Biscayne Sew-Along Day 3: Pockets

Biscayne Blouse Sew Along

Day 1: Cutting, Interfacing, & Marking

Day 2: Plackets

Day 3: Pockets

Day 4: Neckbands

Day 5: Arm Binding & Hemming

Hi guys, welcome to day 3 – pockets!  You have a couple options here.  You can do a welt or a patch pocket as indicated in the pattern, or you could choose to do a pocket on both sides of the shirt, or you could do none!  Lots of different looks here.

I’m going to start with the welt pocket first.

Lay your pocket and shirt front right sides together.  Align them by pushing pins through the upper corners of the welt and matching them with the marks on the shirt.

Once everything is aligned perfectly, pin all around the pocket to keep it in place.  Keep the pins away from the marked welt.

Sew along the two long lines.  Lock your stitches at each corner.  Make sure you start and stop sewing exactly at the corner.  I find it helpful to position the needle and take my first few and last few stitches manually with the wheel.  You want to be as precise as possible here.

Sew the two long edges of the rectangle, leaving the short ends unsewn.

Mark a point 1/2″ from the end on both sides of the welt.

Cut the welt open, stopping at the point you marked and cutting into the corners.  Just like the placket, be sure you cut up to the stitch line, but not through it.  Use the marked short edges of the rectangle as a guide.

Push the pocket to the wrong side of the shirt through the slit you just cut.  Press your seam allowances open at the top and bottom, and then press the entire pocket really nice and flat against the shirt.

Flip the shirt to the right side and make sure that the welt opening is cleanly pressed with no puckering.  You may need to clip farther into the corners if there are puckers.

On the wrong side of the shirt (right side of the pocket), mark the centers, as indicated on the pattern piece.

Fold the top of the pocket down to create a fold.  Align that fold perfectly with the center markings on the welt opening.  Press it in place so you have a nice straight crease.  Your fold should now cover the top half of the welt pocket opening.

Repeat the process to fold the lower pocket up and form the lower welt.  Flip the shirt to the front and make sure everything looks good and even and adjust as necessary.

Fold one side of the shirt out of the way to reveal the triangles you cut earlier.

Sew the triangle to the pocket, tacking the pleat in place as well.  Sew as close to the shirt as possible without catching it in the seam.  Repeat this step to sew the triangle on the opposite side of the welt.

On the right side of the shirt, you will be edgestitching around the welt on the shirt to keep everything in place underneath.  Start in the center of one of the long edges and sew all the way around.  Pull your threads to the back and tie them off so your top stitching won’t have any bulky backstitching.

Count your stitches on the short ends of the welt and repeat that same amount of stitches on the other side to make sure you have a perfectly even stitched rectangle.  Here’s an example of what it looks like when you DON’T do that!  oops!  I have one less stitch on the left side and it’s making the rectangle oblong and uneven.

Once your welt is stitched, flip the shirt to the wrong side.  Fold the lower part of the pocket up to match edges with the upper part of the pocket.

Pin the pocket bag to itself around the edges, making sure not to catch the shirt in your pins.

Move the shirt out of the way and sew the pocket to itself around all four edges  You could leave the lower portion unstitched since it is folded, but sewing it in place will make the pocket flatter and more even.

Finish the seam allowances with pinking, zig zag stitches, or a serger.

Congrats!  Your welt pocket is finished!  That wasn’t so bad, was it?  If you’re making a patch pocket, read on!

Fold down the top, interfaced portion of the pocket 1/4″ to the wrong side and press well.

Flip the pocket over to the right side and fold down the upper part of the pocket along the lower edge of the interfacing.  Press in place.

Starting at the top edge, sew down and around the pocket on three sides, catching your two folds in the seams.

Clip your corners on the upper pocket before turning.

Turn the upper portion of the pocket right side out.  Push the corners out and press them well.  The first fold you made should be tucked up nicely inside the upper portion of the pocket.

 

Press the bottom of the pocket toward the wrong side along your stitch line, then press the sides of the pocket to the wrong sides along the stitch line.

 

Flip your pocket over and press it really well.

Place the pocket on the shirt front where marked.  Pin it in place well and then edgestitch it to the shirt along the sides and bottom of the pocket.  If your fabric is very slippery, you may consider basting it in place with a loose hand stitch or a glue stick before you sew so it doesn’t shift.

(sorry the shirt is finished in these pictures – I was just pinning the patch pocket over the welt pocket to demonstrate)

And your patch pocket is finished!  Check back in tomorrow and we’ll sew those neckbands!