Sweet Bag

Sweet purses were small and usually square draw string purses presumed to be used for carrying sweet smelling things to combat the odors of the 16th century. Some have attached pin cushions, so they may also have been used to carry a small sewing kit.

The one pictured below is in the V&A. You can view many more examples (and other types of small purses) from the linked Pinterest board.

There are many surviving examples, due largely to the fact that they were often heavily embroidered. They typically have tassels of some sort on the bottom, a long string for hanging and "pull tabs" at the top corners.

This example that I made is the correct form, but I used a tent stitch embroidered slip to decorate it. Generally, slips were used on pillows and a sweet purse would have the entire surface covered in embroidery.

References:
Carey, Jacque and  Richard, Sweet Bags, Carey Company, 2010
Sweete Bags
1500-1700 Bags, Purses, Sweet-bags