How to Put a Side Pocket in a Women's Ready-Made Garment

You will need to rip out some of the original seams in your ready-made garment to insert the pockets.

Side pockets are typically added to a garment before the side seams are sewn up, but in the case of a ready-made garment, the seams are already sewn. Once you have determined what kind of pocket and where you would like to place the pockets, you will need to do a little bit of surgery to your garment. Precise stitching will be key to ensuring your garment retains its ready-made look.

Things You'll Need

• Pocket pattern
• Pocket fabric
• Sewing machine
• Thread
• Seam ripper
• Straight pins
• Measuring tape
• Fabric scissors

Instructions

1. Try on your garment and determine where you would like the pockets placed. Clip notches into the seam allowance of the garment to mark where you would like the top of the pocket to hit.

2. Remove the garment and open up the side seams using the seam ripper. Measure the seam allowance the seam allowance.

3. Cut out four pocket pattern pieces from your selected pocket fabric.

4. Lay out the pocket pieces and garment pieces with the right sides together and the wrong sides facing out. Line up the tops of the pockets with the notches in the side seams.

5. Pin the straight edge of each pocket piece to the corresponding piece of the garment. Sew each side seam edge of each pocket piece to the side seam of each piece of the garment. Press the seams flat.

6. Pin the garment pieces together. Sew the side seams and around the curved edges of the pockets at the original seam allowance. Press and finish the seams as desired.

7. Turn your garment right side out.

Tips & Warnings

• It is easier to use an already drafted pocket pattern to create your pockets, but you can make your own. You may need to remove the lining, if your garment has one, before you can begin ripping out side seams.

References

• Butterfly Blue: Adding Side Seam Pockets to a Garment
• Netplaces: Hidden Side Pockets