How to Make Chair Pockets
Almost everyone has his own particular favorite chair or seat in the living room or den to sit when watching favorite movies or television shows. Side tables or end tables make this seat more convenient, but it seems like there are always little odds and ends that you want but that you can't keep organized in this area. Chair pockets are one solution to this problem. These fabric additions to any furniture arm have multiple pockets to hold little odds and ends like remote controls and pencils and can be made to match any decor.
Things You'll Need
- 2 pieces fabric 36" long by 13" wide, corduroy or brocade
- Scissors
- Measuring tape
- Pins
- 12-inch dowel
- Sewing machine
- Thread
- Needle
Instructions
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1
Cut two pieces of fabric 36 inches long and 13 inches wide. Use cotton corduroy, brocade or another fabric of a similar weight.
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2
Lay one piece of fabric on the table with the right side up. Lay the second piece of fabric on top of the first with the right side down, matching all four edges. Pin around the entire edge to hold the two pieces in place.
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3
Sew almost all the way around the edge of the fabric. Use a half-inch seam allowance. Start sewing at the beginning of one short side and sew all the way around the rectangle until you are three inches from where you began. End sewing by making a backstitch to hold the seam in place.
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4
Turn the piece inside out using the opening left on the long side near the top. Use the dowel to push the corners out so that they will be sharp. You now have a two-layered fabric pocket with one opening.
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5
Insert the dowel inside the fabric pocket and lay it up against the first seam that you sewed on the top short side of the pocket. Push the dowel so that it is right up against the seam. Pin the fabric together right below the dowel so that it is encased in fabric but still right up against the top seam.
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Sew the fabric together where it has been pinned. This will create a sleeve in the top of the fabric pocket that has encased the dowel. Use a needle and thread to slip stitch shut the remaining opening in the fabric pocket.
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Lay the resulting piece on a table with the long sides at right and left and the dowel sleeve at the top. Fold the bottom edge up in front for a length of six inches. Pin the right and left sides of this bottom fold together.
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Topstitch together the right and left edges, creating a pocket at the bottom of the piece. Sew a seam from the bottom fold up to the top of the pocket. You may place this seam wherever you wish on the pocket, depending on whether you want two identical pockets or one large one and one smaller one.
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Lay the piece over the arm of a chair, with the pocket hanging down on the outside and the dowel inside the chair toward the chair cushion. Tuck the dowel into the space between the chair cushion and the chair arm to hold it. Add your remote and other items to the pocket on the outside.
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Tips & Warnings
You can make three smaller pockets instead of two if you'd like to divide up the space that way.
Don't use lighter fabrics like cotton or gauze. They will sag and not hold the items in the pockets.
