Does this drive anybody else crazy? The welts on a double welt pocket should lay flat against the garment. Welt pockets that gap open permanently in a twisted way look sloppy. Having two twisted, gaping, horizontal lines across one’s backside isn’t stylish or flattering.
What really drives me crazy though is that more and more women’s pants are made with useless back pockets. They’re real pockets but they aren’t practical pockets because they are too shallow to hold anything. Isn’t that the whole idea behind a pocket; to have a place to put stuff?
Okay, so, I’ll just use the front pockets, but wait, there’s more trouble lurking beneath the surface. Skimpy back pockets bunch up horribly in the wash and when worn they stay bunched up (talk about VPL). Ironing doesn’t solve the bunching because the pockets just aren’t long enough to stay down flat and smooth as the day goes on.
Enough, I say! Enough of good-for-nothing, bunching pockets that stay open like a sly smile across my butt. It’s time for a revolution. Give me a full pocket or I will chop it off and shut it closed!
And here’s how:
Pin the bottom welt flat through the pocket facing and back pocket piece. Line it up with the top welt leaving a very slight gap (that will look natural).
Flip pants inside out and cut off the bottom of the pocket. (Yes, you can. It’s your pocket now. Make your pants flatter you, not work against you). The pins show where the welt is. Cut about 3/4″ below the pins. You don’t want to cut the welt at all and you don’t want to leave too much pocket.
Zig zag the new bottom edge of the pocket close. Be sure to catch all the layers; front pocket, back pocket and facing.
Turn pants right side out again.
Use a hand needle to sew the bottom welt to the pocket facing. You are not sewing the welts together. The top welt will remain free to move as it wants and it wants to go down. If your top welt was cut extremely off grain it may want to twist away from the pants. If so, sew it down to the pocket facing also.
Start by bringing up the needle from the inside of the pants and out through the fold of the bottom welt (the welt’s top edge). I aim to come out slightly to the inside of the fold to hide my stitches. When you reach the end take the needle to the inside of the pants to knot; concealing your knot form public view.
That looks much better.
2 Comments on No More Sloppy Back Pockets
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The problem isn’t that they don’t lay flat; it’s that welt pockets make an already-full butt look even wider. Nobody seems to acknowledge this issue, but I’d rather not have pockets at all than functional welt pockets.
True.