Things have been a wee bit off track with these posts lately, but I thought this week we’d actually do a tutorial for a change!

One of the easiest types of pockets to add to a bag are patch pockets – you don’t have to include them in seam allowances, add a zip, elastic or any other complex techniques, and you can stick them in whatever location, at whatever funky angle you desire, since you basically applique them to your bag.

Here’s an example of a patch pocket on the stocking pattern I did for Quilt Now last year:

The pocket is a rectangle folded in two and the open edges sewn shut, leaving a turning gap in the bottom.  The corners are clipped before turning through:

The top of the pocket is top stitched, then the pocket is top stitched on to the stocking:

If you want to close them in some way, a magnetic snap or button will work, or you can pop a flap over the top, made and attached in exactly the same way as the pocket.  Here’s an example of adding a magnetic snap closure:

The most basic pockets are flat, but if you want to put something a little more substantial than, say, a credit card in it, then making a 3D one will give you a little more room.

This is an example of one I did for a messenger bag pattern for the Intrepid Thread newsletter a few years ago.  Note that not only is this one 3D, it’s also curvy, taking it one step above the simple rectangle option above.

In order to get the 3D-ness, darts are added to the bottom of the pocket, but the other option would be to add a gusset in the same way that you would for a bag.  In this case the space at the bottom of the pocket is larger than at the top, however with a gusset version, you would get a uniform size.

Now go forth and patch on those pockets!

If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments section below.