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02.04 Cargo Pocket

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Prerequisites

To complete this tutorial you should be familiar with How to Thread an Juki DDL 870 Industrial Sewing Machine How to Sew a Patch Pocket

Instructions

2 Piece Method

This technique uses a second piece of fabric to create the bellows part of the cargo pocket.

  1. Cut a piece of interfacing the desired width of the pocket, for example 5 3/4" x how tall you want the top part of the pocket to be, 3/4"
  2. Cut a pocket piece that is wider than the interfacing by the width of two seam allowances, .5" or 5/8"
  3. Iron on the interfacing at the top of the pocket piece two interfacing widths down from the top of the pocket piece.
  4. Then press the top flap at the edge of the interfacing
  5. Fold under the bottom to capture the raw edge of the fabric and press
  6. Cut a 2" wide piece, or wider if desired, of fabric long enough to go around the pocket, this will create the bellows, it is better to cut this piece a bit longer than shorter. You can always trim it but adding fabric is not possible.
  7. Press a 1/2" seam allowance along the the long side length of the bellows piece.
  8. Fold over the short end of bellows piece two times, about 3/8", press, and top stitch closed
  9. Place bellows piece at the top of the pocket with right sides together. Fold the top of the pocket inside out around the bellows piece. The two raw edges of the fabric should be together with the bellows 1/2" seam allowance toward the inside of the pocket.
  10. Stitch all the way around the pocket, trimming a bit at the corners to make the 90 degree turn.
  11. When you get to the other side of the top of the pocket, trim any excess length of the bellows piece leaving enough to fold over the top twice. about 3/8", and top stitch like the previous side. (It is ok to pause the stitching around the sides to trim and press)
  12. Turn top part of pocket right side out, trimming the corners, turning corners with a point, and pressing as needed.
  13. Topstitch the top part of pocket closed. Be careful not to stitch onto the bellows piece.
  14. Top stitch all the way around the top of the pocket piece, catching the bellows piece. Stitch very close to the edge and make sure the bellows pieces is not visible from the top. You can also understitch before this to help the bellows piece turn under. Be careful at the corners to not catch extra fabric.
  15. Flip the pocket upside down and press the corners like a package. Press as a perfect 45 degree angle miter.
  16. Mark the width and height of the pocket on the garment.
  17. Stitch down the bellows piece being careful to keep the bottom edge of the bellows piece within the perimeter of the pocket so it is not seen from the front.
  18. Reinforce the top of the pocket as desired.
  19. Add a flap and closure as desired.

Further Reading