Good morning, everyone! Time for another dose of OAL goodness!
Today is pretty simple – we’ll just be adding (optional) pockets and assembling the skirt pieces. If you don’t want to add pockets, just skip this post and follow the instructions that came with the pattern. Let’s get to it!
For now, the only skirt piece we will be dealing with is piece #15, the side front. You should have 4 of these pieces cut in total. The side that I’m pointing to – with the double notches – is the side that we will be focusing on for these next steps. Finish the edges of all 4 side front pieces (only on the side with the double notches).
If you haven’t already done so, you’ll need to cut out 4 pocket pieces from your fabric (you can use self-fabric, but I was on a pink kick so mine are contrasty!). The pattern doesn’t come with a pocket pattern piece, so feel free to swipe one from another pattern you own – mine is from the Saltspring Dress. Finish all edges of the pocket pieces.
On the finished edge of each side front piece, measure 3″ down from the top and mark with a pin. This is where we will be attaching the pockets.
Note: Depending on your height and proportions, you may want to sew your pockets more or less than 3″ from the waist. I looked at several patterns with pockets – as well as a few of my dresses that have pockets in a good spot – and the average seems to be somewhere between 2.5″-3.5″, with 3″ being a comfortable distance for me. However, if you’re unsure – I recommend checking some of your patterns, or measuring a couple existing garments, to see what works for *you*.
Pin 1 pocket piece to 1 skirt side front (4x), with the top of the pocket 3″ away from the top of the skirt and right sides facing.
Sew the pocket to the skirt piece at 3/8″ and understitch the seam allowances toward the pocket. Using a smaller seam allowance and understitching will help with keeping that pocket inside the skirt and hidden.
Now you can pin 2 skirt/pocket pieces, right sides together, starting at the top of the skirt and going all the way around the pocket and to the bottom of the skirt. Repeat for the other pocket.
Stitch at 5/8″, lowering your needle and pivoting where the pocket meets the skirt at the top and bottom (I can’t seem to explain this very clearly so just look at the photo!).
At the top & bottom of each pocket bag, clip diagonally in the corner just to the stitching (but not through the stitching). This will enable you to press the seams above and below the pocket open, as well as make your pocket bag lay better inside the skirt.
Press the seams open above and below the pocket bag, and press the pocket to one side (it should go toward the center front, so press in opposite directions for each of your two assembled skirt pieces).
Here it is finished! Yay, sneaky pink pocket 😀
And here is how it looks on the inside 🙂
Once you’ve finished adding the pocket bags, you can attach the front to the side fronts (one on each side of the front) and the two back pieces to the opposite side of the side fronts. Finish your seams as desired and press. Finally, finish the center back seams (again, I just serged mine).
That’s it! Next week, we’ll attach the skirt to the bodice and deal with that back cut-out. Making progress! 🙂
Let me know if you have any questions about anything I covered in this post! How are we doing this week, OAL-gers? 🙂
LLADYBIRD 
If you clip the corners, won’t your serged edges unravel?
They shouldn’t. I do this to all my skirt pockets and I’ve never had it happen 🙂
Groan – I added pockets to a pair of shorts last night … and woke to find this tutorial! I wish I’d seen it before because it didn’t occur to me to understitch. Thanks for the tute!
No worries! If the pockets are giving you trouble, you can always understitch them by hand 🙂 I’ve done that before and it works just fine! 🙂
Nice pockets! I am crazy for pockets so I’ve added a lot of inseam pockets now! I never do the clip thing, I just press the whole seam allowance towards the front all the way up and down the skirt. I’m not the biggest fan of that so maybe I should clip!
Then again, I totally hate clipping into my garments, haha! I feel like they’re going to fall apart! Maybe I should scope out some RTW to see what they do!
I never bother understitching but it would give it an extra layer of strength to the pocket I bet 🙂
Pressing all the seam allowances in one direction is definitely an option! I’ve always hated the bulk (plus the separate seam allowances pressed together – I don’t know why but it drives me crazy, even though it is on the inside where no one can see it haha), so I like being able to press mine open 🙂 But yeah, you don’t have to clip if you don’t want to!
I can’t remember how RTW does pockets – something tells me they don’t clip, though. And man, I’m an understitching machine! I love understitching; I do it to everything haha 🙂
I add pockets to all my dresses, and for some reason, I always use Saltspring pockets too! I just did it to my McCall’s 7119.
Saltspring has the best pockets!!
It really does, bless her and her pocket wizardry.