How to sew a double-welt pocket
I don’t know why, but I like the look of double-welted pockets in skirts and trousers. They are both elegant and practical at once. So I thought I’d use them in my husband’s retro trousers.
Double-welted pockets seem hard to make, but in fact, they aren’t. The most important thing while making them is to be very accurate. So if you concentrate hard and take your time for it, you should do just fine.
To help a hand, I’m going to describe how to make one. The measurements I’ve used are those of a standard double-welted pocket. Keep in mind that there are different ways to make this type of pockets. This is just the way I do it.
What you need
- 2 pieces of fabric of 20 x 20 cm or 8 x 8 in, straight grain or 45 degrees of the grain. That’s your own choice. Overlock them before you begin
- A piece of interlining: 4 x 20 cm or 1.5 x 8 in for light and regular fabrics, 6 x 20 cm or 2.4 x 8 in for heavier fabrics
- A small pair of scissors
- Pins
- Sewing chalk
- An iron
How to get it all in the pocket
- Draw a rectangle measuring 15 x 2 cm/6 x 0.8 in on the right side of your fabric where you want to insert the pocket. Draw a horizontal line in the middle of this rectangle. This will be your pocket opening. On both sides of the horizontal line, mark 1cm/0.4 in. From these marks, draw a line to the upper and lower corner of the rectangle, creating a triangle while you do so.
Note: If you’re using a heavy fabric, draw a rectangle of 15 x 3 cm/6 x 1.2 in.
- Use pins to mark the corners of your pocket. This will help you to draw the corners on the wrong side of your fabric.
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- Iron the interlining on the wrong side of your fabric. While doing so, make sure that the pocket opening is in the middle of the interlining.
Note: For this pocket, that means that the interlining covers 2.5 cm/1 in extra on the left and the right of the pocket, and 1 cm/0.4 in above and underneath the pocket.
- Draw the pocket opening on the wrong side of your fabric, on the interlining.
Note: There are several ways to do this. I myself prefer to use carbon paper, because it is fast and accurate. To make sure that the drawing is still clear, I draw over the carbon lines with sewing chalk as well.
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- If you haven’t done so yet, remove the pins from the corners of the opening drawing.
- On the right side of the fabric, pin one of the pieces of fabric with the right side on the right side over the opening drawing, making sure that you leave 2.5 cm/1 in on the sides of the opening, and 3 cm/1.2 in on top (5 cm/2 in if you drew the larger opening for heavier fabrics).
- On the inside, carefully and precisely stitch the outside edges of the pocket opening.
Note: Start in the middle of a horizontal line, never in a corner.
- Cut the middle line carefully until you reach the triangle points.
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- Cut the triangles very carefully until the corners.
- Put your hand from the wrong side of the fabric through the opening and pull the fabric through the opening, so the pocket is on the inside.
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- If necessary, carefully cut the cut edges, so they are exactly 1 cm/0.4 in wide (1,5cm/0.6 in if you are using a heavier fabric).
- Arrange the pocket and the pocket opening, and iron.
- Sew the pocket closed.
- Stitch the triangles to the outer edges of the pocket opening, so they stay in place.
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- On the right side of the pocket, stitch through the horizontal edges of the pocket (Sorry forgot to take a picture here).
- Pin the second piece of pocket fabric on the piece of the pocket that’s already attached to the pocket opening, right sides facing each other.
Note: The second piece of the pocket will be larger than the first piece. That’s normal. Just cut it to the same size once you are ready.
- Stitch around the pocket parts, to finish the pocket.
- If you haven’t done so yet, overlock the edges. You can also use the overlock to cut the redundant piece of fabric from step 16 off the pocket.
Finished! The best practice is to keep the pocket sewn closed until your garment is finished. That’s why I cannot add a picture of the finished pocket just yet 🙂
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I asked your grandma to help me with these. I find it quite difficult, but the result of Laurens kittycatcoat was beautiful. See if I can find a picture to scan.