Pockets are useful additions to dress shirts.
One slightly tricky skill every beginner stitcher needs to know is make pockets. Most garments require pockets, unless you are resigned to making dresses only. The simplest type of pocket to make is the square front pocket, which can often be seen on dress shirts. Although men's dress shirts traditionally come with front pockets, some modern versions leave them out in favor of cleaner lines. Women's dress shirts today almost always eschew pockets in favor of fit, or have pockets placed in inconvenient areas. You may also need to add a pocket to a dress shirt of your own design.
Instructions
1. Locate the area on the shirt that needs a pocket. Measure the size of the pocket that will best fit the shirt.
2. Add 1 inch to the width measurement and 1 1/4 inches to the height measurement. Cut a rectangle from your new fabric in these dimensions.
3. Fold the bottom and side edges of the pocket under 1/2 inch. Iron the folded edges so that they stay flat while you are working.
4. Fold the top edge of the pocket under 1/4 inch and iron it. Fold the edge under again 1/2 inch and iron that flat as well.
5. Topstitch across the top of the pocket, along the thickest folded edge. This will keep the top of the pocket in place.
6. Lay the pocket onto your dress shirt, with the right side of the fabric facing upward. Pin the pocket in place.
7. Sew on top of the side and bottom edges of the pocket, leaving the top edge open.
8. Topstitch over the bottom corners again to reinforce the stitching.
Tags: dress shirts, edges pocket, Fold edge, pocket place, pocket under, pocket under inch, under inch
