Friday, March 23, 2018

A Pocketful of Wool


It's back to working with wool for me, although Spring weather is just around the corner (I hope!).  



The one thing I am not completely in love with on my blue swing coat is the in-seam pockets I added to the design.  They work just fine, as pockets go, but I wanted to go with something a bit different for the wool version.  I knew I wanted pockets of some kind, but I was not going to deal with a welt on this incredibly thick wool.  Instead, I decided to go for patch pockets.


What I didn't know was just how large I wanted them to be, so I made a few mock-ups with some typing paper.  This is an incredibly cheap and yet effective way to play with size, placement, style, etc.


I originally thought I would go with a really over-sized pocket.


In the end, I kept trimming that paper down, and went with something a little more proportional.


I added a fold over flap to the top edge and cut two of my new pockets out of wool, and two out of the lining (minus the flap)


I did throw a bit of Hug Snug in there, just for fun.


The flap gets stitched, right sides together, as far as the folded over bit.  A bit of pressing . . .


and a bit more pressing . . .



And the lining is ready to stitch to the wool.



The worst part was making sure that the two pockets were placed in the same place on the right and left fronts.



But once that chore was done, it was smooth sailing.


And I think I actually like these more than I would have liked the welt pocket on this length coat!


9 comments:

  1. Looking good. One tip I learned from Jan Bones (lingerie designer) about placing patch pockets: place one pocket, then place that side of the garment right side down over the other side and pin through the first pocket to get the location for the second one.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Laura Mae designs.

    This is shaping up to be something extraordinary.

    Those pockets are made for books of S & H Green Stamps, or Plaid Stamps if you must.

    Eagerly awaiting the photos (from the "kind requests with a hint of photo direction department": hands in pockets in at least one, please - and a "coat flung over a chair to showcase the ample yardage and the lining" shot).

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love your coat! I have a pattern flying its way to me now (the San Francisco by the Sewing Workshop) which looks a lot like yours - I will bookmark your experience with creating patch pockets for this style in place of the welts that this pattern includes. I love those patch pockets! What pattern did you use for this coat?

    ReplyDelete
  4. We'll see about that spring weather--I was up your way last week and was caught in the most insane downpour! This coat is shaping up beautifully!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Your pocket idea is brilliant and adds to the design of the coat (should have been an option on the pattern). I live in Texas and everyday i go from using the AC to heat. It is supposed to be hot tomorrow and cold and rainy next week. The weather is crazy these days so your beautiful coat may get some wear before next winter.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Great choice of pocket style. The flaps are so in line with the retro look of your coat.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I am so enjoying your slow and thoughtful progress on this coat. It's going to be magnificent! Also thank you for linking back to your post about the seam binding. I never saw that and am now very keen to get my hands on some and make some pretty seams!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Really loving seeing the stages of progress on this coat. It is going to be a really lovely garment!

    ReplyDelete