Attaching All-in-one yoke pockets

I really love these all-in-one yoke pockets on the Felicity Dress - I don't know what it is, but I think they're cute and they work perfectly every time. Today we are attaching them to our Felicity skirts and talking about whether to top-stitch, under-stitch or just leave the outer edge as is.

Also, you can't tell but I'm using a mini version of my Felicity Pattern to illustrate the next few sew along posts, I'll have to show you the final dress at the end because she's so darn cute!!

Steps:

1. When cutting out your pocket pieces, make sure to mark all of your notches, and don't forget to include a little notch down the bottom in the dip of the pocket (indicated by red arrows). These will really help you later on when you need to be very precise when folding the pocket over, as the 'back' of the pocket makes up a section of the overall waist line of the skirt.

This is especially important when making the circle skirt version, as there isn't as much room for error as there is with the gathered skirt version.

2. Right sides together, place your pocket piece on top of your skirt piece. Making sure you line up your curves.

1.5cm ( 5/8inch) from the raw edge, stitch your pocket curve together, back-tacking at the start and end of the stitch.

3.  Cut little notches into your seam allowance along the curved edge, being careful not to snip too close to your stitched seam, then turn right sides out and press.

Note - Those little cuts you made allow the fabric to sit much neater along the curve by releasing the tension from the fabric threads.

Now is the stage where you'll want to decide whether you under-stitch, top-stitch 

or leave the outer pocket seam as is...

You really can do what ever you like here, it's completely up to you (and whether you have the patience to add a small extra step - sometimes I do, sometimes I don't... hehe).

The two big reasons to either top-stitch or under-stitch is that first you'll be be providing a little extra stability to a seam that does get a lot of strain put on it since your hands could be going in and out of your pockets a lot. Secondly, they are securing stitches, meaning your pocket bag will stay nicely inside of your pocket along that stitched edge, rather than poking up, as you may find they have a habit of creeping out. Adding the extra stitch also means that your outer pocket seam will stay nice and crisp, even after washing.

So, what's the difference between top-stitching and under-stitching? It's pretty self explanatory, but top-stitching is stitched on top so you can see it on the outer garment. You can choose to use a matching thread to make it more invisible or go for a decorative touch and use a contrasting thread or stitch - you absolutely don't have to use a straight stitch like I've done on my mini-Felicity sample. If you have fancy stitches on your sewing machine, why not try them out? Or even try a little zig-zag?

An under-stitch is where you secure your seam allowance to the underside of the pocket, which is something you may want to consider if you prefer a really clean garment with as few seams showing as possible, while still providing that security and stability of adding an extra stitch.

Adding a Top-Stitch:

3mm (1/8in) from the outer seam edge, place a line of stitching along the curve, securing both the skirt and pocket seam down.

Adding an under-stitch:

Note - Adding an under-stitch to the curved pocket of the Felicity Dress is a little tricky due to the curve, but it is possible. I've chosen to use a flat sample in order to show you how to do it in a much clearer manner. The blue fabric is the skirt, the white is the pocket as per the rest of the post.

1. Open up your pocket seam and press the seam allowance toward the pocket.

2. Place a line of stitching along the centre of the seam allowance securing it to the pocket side (indicated by the red arrow).

 3. Fold your pocket back under, wrong-sides together and press. You won't see the seam from the outside...

But there will be a neat line of stitching on the inside of the pocket...

And back to the sew along...

4. Fold your pocket bag in half along the centre line. You'll want to ensure your pocket is folded in half exactly along the fold line marked on the pattern - use the notches you made in your pocket at the start to match these up (indicated by the red arrows) as well as the edges of the skirt. 

The two notches made towards the outer edge of the pocket should match up with the ends of your finished pocket edge, as indicated by the arrows below.

5. 1.5cm (5/8in) from the raw edge, stitch the bottom of your pocket bag closed. This should be loose from the skirt, so make sure you don't accidentally attach the two!

6. Within the seam allowance of 1.5cm (5/8in), baste the top and sides of your pocket to your skirt and press.

Repeat for the other pocket and voila, your cute lil all-in-one yoke pockets are done! I used the pattern for the gathered skirt in this post, but the process is exactly the same for the circle skirt.

 If you have any questions, please pop them in the comments :) Otherwise I'll see you next time, where we'll be assembling the skirt and gathering it if you are making version 2 of the Felicity dress.

xx

J

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