How to sew a pocket

I don’t know if any of you are apprehensive about sewing pockets like I was before I found an easy-peasy way of sewing them. I dunno, maybe it was just me with this irrational pocket fear.

But I found a very simple way to sew a pocket with a liner and hidden seams, and I figured I would share with my fellow crafty folks. Seriously, this is so easy that I can’t believe I avoided them for so long.

And if you already knew how to do this, then just smile and nod and pretend I’m not insane for being the only person left on the planet who, until recently, had nightmares about pockets. (And zippers, but that’s another story for another day.)

1. Determine the size you would like your final pocket to be. Measure two pieces of fabric that are one inch larger than your final pocket size. So if you want your pocket to be 6″x6″, measure two pieces of 7″x7″ fabric. One piece will be the outside of your pocket, and one piece will be your liner.

2. Place the two pieces of fabric together with the right sides facing each other and pin. After you sew, you will be turning the pieces right-side-out, so prepare to leave a 2″ to 3″ opening on any of the three edges that will not end up being the top of the pocket. I mark the beginning and end of where I want my gap to be with two pins so that I don’t forget where to stop while I’m sewing.

3. Sew the two pieces together leaving a 1/2″ seam allowance. Trim all the corners.

4. Iron all the seams open and turn the pieces right-side-out. Use a chopstick or pencil to gently push out the corners. Iron the pocket so that all the seams are flat. Make sure the rough edges of the 2″ to 3″ part that you did not sew are folded in so that when the pocket is lying flat, it looks like one perfect seam.

5. Making sure that the 2″ to 3″ opening is not at the top, pin the pocket to the piece of fabric you want to sew the pocket onto, with the pocket liner facing the good side of the panel.

6. Attach the pocket to the panel by stitching three sides of the pocket (be sure to leave the top open!) approximately 1/8″ from the edge. Do a back-tack stitch at the beginning and end to secure it. Note: If you want the stitching to show, use a contrasting color of thread.

7. Stitch around the pocket again, this time approximately 1/4″ from the edge. Do a back-tack stitch at the beginning and end to secure it.

8. Iron the seams, and voila! You’ve got a simple, lined pocket!

9. Put stuff in it.

I hope this tutorial is helpful, but if anyone has any other suggestions for how to sew pockets, please share!