Yes You Can Make Deeper Pockets

Extending your inner pockets is something that anyone with basic sewing skills can do. What’s great is that it’s purely functional, so you don’t have to worry about seams being perfect. No one is going to notice the inside of your pocket when they’ll be noticing that intriguing woman who never seems to need a purse.

I’ve had this Prana jean for the past couple of years and the front “mockets” were only suitable for carrying maybe a balled up tissue. Even the rear pockets wouldn’t fit an iPhone 6 completely, and I’m always nervous about things falling out. Time to take action.

In case you needed more proof of the oppression of women. Sub 3″ pockets.

The rear pocket situation is somewhat better. Definitely designed more for looks than utility. Unfortunately, to lengthen the rear pockets is way out of my skillset, so we’re going to focus on the front pockets.

First we’ve got to rip out the bottom seams of the front pockets. Normally, you could just snip the end with scissors or a rotary cutter, which is faster, but since these pockets are so pathetically stingy, I’m going to need all the fabric I can get.

It only took a couple of minutes for my first breakthrough.

Ah, that’s more like it.

Now we’ve got to make a couple of 1/2″ trims in the sides, to allow enough room for the new pocket panels to be stitched on.

“Feed me your valuables!”

Ok, now it’s time to do a little layout. What I like about this process is that it doesn’t really require a ton of measuring, because you can do everything visually.

I created a cardboard pocket template that has lasted years.

What fabric should I use for the pockets? I think it’s important that the fabric is cotton, for comfort against the sensitive thigh, and thin, so it doesn’t create too many lines. Fortunately I happened to have this dismembered sleeve left over from this hoodie, still for sale.

I used a rotary cutter to cut the pockets. Total of four layers of fabric. Fortunately the fabric looks the same on both sides, so I didn’t have to worry about accidentally reversing anything. I believe that the pockets’ “right” side should be on the outside of the pocket rather than the inside. Others may disagree, especially if the “right” side has a more pleasing texture. The question to ask yourself is, which deserves the nicer texture, your hands or your thighs?

Now it’s time to lay out all the pieces and visualize how awesome it’s going to be.

Next comes pinning. I didn’t need too many pins because the fabric wasn’t sliding around much. If you choose a more silky pocket fabric, you may need to use more pins, or baste the seam to keep it from sliding.

A serger is great for keeping everything neat. Of course, a serger isn’t required, but if you use a regular sewing machine, be sure to do a zigzag around the edges to prevent fraying.

After sewing the first pocket side, pin the second side and sew that seam.

Because of the multiple seams and fabric thicknesses, you may end up with a portion of the seam that your serger isn’t able to get to. I solved this by bringing it to the regular sewing machine and sewing that last bit up with a zigzag stitch.

Success on all fronts. Yes, because these are tighter jeans, you can see the object silhouettes, especially if I put a fat wallet in there. Who cares? I sure don’t.