personalization (Optional)
If you’d like to personalize your sack with a name with your Cricut, open Cricut Design Space and create your text in a coordinating font.
- Cut your design using heat transfer vinyl. Weed the excess vinyl and position it on your sack.
- Press using a mini heat press according to the vinyl instructions. Let cool before peeling the carrier sheet.
Adding a name makes it feel extra special and keeps everyone’s treats separate.
You can also add a name to the file for printing with any software editing tool like canva, photoshop etc.
Step 5: Add the Drawstring
- Cut two small slits on each side near the top of the pillowcase.
- Use a drawstring threader or safety pin to feed ribbon or twine through the opening.
- Tie the ends together and trim. You can lightly seal ribbon ends with heat to prevent fraying.
Now your Valentine’s Day gift sack is ready to fill.
What to Put Inside Your Valentine Sack
- Chocolate hearts
- Conversation hearts
- Stuffed animals
- Love notes
- Gift cards
- Homemade gifts
- Blankets
And so much more, you can really stuff these sacks!
For kids, I love adding pajamas and a Valentine book for a cozy surprise.
Make It a Tradition
One of my favorite things about holiday crafting is creating traditions. A personalized Valentine’s gift sack can be reused every year. Just refill it with new surprises and watch the excitement grow.
If you make one using my design, I would love to see it. Tag me on social or leave a comment below.
Happy crafting and Happy Valentine’s Day!
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