Master Sewing and Design Certification/Piped Pockets

If by chance you are thinking about taking the plunge and working toward Master Sewing And Design Certification, I wanted to let you know that most of the techniques that I'm sharing with you at this point are not a part of the requirements. For instance, you will need to demonstrate a welt pocket, but it does not need to be a piped welt pocket. I think that the tutorials offer great information, and hopefully help you in projects that you take on. Something that you might want to think about doing is getting a notebook, doing the samples for yourself and building your own sample notebook. A notebook like this can be a wonderful resource. I made one when I was in school...lots of years ago :)...and I loved my notebook. Sadly, we had a flood and I lost the book, but I am now building a new one. For those of you who teach, this is a great resource to have and to share.  

Today I wanted to do a welt pocket with purchased piping. This is a fun technique to have in your sewing arsenal as you can customize your garments with a purchased piece of piping, or even create your own. Since the piping that I'm using is quite small, it could also be used to make bound buttonholes, and the process would be basically the same. 

Piped Welt Pockets

The fabric that I'm using is a piece of raw silk.  

Depending upon where you want to place your pocket, and the type of fabric that you are using, you may want to back the pocket opening with a piece of interfacing. I used a piece of cotton fusible interfacing. Just be sure that the interfacing corresponds to the fabric.

As we did with the triangle buttonhole, marking is very important. Notice here that I have marked the center of my pocket and the ends. Hand basting is best for this step.  

The size of the piping may not be as wide as the tape that is holding the piping, so be sure to measure the width of the piping before you begin. My piping is approximately 1/8" wide. 

Once I determine the width of my piping, I then marked the outside edge of the pocket. 

Align the piping with the basted edge of the pocket.

Stitch down the piping, starting and stopping at the marked ends of the pocket. I stitched the piping to the fabric on the right side, but it's easier to see the stitching from the back side.

Once the piping has been stitched to the garment, clip the pocket open, using the center basted line as a guideline.  

Stop clipping about a half inch away from the ends, and clip a small v shape as you see below.

Turn the edges of the piping to the inside of the pocket opening and press.

Now that the piping is in place, we will add the pocket bag to the inside. Begin by stitching the pocket facing to the lower piped edge. Once the pocket facing has been stitched to the lower edge of the piping, simply fold it down and press.

Now stitch the top pocket to the top edge of the piping.

Once the top pocket and the pocket facing have been stitched in place, it's time to sew the pocket together.

Turn the pocket over and make sure that the piping is aligned and you are happy with how it all looks. Maybe give it a little light steam, depending upon your fabric. 

Fold back the sides and reveal the small triangle that was cut at the ends of the pocket.  

Beginning on one side, stitch across the triangle, right at the edge of the pocket and continue stitching around the pocket to the other side and stitch across the opposite triangle.  

All I need to do now is take the basting stitches out of my fabric and my pocket is complete. 

If by chance you are using a piece of piping that is encased in fabric, you will probably want to pull a little of the piping out from the edge so that you don't have to sew over the piping. A larger piece of piping could also leave a bump on the right side of the garment which you would not want. The piping that I used is quite small and basically pressed flat, so it is not an issue. 

The Pattern Review Weekend will be May 13th and 14th, here in Chicago. If by chance you are coming, be sure to check out Chicago Fabric Yarn and Button located at 208 South Wabash. The shop is not a large shop, but if you don't mind digging, you can find some wonderful treasures. The piping that I used for this demonstration was purchased there. This is our only downtown fabric store. All the other stores are either in the suburbs, or will require a ride on the elevated train. 

I hope this tutorial will inspire you to be creative with your pockets and buttonholes. Think about building a sample notebook. I have lots of tutorials coming up and I think you will enjoy having the notebook as a reference.

Happy Sewing,

Rhonda