School blazers, golf club jackets, cricket club jackets and other sporting clubs replace pockets each time there is a change of board/captain or such, and sew pocket lined jacket is a blog on how I do this.

It looks more difficult than it is.  You can sew around the outside, which will save you a lot of angst, however most jackets are sewn around the inside of the pocket.  Don’t sew over the lining.  Get into the jacket and sew only onto the outer fabric.  For both ladies and men’s jackets you can do this by unpicking the seam closed to the pocket for easy access.  If there is an inside pocket on the lining, open the seam between the inside facing and the lining.  Closing will be different for both ladies and men

Unpick the old pocket.  If the new pocket has not been stitched around the outside or ironed flat then do this.  The seam allowance is about ½” or 1 cm.  Stitch in just under the seam allowance (not close to the edge)  If the pocket is curved at the corners do a gathering stitch and curve the corners, clipping up to the stitching so that they will sit properly.

Iron the pocket seam allowances back.  Place the pocket in the correct position and draw around the pocket EXACTLY as it will sit.  The drawn line must be exactly where it is to be stitched.  Use a tailors pencil that will wipe off when you are finished.

I start sewing at the top left hand side of the pocket (as I am looking at the pocket).  The pocket will be right side to the jacket and the seam will be lying so that your stitch line is over the ½” or 1 cm point and EXACTLY over the drawn line.  As you sew around the inside of the pocket you will have to fiddle with it, so that you can sew, but it’s really not that hard to do.

DO NOT SEW IN TINY STITCHES.  Use a reasonable stitch length just under gather, because if you make a mistake you can unpick easily, and the pocket does not have to be on tight.

The only thing you have to watch is that the tops are even.  Practice makes perfect they say, so if you want to practice use an old jacket and take the pocket off and put it back on again.  This will give you the idea of what needs to be done.

When you have the pocket on, you need to stitch over the top of the pocket on the two top corners, so it doesn’t come undone.   I find an upside down triangle works well.  Sew across the top for about 3 stitches then turn and sew back to the side of the pocket then up to the top.

Now you need to make it look like you were never there.  For ladies jackets unpick the opening in the lining of the sleeve.  It will more than likely be the left sleeve at the inside arm seam.  Pull the section that you opened near the pocket through this opening and sew together.  Then resew the lining opening at the inside arm of the sleeve.  For men, pull the lining out from the breast pocket.  Unpick the seam at the very bottom of the lining. Do not unpick the sides, just the bottom section.  Pull the section that is open where you sewed the pocket on through this opening.  Sew the section together.  Push back into the jacket and sew the bottom of the pocket together.  Just topstitch, it doesn’t need to be invisible, because no one looks inside their pocket.

If there is no breast pocket in the lining, unpick a small section at the bottom of the jacket hem.  Pull the section through that you need to sew together, then hand stitch the lining back to the jacket at the hem.

Happy sewing

Judith aka genie

2016-10-21T10:18:49+10:00 By |Categories: Jackets, School Uniform|Tags: |Comments Off on Sew pocket lined jacket