Pocket Patches

[Bowie Maur]

Isew by hand, and for pockets, I place a piece of heavy paper in the pocket to help keep stray stitches from going through the pocket. Using a matching thread (BSA has a sewing kit w/the perfect colors) or clear nylon thread keeps the insignia looking nice--the thread is barely noticed. It just takes a little extra effort and a thimble (This message has been edited by Laurie)

I consulted with Auntguinea on this one. She suggested the hand method, of course. However, she said that after pinning the patch on the pocket (being careful not to pin through the shirt) take your needle and slide it through the loops on the back of the patch. Don't even attempt to push through the plastic backing. Then, make a loop, prick the pocket, and slide through the next loop, four or five up. Go around the patch in this manner, going contrary to your instincts. If you're right handed, go around to the left. If you're left handed, go around to the right. She informs me this is called applique. Keep your wrong hand inside the pocket and be careful not to knick it.

The other choice, if you insist on using a machine and want to keep the pocket a pocket -- take the pocket off the shirt, carefully, sew the patch on with the machine, and then sew the patch back on the shirt. Use pins to put things into the proper place.

Most of my difficulty in this is keeping the patch in place while doing the sewing. I use the water-soluble fabric glue to hold the patch. After the glue is dry, I sew it by hand using the kind of stitch (forget what it's called) where the thread doesn't actually penetrate through to the front of the patch but rather just goes through the pocket fabric and the back of the patch. Then the next wash removes the glue. The inside of the pocket looks a tangled mess but the outside is pristine.

When I was a Scout, my mom taught me how to sew. Getting home after a Pack mtg or Court of Honor, I would stay up late sewing that new patch on then hang the shirt on the doorknob so it would be the first thing I would see in the morning. Maybe I was just abnormally gung-ho, but the scouts in the troop in which I currently serve don't seem to care...most rank patches never make it on the shirt...the pin stays on until it falls off in the wash or until the next rank is earned...usually in the wrong position. One inventive scout uses Velcro...doesn;t look as good, but at least we know what rank he is.

Packsaddle: I've had mixed success with those glues; some are more permanent than others - may or may not matter depending. I've got the same problem trying to get the patch to stay in place and some come out a bit slanted... Now I use hat pins (the big enameled ones that you get from Summer Camp) to hold things together for sewing and that works well unless you forget to remove them when you're done(!)

I use the tape method. I tape the patch on then sew through the tape and then pull the tape off. Simple but effective. I think I even saw this posted here somewhere else so I must not be the only one.

Probably no other unit that served in Vietnam promoted the idea of wearing pocket patches for unit identification more than the 1st Infantry Division, at least through 1967. Following are some photos I scanned from Volume I of the First Infantry Division in Vietnam. What you see is a mixture of full color and subdued patches mostly of DUI's of units organic to the Big Red One worn on a variety of uniforms from the OG-107's the division deployed in through first, second and transitional third pattern jungle uniforms.

CO's of the 1st Battalion 18th Infantry and 2nd Brigade. The 2nd Brigade patch is the SSI that was approved for the 2nd Infantry Brigade that served as an independent infantry and airborne brigade twice - 1940 to 1945 and 1958 to 1963.

One of my favorite garments to wear is the Shift Dress pattern from my book Skirts & Dresses For First Time Sewers. When I wrote the book, elements had to be pared down to the minimum to keep the projects super beginner, so things like patch pockets were left off. But when I make it for myself, I nearly always add patch pockets on the front of the dress.

The way I sew on a patch pocket isn't groundbreaking in any way, and it is the way most people seem to do it too. But if this is a new skill to you, there are some good pointers that can elevate a simple patch pocket to a well-sewn one. I hope you all find this helpful, and do ask me anything in the comments if you have questions!

I like to use the pocket from my Sylvie Dress pattern. To me it's the perfect size to go onto a dress or skirt, as it's big enough to fit my entire hand in, or slip my phone in, but not too big. I think a small patch pocket can make the wearer of the dress look bigger than they are because it's just not proportionate. If you don't have my Sylvie Dress pattern to use the pocket, no worries, simply cut one rectangle for each pocket you want to sew 8.25" wide x 10" tall. I know that seems giant, but we will be using a 5/8" seam allowance on the bottom and sides, then folding the top an additional 2", so don't worry if it seems huge now.

For the garment the pockets are going onto, it's much easier to sew these on if you have not yet constructed the garment. If going onto the front of a shift dress, do this after stay stitching the neckline, but before assembling the side seams or shoulder seams.

Because the pocket has nothing to do with the fit of the garment, you can cut it on the length of grain, crossgrain, or on the bias. If you're using a stripe, gingham, or plaid, using the print on the bias or in the opposite direction of the print it's being sewn to can be a really nice detail. For my Sylvie Dress example in gingham I placed the pockets on the bias, as pictured in the photo at the top of the post. Cut one rectangle for each pocket you want to sew.

At the 2" mark from the top of the pocket, there is a fold line. Mark this spot by simple making a small snip on the side edge of the pocket at that line. You could also use a water soluble marking tool, but I like the ease of making a small snip.

Using the marks you made in step three, fold the fabric, right sides together, and pin in place. DO NOT PRESS this fold in this step! We will actually be pressing this top fold the other direction in coming steps, so do not press it during this step.

With the top fold pinned in place, stitch all the way around the entire pocket at a 5/8" seam allowance. You will be sewing the top fold in place, and simply sewing through the single layer of the pocket along the sides and the bottom. Be sure to pivot at the bottom corners at 5/8". If you need to mark those turns, do so with a seam gauge and a water soluble marking tool.

Turn the upper fold right side out and poke out the corners. I like to use a point turner or a metal knitting needle to help me form a perfect corner. This large fold on the inside of your pocket is a nice finish so that when seeing into the top part of your pocket, it's the finished fabric for 1 3/4" instead of the wrong side of the fabric. Much more elegant!

Stitch the top fold in place by sewing close to the lower edge of the fold. I prefer to do this from the right side of the pocket as my upper thread stitch is better than my bobbin thread stitch. It is more important that it be straight in line with the top of the pocket, than with the fold on the inside, so that's the edge I follow when sewing it in place. Give the fold and stitching a good press after sewing.

If you are using a garment that calls for patch pockets, there will be markings on the pattern piece as to where you should place them for sewing. But if you are adding them to a garment that doesn't already have those markings, it's up to you to figure out where they should go. It's easy when sewing on one pocket, but for a pair it's trickier, as they need to be perfectly level with each other. To find where I want them to go, I pin them in place so that my elbows are slightly bent when in the pocket. Your arms shouldn't be fully extended to reach the bottom of the pocket, and also if you have your hands in them, your arms shouldn't be too folded. It's that happy middle place. Once you've settled on a spot, pin them in place. I always pin the top and center in addition to the bottoms and sides, even though I'm not sewing there, as I find it helps to stabilize them and keep them flat.

I like to do a small triangle of reinforcement at the top corners of my patch pockets. It looks more polished, but it also serves a purpose to help strengthen the top edges. To keep the stitching consistent from side to side, I like to mark how far out I'm going, and draw the line from the top to the stitching line. That way each side of the pocket's stitching is the same. My triangle line is 1/4" from the side, but you can make yours whatever you like.

Because of our fancy corners, we have to sew the pocket in a very specific directional order. The above illustration is taken from my Sylvie Dress instructions, showing you the order of the sewing. Starting at the top fold stitching, sew towards the top of the pocket, across to the corner, down the right side, across the bottom, up the left side, across to your mark, ending at the top fold stitching. Stitch the pocket 1/8" from the fabric's edge. Your corners should now look like the image below.

And that's it! Give your pocket a good press, and carry on the same way with your matching pocket if you desire a pair. Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below, and here's to putting pockets on everything!

A rather incomplete coat insiginia wise, French Rope worn on the wrong shoulder, anywy a moot point as it would not be worn after service in a unit of the 1st Div, no branch disc etc etc etc, but two things come to mind on how that 1/1 Cav pocket hanger came to be on this uniform coat 1: It was just thrown on there, like the French Rope, something seen from time to time, a piece or pieces of insignia that has nothing to do with the overall uniform, added by someone not in the know, just to put more insiginia on a otherwise bare uniform, like a seller or store owner normally (Present Forum member dealers and sellers excepted ) .

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