Pockets, pockets, pockets

Adding Pockets to a Dress Pattern

Honestly, I don’t think I can live without pockets in my knit garments any longer. Your hands need somewhere to go for crying out loud…along with your tissue, keys, lip balm, and for a short while, your phone.

These are knit pockets after all…they aren’t the workhorses their woven counterparts are, but still, they are useful! (you know what I mean about knit pockets that drag….)

This month in the Make-It-Your-Own Society, we’re adding pockets to any pattern we wish. I choose the Fit & Flare dress.

I have this Paprika merino wool jersey that I’ve been dying to make the “perfect” dress out of. And so I used it for a dress with cut on sleeves, a deep v-neck in the front and back, a lined bodice and cut away pockets!

Let me tell you, the merino wool jersey from The Fabric Store Online is delicious. And so lovely to wear. The color is rich and the drape is lovely.

Okay, here’s how I went about making / drafting my dress.

The Bodice

  1. I began by drafting a cut-on sleeve bodice (I used my regular bodice and extended the shoulders and lowered the armhole a bit to give me a kimono-type short sleeve that is now a part of the bodice piece.
  2. Then I drafted a deep v-neck in the front and a slightly shallower v-neck in the back.
  3. I planned to cut two complete bodices out and use one as a lining, thus finishing the neckline.

Pockets

I planned to make cutaway pockets on the skirt that tucked into both the side seam and the waist seam.

  1. First I take out my skirt pattern piece, covered the waist area with translucent paper and drew the pocket openings and pocket bag.
  2. I often place my hand on the pattern piece to determine the shape and size I want for the pocket bag.
  3. I then add seam allowance (1/4 inch) to the top edge of the pocket opening and to the edge of the pocket bag (1/2 inch).
  4. I cut away the fabric above the pocket opening on the main skirt fabric and trace out the new back fabric that is also the pocket bag. I also trace the pocket bag lining piece.

I’m loving it so far, but I may, after testing wearing it for a bit, top stitch the pockets down, I like my pockets to be non-fiddly.