Pocket details

I added a welt pocket with a flap to the front of my Minoru Jacket. I figured if I am making A-line skirts and dresses with added pockets, I definitely needed external pockets on my jacket. Pockets I think are essential in a jacket. Yesterday I put welt pockets with flaps into my jacket front before I sewed the side and sleeve seams. I wanted to have pockets that would not interfere with the side seams and still be fairly water-resistant.

Originally I had planned an angled pocket as that is more comfortable for putting my hands in and leaving them there. But it just looked funny with the patterned fabric. I made the flaps and stuck them on with sticky tape before making the final decision. Rocket the dressform has been really useful for these type of things.

Do I want Straight or Angled Pockets?

Do I want Straight (R) or Angled (L) Pockets?

To decide on the size I looked at two things. The width of the front at the height I wanted the pocket and also some other jacket pockets.

I also found this fabulous tutorial on Pattern Scissors Cloth – so I won’t go into technical details as I followed Sherry’s instructions step by step.

Minoru Pockets
Finished dimensions were

  • Welt/ Pocket flap width – 14cm
  • Welt height – 1cm
  • Pocket flap height – 5.5cm with little curved corners, with 3.5cm exposed.
  • total pocket depth from top of back piece to bottom including seam allowances 17cm
Minoru Pockets

Pocket bag pulled to the outside

Pocket Launch
Pattern pieces therefore:

  • Welt/ Pocket flap width – 16cm
  • Welt height – 4cm
  • Pocket flap height – 7.5cm with little curved corners.

If you want to copy: Pocket flap and bag: Minoru welt pocket pattern pieces (A4 size)

Note – I used Sherry’s recommendation to make the underside piece of the pocket flap slightly smaller in width. Although it turned out I should have interfaced both layers or paid more attention when sewing as both fabrics had some stretch so it all came out much of a muchness. A more stable fabric would not have had this problem.

If you want to copy: Pocket flap and bag: minoru pocket pattern pieces (A4 size). You can see the pocket flap pattern was originally too small. Luckily I had decided to make these as the first step before doing the rest of the pocket.

Once they were finished it was time for a nice glass of wine and a “Pocket Launch” and dinner.
Seam Sealing Tape

I also discovered that the fabric I made my muslin out of was probably not stiff enough to give me the information that the seam from collar to armpit was not really long enough. I sewed and topstitched my side/sleeve seams and popped it on and thought eeek! The sleeves were also a bit snug. So I nervously cut a neat vertical line about 2 cm from the seam between back and sleeve and have added a vertical rectangle from the collar edge to the cuff, and made it into a ‘feature’ by adding reflective piping on the upper seam. This has given me more movement in the arms. Damn those ‘strong’ biceps :-) Most of the time I wouldn’t be wearing a jumper under this jacket anyhow so it will still be very wearable.

8 thoughts on “Pocket details

  1. Pingback: No 2 Past the Post: Minoru Jacket « VickikateMakes

  2. Wow another Aussie making the Minoru. Your fabric is so quirky and thank you so much for the information on the hood changes and welt pockets. I am way behind but hopefully after this weekend I will be able to get stuck right into making mine.

  3. Hi Kirsty! I thought I’d let you know I linked to your pocket post today on my blog. I love the fabric you’re using and the way you did the flap pockets! Sorry if it somehow caused your site to crash as it wasn’t working earlier this morning. I’m glad it’s back up and running!
    Cheers,
    Tasia

    • Thanks for all the kind comments, it’s made my week. Tasia – thanks for the link!

      lunachick- the fabric is from a nappy making supplier in Australia at http://www.nappiescovered.com.au, and it is a ‘PUL’ or polyurethane coated fabric. It’s waterproof, and with the seam sealing tape really will keep the water out. The coating is on the wrong side of the fabric so you really need to line it for comfort. It’s a Riley Blake design, and there are a bunch of other fabulous designs and plain colours too. It’s pretty heavy so I’d recommend seeing if you can find a local or localish online supplier. Try searching for nappy making supplies.

      About halfway through making the pockets I wished I’d put them in earlier in the jacket construction, like before sewing any seams! But I hadn’t really decided what I was doing at that point.

  4. Your jacket looks amazing! Those welt pockets are definitely something I want to try when I get around to working up my Minoru pattern. Also, your fabric looks awesome! Is it water-resistant too? I’m wondering if you’ll share where you buy your fabric. I’ll certainly want to take a look!

  5. I love the welt pockets! They’ll be great on the coat. I also love your fabric, it’s so lively! My next Minoru coat will have to have welt pockets too. Isn’t Sherry great with all her tutorials? Thanks for sharing.

  6. Your pockets look beautiful! I’m starting to wish I’d gone for this rather than side seam pockets which will be a little too far back, but fine for stashing odds and ends. I’ll have to incorporate this in any other jacket I make, thank you for sharing!