Tutorial on How to Sew a Pocket (With 4 Different Styles)

Learn how to sew a pocket on your garment in different styles.

Pockets are the most important invention of all time.

Think about it: without pockets, you’d have to carry around an entire bag to hold your keys and wallet. That would be pretty inconvenient.

The pocket is the ultimate convenience. It allows us to take advantage of space in ways we never imagined. We can keep our phones and keys with us at all times. If we need something else, like a bottle opener or pen, we don’t have to worry about digging through our bags for them.

If you’re looking for a fun new project that lets you get creative and spend some quality time with your little ones, we’ve got just the thing: sewing pockets for garments!

Sewing pockets is a great way to keep your hands busy while you watch TV. It can also be an excellent way to spend time with your kids.

In this article, we will help you learn how to sew a pocket with easy-to-follow instructions. By the end of this tutorial, you will know how to sew a pocket that’s perfect for holding whatever you need: keys, wallets, cell phones—you name it!

Let’s get started. 

Step-by-step Instructions for How to Sew a Pocket

Pockets can add extra function to your clothing and accessories, but sewing them in can be tricky. Here are step-by-step instructions for how to sew a pocket on any pattern. 

Image Source: Pinterest

Step 1: Select a Pattern You Want to Add the Pocket to

The first step of “how to sew a pocket” is to choose a pattern with a seam allowance that is wide enough for your hand to fit through.

You can also choose a pattern with an opening on your hand’s side. It should not be too large. It can stretch out the shirt when you put it on and take it off.

Image Source: By Hand London

Make sure you choose a pocket template for sewing with an opening at its top edge, where you want to position your pocket.

Nothing else is happening in the area where you plan to put the pocket (such as buttons or other decorations). They may prevent attaching one side of your pocket in the right way or cause problems during sewing. 

Step 2: Select a Fabric and Thread Color That Matches the Pattern

The next step is to choose a fabric that matches your pattern. If you have chosen a pattern with small repeating prints, choose a solid-colored fabric with small repeating prints. 

This will add extra visual interest to the overall appearance of your garment. For example, if your pattern has large stripes, choose a solid-colored fabric with large stripes or dots.

If you are using an opaque or semi-opaque fabric, then go for thread colors that match the true color of the fabrics in both light and dark versions of each color. They look natural when stitched together. 

Step 3: Adding Seam Allowance

Now you will need to add an extra seam allowance to the bottom of your pattern piece. This is where the opening will be.

Image Source: Victoria Ann Meyers

Your seam allowance should be 1/2 inch. The seam allowance is the space between the two pieces of fabric that you’ll sew together. It’s also called a seam gap or just “the gap.”

The corners are tricky areas because they have three sides rather than just two like most other places on a pocket pattern piece. This means there are more opportunities for mistakes if you aren’t careful!

When you learn to sew any curved edge like this one, it’s important to keep each side lined up straight so that your corners come out nice and square when completed. 

Step 4: Trace the Modified Pattern and Cut Out the Piece Twice.

At this stage of “how to sew pockets on a dress,” you will need to unfold one of your patterns.

Trim off any excess paper from around the edges of your pattern, then place it on top of the fabric to trace around it with a tailor’s chalk or pencil.

You’ll need two identical copies for each pocket. One copy will be used as an “inner” lining to conceal all raw edges and seams, while the other will serve as an “outer” covering that shows off all those amazing details you worked so hard on!

Once both are traced and cut out, make sure they have matching sides at 90 degrees with respect to each other. You want them flat against each other when sewn together. 

Step 5: Sewing Pieces

Now you need to place the pieces on top of each other, face-to-face, with matching corners pressed together. Pin them in place and sew along three sides of the rectangle, leaving one side open for turning it inside out later.

Image Source: Seamwork

If you’re using a sewing machine, use a straight stitch length of 1/4 inch. 

This is also known as a “medium” stitch and will give good results when making this pocket. You can use it for most types of fabric, such as cotton or denim, with some adjustments to settings! 

Step 6: Iron All Seams Open to Reduce Bulkiness in the Finished Product.

The next step of this tutorial, “how to sew pockets into pants,” is to iron all seams open to reduce bulkiness in the finished product. Ironing is like magic! It’s a good way to help your fabric lay flat, making it look nicer once you’re done sewing.

Image Source: Doina Alexei

Make sure you press your seams open before or after turning them inside out, whichever you prefer. 

This can help you out if you’re making something that needs to be sewn together in sections, such as an A-line skirt or dress. It also reduces bulkiness in your finished product, and it’s easy to do with iron. 

4 Common Types Or Techniques Of Sewing Pockets

Did you know that not all pockets are created equal? 

Some are too small for your phone, some are too small for your wallet, and some even make it impossible to put your hands in! You need to find the perfect pocket—one that’s big enough for everything but still looks stylish.

The good news is we’ve done all the hard work for you. We’ve scoured the internet to find different sewing pocket techniques that fit every need, budget, and skill.

Image Source: The Creative Curator

Here are a few pockets you can sew at home: 

Welt Pockets

We’ll start with the most common pocket style, the welt pocket. This type of pocket is sewn into the garment and can be found on pants, jackets, and coats.

Image Source: Fabrics-Stores Blog

You can also learn how to sew a front pocket by placing welt pockets on your garment. It has a slanted flap that folds over to create depth for holding things like your wallet or phone.

Welt pockets are known as welted pockets when they’re used in tailoring work like suits or sports coats. 

This term refers to any pocket that’s sewn into a piece of clothing instead of being attached separately via buttons or snaps. 

Patch Pocket

Patch pockets are small, rounded pockets sewn onto the outside of garments. Sewing patch pockets on jeans or trousers are easy, but there’s no reason why they can’t be used in other clothing items.

Image Source: The Creative Curator

Here are step-by-step instructions for “how to sew patch pockets”:

• • To begin, you will need to cut two rectangles of fabric 4 inches by 6 1/2 inches and then cut one rectangle of fabric 5 inches by 6 1/2 inches.
  • Place the smaller rectangle on top of the larger rectangle, right sides together, aligning their edges. Now sew around all sides with a 1/4-inch seam allowance, starting at corners and backstitching at the beginning and end. Press seam allowances open along both rows of stitches.
  • Place the garment front with the right side facing up on the work surface so that it is centered with patch pocket placement marks on the garment front piece. Don’t forget to pin it in place.
  • The next step is to learn “how to sew a pocket on a shirt” with a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Keep a 3-inch opening in the center top edge (between marks) for turning later, and press seams away from pocket pieces to prepare for turning inside out later.
  • If you’re using a sewing machine, use a straight stitch setting for sewing on patches and pouches.
  • Now trim away excess fabric from both ends of each tube after sewing has been completed.
  • Turn the right side out through one end so that there are now two separate “pipes” inside this single piece of material. They will be sewn together at their open ends but are linked by their side seam stitches into one continuous piece. These can be used like traditional piping when stitching them onto your garment!

The key to making sewing patch pockets is ensuring they are balanced with other features on your garment. 

If your garment has one large patch pocket and nothing else, it might look off-center or make it seem unbalanced. 

Slash Pocket

If you like to know “how to sew an inside pocket,” a slash pocket is for you. A slash pocket is a rectangular pocket that is cut into the garment. 

Image Source: Doina Alexei

It can be cut in a variety of ways and placed anywhere on the garment. Slash pockets are sewn shut, but they can also be left open to create a slit, like on jeans. 

Side Seam Pocket

The side seam pocket is the most common type of pocket and is found on most garments. It can be made in any size, from small to large (or even extra-large).

Image Source: Tilly and the Buttons

Use a side seam pocket when you don’t want to take up fabric from your garment’s main body or if you are working with knit fabric and need to retain stretchiness.

For “how to sew side pockets in a dress,” you will need to determine the placement for your side seam pockets. For example, if it’s an A-line blouse, you should place pockets at hip level. 

For a fitted top with princess seams down the front and back, try placing them higher than where they would fall over an empire waistline. This way, they won’t get lost among all those lines!

Learning how to sew side seam pockets is easy. They are constructed into one piece with their facing (aka “lining”), meaning there is no opening at all on this kind of pocket.

If there’s room inside, then two seams might be sewn together in a vertical direction first before attaching them both at each endpoint. This way, there would still be one long opening instead of two separate ones along its length! 

Conclusion

Pockets are areas of a garment that are sewn shut and can be found in many places on your clothes.

With the above tutorial, now you know how to sew a pocket to any sewing project! 

The best part about how to make clothes with pockets is that this process is easy and straightforward. You don’t require any excuse not to try it out.

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