How to Make a Hidden Pocket

Hidden pockets provide a safer place to stash valuables.

Sewing a hidden pocket into a jacket or pair of pants is an easy way to help protect and hide your valuables. If you're ever mugged, get away with your most important items like cash and credit cards by keeping them in a hidden pocket inside your pants, rather than in a normal pocket. Making a hidden pocket doesn't require advanced sewing knowledge, so there's no excuse to remain unprotected.

Things You'll Need

• Scissors
• Thread
• Needle
• Two pieces of scrap material in the shape of a square or rectangle

Instructions

Preparing the Pocket

1. Cut your scrap material into two similar-sized pieces. Cut them large enough to give yourself room to sew along the edge while still leaving plenty of pocket space. For example, if you want a 5-by-6 inch pocket, cut your two pieces about 6-by-7 inches, leaving the extra inch to sew them together.

2. Thread your needle by sticking one end of your thread through the eye of the needle and tying it off. Lay your two pieces of material on top of each other with the outsides of the future pocket facing out.

3. Begin sewing the edges with the top left edge of the pocket. Work your way down the left side, then sew the bottom and the right side. Leave the top open for the pocket's opening.

4. Reinforce your sew by repeating Step 3 a second time, sewing along the edges of the pocket. For the best durability, reinforce the corners by adding additional stitching.

Attaching the Pocket

1. Get the article of clothing you want to stitch the pocket into and turn it inside out. Decide where you're going to sew the pocket, making it somewhere easily accessible, yet hidden, like the inside waist of a pair of pants.

2. Sew the outer edges of the pocket into your clothing of choice. For maximum secrecy, use a thread similar in color to the clothing item you're using. When sewing the top, ensure you only sew the back-end of the pocket to the clothing item, so you can still access the pocket.

3. Fill your secret pocket to determine how much it can hold while remaining undetected. This also shows you how easy or difficult it is to access the pocket.

References

• Vagabond Journey; Hidden Pockets to Carry Travel Valuables; Wade Shepard; April 2010