Monday, September 5, 2016

Easiest Welt Pocket

I get such a joyful little thrill when I find a clever sewing technique!  I discovered this one just this evening, right before dinner.  I was cutting out a shirt for my son, which has a welt pocket on the front instead of the traditional patch pocket.  I've actually put off working on this shirt for that very reason - welt pockets are a tricky business.  I can do them, but they require some extra brain effort, and frankly, I've been tired.

So, after looking for the pattern piece and reading through the pattern cutting instructions, I discovered much to my curiosity, that there was no pattern piece for the welts.  The were folded, all in one, from the pocket itself.  How might this clever business work?!  Let me show you!

First, here is the pocket piece pattern.


Second, here is the pocket piece, which you sew right sides together to the shirt front (which is not a shirt front, but a scrap of fabric because I am practicing).  I used marking paper and a tracing wheel to transfer the marks for the stitching and folding lines onto the wrong side of the pocket.



Third, here is the stitching



Fourth, here is the cutting.  Make sure to clip into the corners all the way to the stitching or you will have puckers



Fifth, turn inside out


Sixth, fold your welts and press




Seventh, top stitch the sides and bottom


Eighth, fold up the pocket and stitch the sides (careful to keep it free from the shirt front).  On the actual shirt, I would serge the edges of the pocket.



Ninth, top stitch the top to close the the pocket (I leave long thread tails on steps 7 and 9 and then use a hand sewing needle to bring the threads to the wrong side.  Makes things much tidier than having little threads poking out)


Tenth, the cutest shirt pocket!



This whole process took me about 10 minutes.  I couldn't be more delighted - and now I'm completely motivated to get this shirt constructed.  Yes, it is a Star Wars shirt (I call this fabric Star Wars Toile).

If you're interest in the pattern and technique, it is in the Ottobre 6/2014 magazine, pattern #39.





Make something beautiful!