dana's test blog: TUTORIAL: Kid Pants with POCKETS

You've mastered the Basic Pant, adding a lining, and the flat front.
Let's add one more detail...Pockets!

Adding visible front pockets to pants are easy. Of course there are fancier ways to do it (such as enclosing the top of the pocket inside a separately sewn-on waistband). But you know I like to keep it simple. So that's what we're doing here.

Simple pockets for complex kids. Oh, why does he look 16 already? The teenage years are gonna kill me.

This post is actually an updated version of the original pocket tutorial, with improved photos and....a printable pattern piece! Yay!

The pattern has two pocket sizes...
Large, which hits just above the knee (as seen here):

And Small (seen here):

and here:

But any way you make them, they're perfect for picking up rocks and tucking them away.

Let's get started!

For this pair of pants, we'll pull from the previous Flat Front Pants tutorial. Pockets could also be sewn to the Basic Pant but they look so much nicer with a smooth flat front.

Print the Front POCKET pattern HERE.
* You'll automatically be prompted to open the 1-page pdf in Preview
* Save and/or print the doc to your home printer
* If you don't have a printer, place a piece of paper over your computer screen and trace!

The pattern looks like the photo below (but you'll want to follow the download info above, so you can print it to actual size).
LARGE size - cut along the dark solid line
SMALL size - cut along the dotted and solid lines

You need two layers for each pocket (the outer pocket fabric and a lining fabric). You can use the same fabric for both but I like to mix it up a bit just for fun.

And with the pants fabric, lining fabric, and pocket pattern, we're ready to go!

As outlined in the Flat Front Pants tutorial, lay out and cut your pants pieces.

Some of you have asked how I get both legs to match up perfectly at the crotch. It's all in the cutting! And it's not hard. Make sure--as you cut through a double-layer of fabric--that both fabric sides are lined up and match up. Look at the photo above and you can see the edge of the bottom layer of fabric peeking out. The stripes are matched perfectly to the top layer of fabric. When you cut and sew, you end up with this:

Kind of fun.

Okay, next cut out your pockets.
NOTE: I wanted the pockets to stand out and give contrast to the pants, so I turned the fabric sideways. Now the pockets have horizontal stripes, while the pants have vertical stripes.

Fold your fabric in half (so you end up with two opposite pockets) and cut two pocket pieces. Try to match up the stripes on both sides of the fabric so your fabric print will look similar on both pockets.
Cut out two lining pieces also.

You should have four pieces, like this:

With wrong sides of the fabric together, pin each pocket and lining piece together. We're going to sew these together and turn them right-side out to create a nice, finished, pocket edge. Note in the photo below that you do not want to sew the side of the pocket. Leave it open so you can turn it right-side out.

Sew from one side, around to the other, using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.
Snip the fabric at the curved seam a few times. This will help it to lay flat.
Turn the pockets right-side out, pushing everything out at the corners and seams.
Press with an iron.

You should have two pockets like this (the underside fabric is brown):

Now we need to finish off the curve of the pocket with a top-stitch so that it will eventually match the rest of the pocket stitching.
Sew a top-stitch line about 1/8 inch from the edge of the curve. I prefer a contrasting thread color, so it pops and stands out.

If you prefer double-stitching (but you're too lazy like me to get out the double needle), move over another 1/8 inch and sew a second line, parallel to the first.

Your pockets are ready!
Let's sew them on.

Sew your pants up to the first step--sew the two front pieces together.
Lay the pockets on top and space them where you'd like. Remember that the top waistband will be folded down about 1 inch, so account for that in your spacing.

Pin both pockets in place and don't worry that they overhang the side seam. That's intentional, to allow you plenty of room for placement (the pocket will be sewn right into the pants seam and you can trim off the excess).

Sew the pockets to your pants, 1/8 inch over from the edge of the pocket. Sew all the way around and remember that you do not want to sew the curve of the pocket closed! Do a double stitch on everything and your pockets are in place.

Continue sewing your pants together, as outlined in the Flat Front Tutorial. I also decided to double top-stitch the front and back crotch seams so it would match the stitching of the pockets.