How to Add In-Seam Pockets to Anything

A white woman with brown hair and glasses wearing a floral print dress with an empire waistline. Her hands are in pockets added to the side seams.

Pockets make the world go round. Whether I'm driving to the store for a quick errand or taking the dog around the block, lack of pockets in whatever I'm wearing is a near constant problem. If you wear clothing designed for women, you know exactly what I mean.

The solution: make your own pockets and add them to everything you make and everything you own.

Today we'll be working on in-seam pockets. These are the kind of pockets that are most commonly seen in skirts and dresses. The type of pockets sewn into most pants (like jeans) are called hip pockets and we'll look at those another time. Pockets on shirt fronts are an example of patch pockets which I addressed in my apron making post here.

In this post, we'll look at how to make your own in-seam pocket pattern (which I highly recommend using in place of any patterns that include pockets already), then how to add pockets to garments you already own as well as how to add pockets to a garment in-progress.

Q: What do I need in order to add pockets to a garment?

A: To add pockets, you will need:

A pocket pattern (see below to make your own)
Enough fabric to cut out 4 pockets with seam allowance (see recommendations on fabric below)
Fabric scissors or a rotary cutter with cutting mat
Matching thread
Sewing machine
Snips
Iron and ironing board
Straight pins or hem clips
Seam ripper (for adding pockets to existing garments)

Q: Is adding pockets difficult?

A: Nope! If you can sew around a curve, you can add pockets. Actually, if you can't sew around a curve just yet, you can make rectangular pockets instead. This is a great project for beginners.

Q: How long does it take to add pockets to a garment?

A: Once you have your pattern, it takes about 1 hour (or less) to add pockets to a garment that already exists and about 30 minutes to add pockets to a garment in progress. Bonus: when adding pockets to an in progress garment, you'll also complete the side seams.

Making a Pocket Pattern

To make a pocket pattern, I recommend using a piece of cardboard so the pattern will hold up over time. Poster board also works well.

Before beginning to outline your pattern, decide what will be the largest object you plan to put in your pockets. A cellphone? A paperback book? An iPad? A bottle of wine? These are your pockets, you get to decide how big they are!

You will also need your front waist measurement. To get this, measure across your waist from side seam to side seam. You can also take your full waist measurement and divide it in half to get an approximation of this measure.

Note: Do not start your rectangle in the corner of your paper - you'll need to add seam allowance at the end!

Step 1

Make a rectangle with the width of *no more than* one half of your front waist measurement. For example, if my front waist measure was 16 inches, my rectangle should be no larger than 8 inches across. Decide how wide to make the rectangle using your largest object. Label the top line "top."

The height of the rectangle should also be based on the size of the largest object. Be sure it has enough space to rest comfortably without falling out. Label this height "side."

Note: If the rectangle is not wide enough to house your largest object, you can make it wider. Just be aware that the pockets will overlap at the center front.

A rectangle. The top line is labeled top and its dimension labeled width. The side line is labeled side and its dimension height.

Step 2

Use the width of your hand plus about 2 inches to measure down one side of the rectangle's length and make a mark. This is the size of the opening for your hand. Check to make sure your largest object will fit through the opening; adjust if needed.

A pocket pattern sketch. A mark has been added partway down the side of the rectangle. The dimension from top to the mark is labeled hand plus 2 inches. A curve has been drawn a little ways into the pocket from the mark at a 90 degree angle, then goes down to make a swooping curve that touches the bottom of the rectangle before rising up to the other side.

Step 3

Make a smooth curve from the mark in step 2 moving into the rest of the pocket and down around the bottom to make a sort of bean shape. The angle from the side moving into the curve should be 90°. I find it easiest to work along a curve and also that fewer crumbs get stuck in curved pockets. If you prefer the rectangle, skip this step.

Step 4

Add seam allowance around the outside of the pocket and write down the amount used on the pattern. I like 1/2 inch seam allowance personally. To do this, measure 1/2 inch all around the outside of the pattern, then connect the dots.

Make a BIG NOTE to sew along the opening (the short side) with only 1/4 inch seam allowance!

A completed pocket pattern made out of cardboard.

Done! Now you have a pocket pattern you can use forever that will actually fit what you need!

Notes on Adding Pockets

A white woman with brown hair and glasses wearing a floral print dress with an empire waistline. Her hands have pulled out the side seam pockets to show their placement just below the waistline.

Fabric Selection

When choosing fabric for pockets, the most important thing is the amount of stretch. This should be determined by the rest of the garment but also by personal preference. Generally speaking, you don't really want the pocket to stretch too much as it makes carrying items awkward and can stretch out the side seams (this is also part of the reason why our pocket pattern will be sewn into the waistband itself).

For any garment you are making from start to finish, your best bet is to use the same fabric as the rest of the garment. The exception is if you're working with very thick fabric, in which case, choose something lighter but sturdy to avoid adding too much bulk at the seams.

For garments with little or no stretch, you can really choose any woven fabric for the pockets. I typically choose something that's a similar weight and drape to the garment fabric. For stretch garments, I recommend choosing fabric with a little less stretch that the garment itself or cutting the pockets so that the stretch goes across the pocket but NOT vertically.

Whatever you choose, remember that pockets are a great opportunity to have fun because no one else will see the fabric. Choose something that will make you smile when you wear the garment.

Stitching into the Waistband

There are many tutorials out there on how to add pockets to existing garments and many of them (commercial patterns included) let the pockets hang directly from the side seam with no support from the waistband. This creates a problem if you want to carry anything substantial in your pockets and especially if the garment is made of stretchy fabric as the seam will permanently stretch out with use. RIP my dinosaur skirt which taught me this lesson.

A blue skirt with multi-colored dinosaur skeleton printed fabric. The left side of the skirt is significantly longer than the right side due to stretching from the weight of objects in the pocket.

Historically, pockets that were sewn like this would have had a small piece of garment tape stitched from the pocket up into the waistband to provide extra support. Unfortunately, modern garments do not take this extra step. The only reason to avoid stitching a pocket fully into the waistband is the small amount of extra bulk it will add. As long as you choose a sufficiently light fabric, this is not a problem.

I personally make the choice to stitch into the waistband every time I add pockets because I find my items are more supported while I carry them. This method also keeps things from moving around too much which can be a very annoying feature of pockets sewn into modern skirts and dresses.

Seam Ripping

Do it carefully. If you're adding pockets into an existing garment, chances are high that it was sewn with a serger or coverstitch machine. This means there are four threads instead of one that need to be ripped out along the seam line. You may find it easiest to turn the garment inside out and work along the side of the seam where you can see all of the threads.

How to Add In-Seam Pockets to an Existing Garment

The process of adding in-seam pockets to an existing garment is essentially the same as adding them to an in progress garment. However, this is a little trickier as you have to work around more fabric and be sure not to catch the rest of the garment in your seams.

I recommend having a piece of cardboard or a tailor's ham on hand to insert between the layers to help keep everything separate when pinning.

A pocket pattern. On either side are two pieces of white fabric cut in the pattern shape. A rotary cutter sits below.