Hello lovely stitchers! It's Nikki here, Product Manager at Tilly HQ, and I'm back today with your recommended dose of the Jessa sewalong.
Catching up? Check out the dedicated sewalong page to find all of the posts published so far.
Today is a very special day because I am going to be covering all things pockets. Who doesn't love pockets? Nobody, that's who. Luckily for you the pockets on the Jessa trousers and shorts are very roomy. Keep your phone in there, your snacks, a small sudoku book... these pockets are here to serve you.
You have a few different options when it comes to choosing your pockets for Jessa. You can choose to attach the patch pockets to the front or the back, or both! You also have the option of adding a faux pocket flap to the front leg, or both legs if you are feeling fancy. I think the faux pocket flap looks best on its own with no patch pockets on the front but hey, who am I to tell you what to do. If you want all the pockets then go right ahead :)
The patch pockets
Before we stitch the pockets to the legs, we have to finish the edges and turn them under so the edges are hidden on the inside. Using an overlocker, or a zigzag stitch on your sewing machine, finish all edges except the top edge on all of the patch pockets you are using.
To help get lovely even pockets, staystitch all the edges you have finished 14mm (just under 5/8in) from the edge. Don't worry about backtacking at either end of the stitching. We'll come back to this in a minute.
Now we come back to our staystitching, the purpose of which is to help you get a nice, even shape to your pocket. With the wrong side facing up towards you, carefully fold one edge of the patch pocket under so the staystitching is just visible, and press the fold in place. Repeat with the other finished edges.
To make sure the pockets have stayed symmetrical, fold the pocket in half and compare the sides against each other.
Once you're happy with the pocket positioning it's time to stitch them on. If the fabric you're using is a bit bulky, you can use a "stitch starter" to help the presser foot over the edge of the pocket. It's easy peasy to make a stitch starter - grab a scrap of fabric, fold it over a few times and put it under the back of the presser foot to life it up a little, making sure it's behind the needle so you don't accidentally sew it to your trouser legs.
You need to topstitch the pocket 2-3mm (1/16-1/8in) from the edge of the fabric. I always take my time here and sew this bit really slowly. That way it's easier to navigate the corners and there's way less chance you're going to need to get the seam ripper involved. That being said, if your stitching is a little wonky here feel free to unpick and start again, or throw caution to the wind and rock that wobbly topstitching! When you are 2-3mm (1/16-1/8in) from the corners, leave the needle in the fabric, and raise the presser foot and rotate the fabric to the new stitching line, lower the presser foot and keep on sewing.
To keep the pocket extra secure, anchor the edges down with a square like shown in the photo, or even a cross or a triangle. You can do this as you are sewing the pocket or after it is sewn on. Backtack at the end and sew a few stitches down the stitch line, leave the needle in the fabric and raise the presser foot, pivot the fabric 90 degrees, and sew again, repeating until you have a square (or another shape) to keep your pocket anchored in place.
You don't have to use topstitching thread here, but we have an awesome blog and video with our ten tips for tip top topstitching (try saying that fast) if you want to give it a try.
The faux pocket flap
If you're sewing the faux pocket flap, you will have already interfaced one flap a few steps back. To help the flap lie flat and encourage the seam to roll to the underside when it's sewn, trim the side and diagonal sides (not the top edge) of the un-interfaced flap.
Pin the interfaced flap and the trimmed un-interfaced flap together at the side and diagonal edges. Stitch, with the interfaced flap on top - this will help to stabilise the pieces.
We want to reduce the bulk around the seam allowances, so you will need to trim and grade them, which simply means trimming one seam allowance smaller than the other. This will reduce any bulkiness once the seams are turned to the inside. To make sure you get some neat points on the flap, snip across the corners like shown in the picture.
Turn the flap inside out and ease out the corners with a pin or point turner. We want this little pocket flap to be nice and crisp so you'll also need to smooth out the seams. If you don't have a point turner in your sewing kit feel free to use other implements to get the same effect. A butter knife or even a finger will do the job! Once you've turned the flap through and are happy with the corners, press, making sure to roll the seam line to the inside. The outside of the flap is the interfaced side, and the un-interfaced flap will sit against the front leg.
Edgestitch the flap 3mm (1/8in) from the edge around all the edges you have sewn. Place the underside of the flap against the front leg of the trousers and line up the flap notches on the waistline and flap. The flap can go on either leg but I think it looks extra cute on the left front leg as the asymmetric waistband is closed on the right leg, but it's totally up to you!
If the flap looks a bit, well, flappy, you can anchor it down with a few catch stitches or sew a button through the flap and leg. The best bit about this is, because it's purely aesthetic, you don't have to sew any buttonholes. Yay!
If you've stuck with me up to this point then congratulations, you have sewn your pockets on your Jessa trousers or shorts! Join me in the next post when we'll be sinking our teeth into constructing the zip fly. As always, don't forget to share your progress on Instagram with the #SewingJessa hashtag, We can't wait to see what you make!
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Photos: Jane Looker
Pink denim: Higgs and Higgs
Model: Suzanne Hopkins
