Truth is, I'm a pocket addict. I must have my
pockets. I may or may not actually put anything in said pocket, but it's my little
security blanket anyway. This means I often want to add a pocket to a
pattern that doesn't have one. In so doing, I often end up re-inventing
the wheel as I try to remember how to do it. I say to myself "Self, you've done
this enough, you know what to do". I draw out a new pocket template to
match my pattern, dive in.....
....and realize after a seam or two that I've done it all wrong
and wonky.
So I unpick what I've done, tuck my tail between my legs, and go off in search of a pattern to guide me.
This time, I decided to document how I did it in my newest project, so here's my little reminder to myself of how it's done. Maybe one or two of you will find it helpful as well :).
1. Draw pocket pattern/template. Upper edge should match a seam (like the waist) for stability.
2. Mark the area where you want the opening of the pocket to be.
3. Trim, press, and understitch.
4. Stitch long, curved edge of pocket pieces together.
5. Baste pocket to front.
6. The last step is to add the back of the skirt (or pants). Mark the top and bottom of the pocket opening on your seam. The back, front, and pocket seams are all sewn together at once, along the side seams; pull the front of the pocket out of the way as you stitch by it, leaving the pocket opening free. To clarify, the BACK of the pocket is stitched to the BACK of the skirt, all the way from top to bottom of the seam. The FRONT of the pocket and the front of the skirt are stitched to the back of the skirt above and below the pocket opening. Hope this is clear!
The finished project will be revealed soon!
11 comments:
I like pockets on everything too. This is a good tutorial. I've got a few skirt patterns I could apply this to. Thanks
Thanks for the tutorial, this will definitely come in handy!
Thank you, Jilly, so much. At what point is the pocket back sewn to the skirt back, please? When you 'sew back to front being careful to keep pocket opening free'? It is probably obvious to those who don't need a model in front of them, but I'm not one of those lucky people.
Lisa, there is nothing about pattern drafting or garment construction that is obvious to me; I am clearly also not one of those lucky people. That's why I MUST have pictures and clear instructions! Thank you for asking; if it isn't clear to you, then it might not be clear to me (or someone else) the next time I do this!
The back, front, and pocket seams are all sewn together at once, along the side seams. The BACK of the pocket is stitched to the BACK of the skirt, all the way from top to bottom of the seam. The FRONT of the pocket is stitched to the back of the skirt above and below the pocket opening. I'll add this info to the post as well :).
Does that clarify it?
Glad to hear it, and you're very welcome!
Oh I see now. In Step 6, that entire sandwiched unit gets one seamstitching to make it into a 'pocket in a seam'--just move aside the part of the front garment/front pocket that is the pocket opening. You made it just right! Thanks. I can't wait to try it.
You got it! In the light of day, I'm editing the post so that the future me will (hopefully) be able to understand each step no matter how dense I'm feeling ;D
Yeahh, I am addicted to pockets... Thanks for sharing x
Great little tutorial - I love pockets as well but keep forgetting to add them!!
Great tute! Thank you for spending what was probably hours and hours on it. It always amazes me how long an incredibly simple blog post takes, this must have taken forever.
Love the pattern weights, I covered my washers with ribbon last year and every time I use them I feel happy looking at them.
Trust me, my hope is to SAVE hours in the future!
You are right though, it's rather amazing how much time can pass between photo-taking and blog-writing! So many benefits make it all worth it though. :)
I, too, feel happy every time I use my pattern weights - aren't they just too much fun?
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