DIY: Pretty Pockets on Your Denim Shorts

 

Don’t you just hate it when the pockets of your denim shorts hang out?  Well here is an easy DIY solution  – sew a piece of fabric to the outside of the pockets so at last they look pretty when they peak out.

 

What you’ll need

• Fabric, enough to cover two pockets:  0.25 metres would be plenty
• Scissors
• Needle/thread or sewing machine

Step One: Choose your fabric.

I like a more muted fabric.  You want the pocket to look pretty but you don’t need it to “pop.”  I used fabric I already had at home.  I went with a white eyelet and it works but it wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.  What I really wanted was a thin blue and white stripe.  I think whites and/or pale blues are the best colours for this DIY so they blend in with the shorts.

Here are a few sample fabrics that I think would look cute.  I love the striped chambray in the middle.

 

Step Two: Cut your fabric to the size of the pockets.

Flip your shorts inside out to reveal the pocket.  You only need to cover the bottom half of the pocket starting where the scissors below are pictured.  Put your fabric over the pocket and cut along the pocket, giving yourself about an extra 0.5 inches outside the edges as you trim.  The extra 0.5 inches is where you will fold the fabric over to stitch.

Basically you are left with the shape of the pocket but slightly larger.

Step Three: Pin the fabric to the the outside three edges of the pocket.

With the shorts turned inside out, flip the pocket up as pictured below and pin the fabric to the pocket with the right side of the fabric facing up.  The extra 0.5 inches will wrap around the pocket.

Step Four: Stitch the fabric to the pockets.

To keep the pockets functional, only stitch the bottom and the sides.  You want to keep the stitch as close to possible to the edge of the pocket so you don’t lose any pocket space.  As you stitch around the pockets, make sure the machine (or needle/thread) goes thorough three layers of fabric: the fabric on the top side, the pocket itself and the fabric on the bottom side of the pocket (this is the 0.5 inches that was wrapped around).  Sorry for the wordiness but I find this stuff so hard to explain.

Also if you are using a fabric that may unravel, then you will want to sew up the raw edge with a zig zag stitch before you stitch it the pocket so the fabric doesn’t unravel during wear or wash.

And here is the finished product.

If you are looking for more easy DIYs, try adding a side stripe to your denim shorts.  See tutorial here. 

 

Happy Sewing

♥ mandi