Peggy Sagers: In 1954, Christian Dior himself said, "Men have pockets to keep things in; women, for decoration.

Much has changed since 1954, including pockets.

One of the best things about sewing is that you can make as many pockets as you want, wherever you want, and any size you want.

But, remember, you can't climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pockets.

Join us today on "Fit 2 Stitch" as we deepen your pocket options.

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♪♪♪ Peggy: The reason we wanna learn about pockets is so that we can make them wider, deeper.

We can do anything with them.

Matthew Porter, University-- professor at University of North Texas, is here to teach us all about pockets, and I love it.

I love that you're gonna be here to help us.

Matthew Porter: Absolutely, thank you for having me.

Peggy: Because you teach a whole class on pockets.

Matthew: Menswear and different designs and aesthetics, especially for a lot of commercialwear, has to incorporate pockets these days.

Peggy: Has to.

Matthew: Functionally, aesthetically, it can do a lot with pockets just to change your whole garment aesthetic.

Peggy: So talk to me about the different kinds of pockets to start off with.

Matthew: Absolutely.

There's an entire panoply of pockets that you can make.

These are just a couple here, and the great thing about them is they all have different applications, but you can use them interchangeably.

Some pockets you'll wanna use when you're using-- making a garment that has a lining.

Sometimes a pocket style can be done with a garment that doesn't have a lining.

So the technique that you do for two particular pockets may be completely different for the same pocket, but it could impact what type of garment you're going to use it on.

Peggy: Because of how it's constructed.

Matthew: Absolutely, so one example of that would be these two welt pockets here.

So this is your classic jetted, double-jet pocket here with the two lips there, but if we flip it over, you'll see that the lining is completely clean finish with the front seam, which you'll typically see in pant construction, versus this one here with the flap.

It still has the same jetted construction, but on the back, you can leave the edges raw because typically you'll see this in a lined suit jacket or something of that nature, so it really depends.

Peggy: Oh, that's great.

Tell me how you started sewing.

Matthew: So, I started out self-taught, just kind of playing with the sewing machines.

I was really interested in clothing.

Then I majored in fashion design at UNT, and then I learned a lot more about construction and the proper technique for patternmaking and the ability to do cool things with these simple techniques and expand them into greater design.

Peggy: But you're really modest.

You have two double master's degrees.

Matthew: I do.

I have a master's in fashion history and theory from Parson's School of Design, and then my second master's is in anthropology from UC Irvine.

Peggy: Yeah, and you don't really talk about that much, but you're-- you have a lot of background in this whole field.

Matthew: Oddly enough, all of that kind of does influence how I do my work now.

Outside of just designing, sewing, and making things, I really look at the cultural and social impact of how fashion and clothing can give us a little bit more understanding about the world in which we live and who we are as individuals as well.

Peggy: And no mom that sewed, no dad that sewed, just-- Matthew: Well, my great-grandmother was actually a seamstress, so maybe it's something in the genes.

Peggy: I do think it's interesting how that influences us, you know, even generations back, sometimes.

Even if we have something that's a remnant, we kind of put it in our-- I think that's so exciting.

I love it when men sew.

I think it's just really cool.

I have four sons.

They all sew.

So this is a good thing.

All right, so then let's go through and just name these pockets, just so we know kind of the different names, because a lot of them look alike but they have distinct names for each pocket.

Matthew: Right, and like I said, some of these are the same base with just a little bit different done to them.

So we have our standard double-jetted pocket.

Sometimes you'll hear it called a double-welt pocket.

It's the same thing.

Peggy: Double-jetted?

Matthew: Yeah, the double-jet pocket, I think, that's more of a European term.

We have our standard patch pocket here with the flap.

A lot of times, you'll see them on men's dress shirts, women's blouses and things.

You have two on your shirt there.

And then, frequently, we also see 'em more, kind of, rugged apparel and outdoors apparel.

You'll see pockets with an inverted box pleat, or often used with-- in conjunction with a gusset as well in order to give it a little bit more room.

So you can do a lot of different designs with just these base layers of your standard pocket.

Peggy: So let's talk about the stitching in general.

Let's talk about this one just first.

So let's say, hypothetically, on here you've got a green fabric and a white thread, but all of-- you just did that for us to be able to see the stitching?

Matthew: Sure, so with these, it just makes the stitches a little bit more visible, but for sure you can add topstitching in order to give a little bit more life to the pocket as well.

It's just so that it doesn't blend into the rest of your design.

Sometimes, like here, with our tailored welt pocket-- which I'm gonna show you how to do today-- you'll have a topstitch there to just reinforce the edges so it's functional.

Peggy: And that doesn't have-- that can be coordinating or matching or contrast or whatever else.

Matthew: Absolutely.

Peggy: So on this one, I notice that you've got single stitching, where this one has double.

Matthew: Right.

Peggy: And what's--talk to us about what that logic is.

Matthew: Really and truly, it's purely aesthetic.

Sometimes, if you were using a thicker fabric, a second needle topstitch might make it lay a little bit flatter, but outside of that, it's mostly aesthetic.

Peggy: And I think I'm always amazed at how much of this is your choice, because sometimes people just says, "Tell me what to do," but, yeah.

The size of the pocket too.

Do bigger pockets make us look smaller?

Like, if I just put one big pocket will that look like I've lost 10 pounds?

Matthew: I don't know if it's necessarily the pocket doing it itself, but, of course, when you're thinking about the pocket, you bring up a good point.

You do wanna pay attention to the functionality, the proportion of the pocket, and, of course, the placement.

All of those are going to play a role in the success of how the pocket interacts with your design.

Peggy: Okay, that was three Ps.

Matthew: The proportion, the placement, and then the functionality-- so two P's and an F. Peggy: Okay, got it.

Sorry about that.

All right, so this one is purposely made like a sports pocket, you said, to have a little expansion, and there has to be a seam down the middle there.

Matthew: No, this is just all one piece.

It's just a inverted box pleat.

Peggy: Oh, I see, it's a inverted box pleat.

Okay, all right.

I love that.

I mean, I just love to having the different kinds of pockets.

This one is really the same as that one.

Matthew: Just added a flap, and sometimes you'll see in more casual apparel, they'll throw in a button or snap just to keep that-- Peggy: Like in this over here.

Matthew: Right, so with this particular garment, I have two standard pockets, and then I have a little bit of a wildcard.

So we have a tailored welt pocket right here at the top, which you typically see in waistcoats.

Peggy: Which is-- this is your tailored welt here, which is what we're gonna do today.

Matthew: Which we're gonna do today.

And then, again, our double-jetted pocket, and instead of a flap, I just added a tab with a button over it to give a little bit of interest.

Peggy: And you just topstitched that in place and put a button hole?

And you just had seen it and duplicated it?

Matthew: You can just take small elements to make your pockets a little bit more interesting.

Peggy: I like that, though, because what you're saying is we have freedom, yeah, okay, and then this one.

Matthew: Right, so this is the wildcard.

So in this particular vest, I've actually put a invisible zip opening up into another pocket right there on that fisheye dart right there, so it kind of adds a surprise pocket.

Peggy: That is very cool.

I like that pocket.

Matthew: So as long as you kind of know the fundamentals of how pockets go, and like I mentioned earlier, when to use pocket styles with a lining or without a lining, you can do cool things like that to really change up your designs.

Peggy: Well, and I think that's what's really important, because as we go through this tailored welt, we'll see that you just have to sew certain sections together so you're finishing the edges but you're keeping them separate to be a pocket, and then they're sewn together in the back side.

Matthew: Correct, and it's really simple to do, and it gives you this nice, clean finish that is going to be seen on a lot of more smart apparel: your suits, your waistcoats, sportscoats, things of that nature.

Peggy: If we talk about size of men's versus women's pockets, I know men's are traditionally just larger than women's.

Matthew: Typically.

Peggy: Are there standards?

Are they just really all over the board on this?

Matthew: It really depends.

Like I mentioned, the proportionality and the function is going to play a role in how those are sized.

Men's pockets, men tend to have a little bit larger frame, so the pockets need to be proportionate to make the garment flow nicely, and then typically, also, women will tend to carry handbags, even though that's changing.

So, functionally, designers tend to put a little bit larger pocket in men's apparel.

But knowing these basics, you can simply apply that to women's apparel and you can have ginormous pockets of your own.

Peggy: Ginormous, I like that word.

So this bluff, this has actually got a lined pocket behind here, and then the stitching is just picked up underneath until a certain point and then is it handstitched?

Matthew: No, so this is actually all done by machine, and it's quite challenging to get.

So, essentially, you're doing the application of a patch pocket, but instead of doing the topstitch on the exterior, you topstitch the interior seam allowance to secure it.

So if we flip it over, you see the stitch line here.

So you have to really be careful with your machine and kind of snake it to hit those edges.

Peggy: And I see these used a lot of women's-- on women's suits, on the front of women's suits, just to make 'em look a little more delicate.

Matthew: A little bit cleaner, and like I said, the topstitching tends to be a little bit more casual a lot of times, so if you wanted something a little bit more sophisticated, they tend to stay away in design from a lot of topstitching details.

Peggy: Sure.

Matthew: Not a rule, but-- Peggy: I like the topstitching.

I--and you know, one thing I've seen-- and I know you're not gonna necessarily cover it with this-- but right here sometimes there's topstitching all the way around the pocket, so when they do that, they actually have to turn it both directions?

The topstitching's not continuous.

Matthew: Sometimes they'll do it that way, and then also there's a lot of advanced equipment in industry production that they actually will have a machine that will do that topstitch in that consistent manner for you.

Peggy: That's cheating a little bit.

I wanna look at these pockets just for a second because there's just a couple kind of pockets that maybe we didn't cover.

This one first here is on a pant, and though this is what?

Matthew: So this is just your traditional slant pocket.

So sometimes, you--we'll see some pockets on top garments.

Sometimes you'll see some pockets more frequently on bottom garments.

Sometimes they'll be intermixed.

The slant pocket is typically going to be more so on pants.

Does--just coming right there off the side seam.

However, you might see it sometimes in things like casual apparel, hoodies, and things of that nature.

Peggy: So this pocket, I noticed, has-- typically, you'll see the same fabric looking through it, but this has got a little bit of contrast and it's like a nice little design detail.

Matthew: Right, so that's just-- it doesn't have the backing to it.

It's not always on waistcoats.

They're not the most functional pockets, as they're a little bit smaller, so.

Peggy: It's where the little stopwatches go.

Right?

Matthew: Right, well, this one, actually, right here with a little bit-- tiny pocket into the waistband there.

Peggy: Oh, I see, I see, okay.

Matthew: But a lot of times on the waistcoat pocket, they're more aesthetic and not necessarily functional.

Peggy: I think pockets look really nice, and, look, you've done another.

Matthew: Oh, and that one's fake, just to kind of switch it up.

Peggy: It's still cool.

Just to kind of switch it up.

There you go.

And then this one over here.

Matthew: Absolutely, so this one just takes that tailored welt pocket and kind of does something a little bit different, rather than having it in the standard position on the top-- on the chest there, and it takes it and makes it into a waist pocket there.

Peggy: So the tailored waist pocket, or tailored pocket.

Matthew: The tailored welt, yes.

Peggy: Tailored welt, could I really put that anywhere that-- Matthew: You really could.

Peggy: The back-- I've seen it on the back of pants.

I've seen it everywhere, so if there's a most common one, would you say that is the most common or the double welt?

Matthew: I think the double-jetted pocket is going to be your most common one that you're going to see frequently throughout all types of garment-- that, and the patch pocket.

Peggy: All right, and that's the one you're gonna show us how to make?

Matthew: I'm gonna show you the tailored welt.

Peggy: You ready?

Matthew: I'm ready, if you are.

Peggy: Okay, let's do it.

Yeah, this is fun.

It's fun to see this process go together.

Matthew: What I'm gonna walk you through, real quick, is just the components that you're going to need in order to construct this pocket here.

So what I have is I have my piece goods that I'm going to attach my pocket to, and then I have my welt cut out, and it'll just depend on the size of the pocket that you're going to do.

Peggy: So this piece right here is this piece right here?

Matthew: Right, it's eventually going to be turned here.

Peggy: And it's double-- it's twice the width?

Matthew: So, let's actually talk about that.

So it's going to finish at 1 inch total, but you're going to do something a little bit strange with your seam allowances.

So at the top, you're going to have 3/4 seam allowance; at the sides, we're gonna have a 1/4; and at the bottom, we're going to have 3/8.

And what that allows for is just for you to have a little bit of a hidden underlap while the pocket then folds under on itself.

So I can go over-- go ahead and stitch that up for you, and just one more thing.

This is just going to be our reference line for where we're going to place the pocket.

It's just not the head.

Peggy: The solid.

Matthew: Right, when we're sewing on a diagonal.

Peggy: And this would be the right side of our-- Matthew: Your garment, right.

This is your right side.

And so this is just marked in some tailor's chalk so that it'll come out.

Peggy: Okay, and then you've got two-- and this is what's determining-- Matthew: Yes, so you're gonna have two lining pieces in order to form the eventual pocket bag.

Peggy: And are they identical?

Matthew: So, not necessarily.

Typically, what you'll see a lot of manufacturers and tailors do is they'll cut a larger piece than what they need, and then just trim it down to size so they don't have to worry about sizing it up on the diagonal.

Peggy: And I have seen where these are one piece.

You know, they just sew one-- the negative of this, though, is it takes up a lot more yardage than what these two smaller pieces do.

So I think, and I've noticed a lot of pockets lately as we've been talking about pockets, there's a lot of them that have stitching around them so that they're smaller pieces.

To me, though, the negative is that the threads can break easier than if you've got a fold-down here.

Matthew: Right, yeah, that's one possibility.

Peggy: So they just want you to throw your clothes away.

All right, so we've got a pocket.

We've got our welt.

It's our 1-inch, plus our seam allowance.

Matthew: Right, so what we're going to do is we're gonna start out by taking one of our bags and we're going to attach it to the top of our welt, where that 3/4 of an inch seam allowance is, but we're only gonna stitch it at a 1/4 of an inch.

Peggy: Okay.

Matthew: All right.

Peggy: And if you can do a straight line, you can do a pocket.

Is that a fair statement?

Matthew: Pretty much.

Just sewing straight lines and some cutting.

Peggy: I do think pockets, especially this particular type of pocket, which I appreciate you showing, is so intimidating by so many.

Matthew: It's just a little bit of a trick to it.

So I have that stitched at my 1/4 of an inch seam allowance, and now this top line is going to be what I actually want it to finish at, so that's what I'm actually going to fold over, and I'm going to now stitch up these two sides at my 1/4 of an inch, making sure I don't cross over my 3/8 of an inch seam allowance at the bottom, 'cause we'll need to have that free when we come back.

Yeah, you just wanna leave that 3/8 open so that you can fold it, but I'm just sewing both 1/4-inch sides right now.

Peggy: Okay.

So, you're stopping-- Matthew: --right at that bottom seam allowance.

Peggy: Okay, 'cause that's what you're saying is gonna be sewn to something else.

Matthew: Right, so once you have that sewn-- and dare I say nicely pressed-- you're going to flip the pocket-- I'm sorry-- the welt, inside out.

Peggy: Oh, and that's what's giving you that little bit of-- Matthew: And that's what creates the shape of the welt.

So we can see our welt starting to form already.

Peggy: Sure, and you've left that open right here at the bottom.

Matthew: Right, so that's what we're gonna attach to our actual piece here.

Peggy: Oh, I see.

Oh, interesting.

Matthew: Okay, so I have my reference line drawn, and we're gonna be placing it right there on the diagonal, and that's where we're going to place this 3/8 of an inch seam allowance.

So I'm just going to line up that 3/8 of an inch seam allowance, which I've already drawn my line on my interfacing piece so it's easy to see.

Peggy: So the marking makes a big difference, doesn't it?

Matthew: I always prefer to mark mine just so that it's a little bit easier to line up because it is on that slant, and once I am comfortable with that, I'm just gonna stitch right on top of my seam allowance line to secure it.

Peggy: And speaking of that slant-- and you're stitching on top of the folded edge.

It's folded in.

Matthew: It's folded on the sides, yes.

So that's where we stitch that 1/4.

Peggy: And did you backstitch when you do this?

Matthew: You should backstitch when you do each of these, at the beginning and the end, yeah.

Otherwise, it'll unravel, unfortunately.

Peggy: And I know that you are usually on an industrial machine.

Matthew: Indeed.

This is a little bit of a learning curve here.

Peggy: We appreciate it.

Matthew: So it's now attached to that, to the piece goods.

So that's what we're looking at for now.

Peggy: Boy, that's pretty.

Pockets are so beautiful.

Matthew: They look great.

They're functional.

Gotta love 'em.

And then I'm just going to clip my corners here, only on the welt, and it's just going to help everything turn under when we cut open our opening.

Now, this is the trickiest part.

So now what I'm going to do is I'm going to grab my second lining piece, and I'm going to place it underneath that 3/8 of an inch seam allowance, right up against that original stitch line like so.

So it's going right underneath it, and I'm gonna stitch right next to the edge of my welt seam allowance.

Peggy: Even through the fashion fabric.

Matthew: Even through the fashion fabric, yes.

And I'm only going to start and stop right there at that miter.

Peggy: And you-- would you backstitch this too if you weren't-- Matthew: You can go ahead and backstitch that as well.

Peggy: Okay, and you're right on the edge of that fabric.

Matthew: Right, not through it, just right on the edge.

Peggy: Okay.

Matthew: Okay, so we are about to reach the point of no return.

At this point-- Peggy: Yeah, I've had 911 calls on these pockets, that once they cut-- Matthew: You can't go back.

You have to start over.

Peggy: So, Matt, can I ask you, you know, like, what are your warning signs that it's the don't-- it's not gonna be right, don't cut it, take something out and do it again?

Matthew: I always will just check and double check to make sure that my stitches are ending right at the points that I want to end at.

When I'm stitching on pockets, I'll tend to use a lower stitch length.

When you have a smaller stitch length, it helps you more accurately hit start and stop points.

Peggy: That's a great tip.

Matthew: Yeah, for sure.

Peggy: Instead of having that longer stitch length.

So I had you, actually, I put this machine at 3.5.

It'd really be better at 3 or 2.5?

Matthew: Probably, I'll-- even with some pockets such as the double-jet pocket where it's really important to get those nice, pretty welt lips, I'll even go down to a 2 just to make sure I hit my-- Peggy: Sure, 'cause there's no negative in going smaller.

You're only talking about a small-- Matthew: Well, if you mess up, you have to take it out, but-- Peggy: Got it.

So you wanna make sure that those two points you've started at and stopped at-- let's just to make sure-- this point right here and this point over here are the same-- they're ending at the same place?

Matthew: Right, and if I flip it over, you'll see it's actually a little bit asymmetrical, but that's okay, we'll take care of that in a second.

Peggy: And the lines should be parallel?

Matthew: They should be parallel, yes.

Peggy: But your markings were straight in the first place, so you shouldn't have a problem with that.

Matthew: Right.

Peggy: Okay, so now we cut.

Matthew: Right, so now I'm going to cut open through my fashion fabric, and I usually will start this with a craft knife, but, you know, you can use scissors if you so desire.

Peggy: Okay.

Matthew: And you're going to cut that open until you get to that miter that we just cut.

Peggy: Straight.

Matthew: We're going right in between our two stitch lines.

Peggy: Got it.

Matthew: And then we're going to clip to the ends at an angle to where the welt started and then the top pocket lining started and stopped, and you wanna make sure you get as close to that point as possible on both sides.

Peggy: And that's that good old V at the end.

Matthew: That V, yes.

Very important to most pockets that you have to cut.

Peggy: It is, and I think a lot of people are afraid of that, but if you just do a dozen pockets, you'll have it down forever.

Matthew: Practice definitely makes perfect.

You'll get tired of having to restart your garment enough times that you'll get it down pat.

Peggy: And you're not cutting through all layers.

You're just cutting through your fashion fabric.

Matthew: Only through the fashion fabric.

Okay, so now we have our point of no return.

So what we're going to do now is I'm going to flip everything to the inside.

Peggy: Both sides.

Matthew: Everything, so we're gonna take lower and the upper and slip it to the inside.

Peggy: Welt pockets are so pretty when they're done well, huh?

Matthew: They really are.

Peggy: And so professional.

I've had so many women who are afraid to put pockets on because they're afraid they'll cut and then ruin their garment.

Matthew: A lot of people kind of stay away from pockets because they seem like a little bit tedious, but that is another fear too as you having to cut your garment.

So this is what we have now.

So I flipped everything to the inside, and you'll see this is what we're looking at.

You'll wanna make sure that we get everything nice, flat, and pulled in.

So I'm gonna go ahead and give this a quick press, and then I'll meet you back over at the table.

Peggy: Oh, that sounds great.

That sounds great.

This is way too much fun.

Matthew: So I have that all pressed out now, and I'm looking at the back side here.

So how you'll finish this off is you'll just want to take it to your machine and go ahead and align your two pocket bags up and stitch around the extremities of your pocket bags.

Like I mentioned, I usually will cut mine the same size, and I'll just trim up any excess just for-- Peggy: 'Cause it's so easy to do.

Matthew: It's just easy and it's just lining fabric.

So--and this is what it'll look like with that bag completely closed, and then you'll finish it off either with a topstitch.

Some people will use the zigzag function on their machine.

Peggy: Just to close down the end.

Matthew: To close down at the end and add some stability for when you're actually using the pocket.

Peggy: And this is where you say you wanna do a backstitch both at the top and the bottom.

Matthew: Correct.

Peggy: This is really-- I think this is key.

Matthew: This portion really needs to be secure, right.

Peggy: And I also have found that in doing pockets, it hides any little wrinkles.

Matthew: It can.

Peggy: I think that's why I like this pocket the best.

It's a little--well, it's a little more not as precise.

Is--that's a fair statement.

Matthew: It's a little bit of a different method.

It is a little bit more forgiving than trying to do the standard method of folding your welts or having to cut them previously and then stitch them in an already pre-cut fabric.

So this one is a little bit more forgiving, doing it this way.

Peggy: I just have a feeling welts, pockets, tailored welts, will be popping up all over America.

Matthew: I hope so.

They're one of my favorites.

Peggy: Thank you.

I really appreciate you being here.

Matthew: I appreciate being here again.

Thanks, Peggy.

Peggy: Thank you.

The Texas Fashion Collection.

"What is that?"

many have asked.

It is among the largest collection of fashion items in the world, and it is located just north of Dallas, Texas.

Over the next few episodes, we get a fascinating look inside.

Join us.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ announcer: "Fit 2 Stitch" is made possible by Kai Scissors.

♪♪♪ Reliable Corporation.

♪♪♪ Plano Sewing Center.

♪♪♪ Elliott Berman Textiles.

♪♪♪ Bennos Buttons.

♪♪♪ And Clutch Nails.

♪♪♪ announcer: To order a four-DVD set of "Fit 2 Stitch Series 12," please visit our website at fit2stitch.com.

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