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Sewing a Double Welt or Piped Pocket

This type of pocket is found most often as pants back pockets, and on jacket and blazers. I use a double welt pocket with a button loop on my "Choose Your Own Adventure" Bag. This method of installing a piped pocket uses "stitch-in-the-ditch" topstitching to anchor the welts in place - the stitches are nearly invisible and they make it easier to install the pocket than the traditional method.

There are three button options explained in this tutorial: a button and loop, and flap and button, or a button and buttonhole. I'll also explain how you can put a zipper into the pocket.



The required materials are:

• The fabric where you want to install your pocket.
• Two 1" wide strips of fabric, two inches longer than the finished pocket length (typical pocket lengths are 7" for a man's jacket, 6" for a woman's jacket, 5" for pants)
• Lining for the pockets - Decide how deep you want your pockets (4-5"). You need two pockets pieces - a small one, the width is the length of the pocket +2", the height is the depth of the pocket +1"; and a large one, the same width but the height is the depth of the pocket +2".
• Some small scraps of interfacing to reinforce buttons / buttonholes
• Thread
• Button(s)

Also, to make the loop style you will need to make some cording; for the flap style, you need fabric and interfacing for the flap; for the zipper style, you need a zipper at least 1" longer than the pocket opening.

Step 1: Mark the position of your pocket with chalk or washable fabric pen on the RIGHT SIDE of the fabric. I will refer to this mark as the "pocket line". Unless the whole fabric piece is already interfaced, cut a square of interfacing 2" longer that your pocket length, and 2" wide. Fuse it to the back of the fabric, centering it over the pocket line.

Step 2: Line the two fabric strips up along the length of the pocket line, centering them (each strip will stick on 1" from the end of the pocket-to-be). The top of the bottom strip should sit on the pocket line, as well as the bottom of the top strip. Remember you are pinning them to the RIGHT SIDE of the fabric.

Step 3: Stitch along each strip, 1/4" away from the pocket line, leaving the extra inch on the end free. The stitching is hard to see in this photo, see below.

The fabric strips have been outlined in blue; where the strips meet in the center is the pocket line. The red lines show where the stitching is -- notice it starts and ends 1" from the edge of the strips (so it is exactly the length of the finished pocket).

Step 4: Slash the pocket open. The yellow indicates the slash line. Notice the "V" at each end. Start the "V" about 1/4-1/2" away from the end of the pocket line.

Step 5: Push one of the fabric strips to the back side, folding it over the seam allowance to form the welt. Pin in place.

Step 6: Push the other fabric strip to the back, again folding it over the seam allowance to form the welt. Pin in place, and press.

At this step, your welts will look like this from the back.

Step 7: If you want to attach a button loop or a flap, do so now. Pull the welt seam allowance out away from the rest of the fabric so you can work. Center the loop on the bottom welt as shown, and baste in place in the seam allowance. To add a flap, baste the flap to the seam allowance of the top welt. Note that the flap has to be the same width (not wider) than the pocket.

Step 8: Pin the small pocket piece to the seam allowance of the bottom welt. (Note this picture is in the same orientation as Step 7, I've just placed the pocket piece on top).

Step 9: Sew the pocket to the welt seam allowance 1/2" away from the edge.

If you pull back the pocket, this is what you see.

Step 10: Pin the larger pocket piece to the top welt seam allowance, and sew 1/2" away from the edge as you did for the other piece. Then press both pocket pieces away from the welts, as shown.

Step 11: Flip over the whole piece, and pin the pocket pieces away from the welts and shown. Make sure everything is pressed and pinned tightly. Make sure the little triangles you made in step 4 are properly pressed back and out of sight. If you want to add a zipper, baste the zipper behind the welts at this point. Be sure that the zipper pull is the open space between the welts; otherwise you will sew your zipper closed in the next step.

Step 12: "Stitch in the ditch" around the whole pocket opening. By this I mean topstitch, but position the stitching so it is in the seam where the welts attach. This will make the stitching next to invisible. Be sure to pull the fabric taught as you stitch.

At this step, the back of the pocket looks like this. You can see the top stitching a little on the green lining. If you want to do a buttonhole, now is the time to sew it in. Stitch in buttonhole through the fabric and pocket lining below the pocket opening. You may want to use a square of interfacing between the fabric and pocket lining to reinforce the area, if necessary.

Step 13: Put the ends of your pocket pieces together and stitch with a 1/2" seam allowance. Zig-zag stitch the edges to keep them from fraying. The seam may not be at the exact bottom of the pocket - you can trim the ends of the pocket pieces so they line up, so you can press the pocket so the seam is on the side.

Step 14: Press the pocket out, making a nice crease at the bottom of the pocket. Pin the pocket sides together.

Step 15: Pull one of the pocket sides out, and fold the rest of the fabric back. Starting at the top, stitch as close as you can to the pocket opening, being sure to stitch through the welt ends.

Step 16: Repeat step 15 for the other side of the pocket.

Step 17: Sew your button in place. If you are using a loop, but also a shankless button, you may want to sew it on using a thread shank.