missing pockets

This is not an absolute refashion, but I thought it might give an idea for refashioning. It is includes a bit of a tutorial on how to cut and develop an inset hip pocket. (like jeans pockets)

I am making some skirts for the children's village in Ethiopia where my friend works with orphans. They get alot for under 10 year olds and need some things for pre-teens and young ladies.

Someone gave me a pile of fabric. When I pulled out this red corduroy to see if I could make a skirt, I realised it was already cut as a skirt. However, it was cut away at the hip area to have inset pockets.

So, I found some red in my stash that would go. I intended to gather the waist, just because I don't know who this will fit. So, I laid the skirt onto the fabric and drew in the missing line - up from the side seam and out from the waist seam. (I was using the fabric doubled so as to do the other pocket at the same time.) If you were not planning on having a gathered waist, you would need to give a bit of hip shaping to the outside edge of this piece rather than go straight up. You could copy the hip area of a similar skirt you like.

I used a pocket shape I already had to draw in the bottom of the pocket. Basically you need to make sure you make it deep enough for stuff not to fall out. you could even do it with a square bottom if you like.

This then would be the back of the pocket but the visible part when the skirt is on.

Next, I cut the same shape from red lining fabric.

However, the lining would be the front section of the actual pocket bag. It needs to be sewn to the actual skirt fabric. So I laid it under the skirt front and traced the pocket edge onto the piece.

I cut the pocket lining on this line.

Again, this was two layers of lining so to make the other pocket. If I were making this from scratch, I would need to remember to account for seam allowances, but this skirt had been cut from a pattern already, so had the seam allowances already cut on to it.

Next I laid the lining right side together with the skirt and sewed the seam.

Then pressed and turned. I also overlocked the seam, but you wouldn't really need to, because it will be in a place where there is no friction. I top-stitched the edge just to make sure the lining won't roll forward.

Next I sewed the back pocket piece (from the stash fabric) to the lining pocket section and finished the seam edge. The pocket on the left shows the back pocket section sewn to the lining pocket section. The pocket on the right shows the whole pocket folded back into place.

Now, the skirt front was ready to sew to the back section of the skirt.

and so here it is!

I used some of the stash fabric to make a channel for the elastic on the outside, and also some to put on the hem edge of the skirt. This helps the whole thing look like it was meant and not that I replaced missing pockets!

a close up of the pocket.

Because this was not cut as a gathered skirt to start with, I also put a zip in the centre back. It already had a kick pleat, so I sewed that together as well.