How to Sew a Welt Pocket Step by Step: My Method and Tips

How I sew a single welt pocket, step by step, and the tricks I wish I'd known for my first one. I made it for my Vikisews Abigail trench coat, and filmed it on a separate piece of fabric with every side marked, so each step is clear.

Why this welt pocket method

A welt pocket makes a coat or jacket look professional. The original pockets on my trench coat pattern looked simpler, with no topstitching. This method isn't the easiest, but I think it looks nicer, so I used it with the same pattern pieces.

My tips for a perfect welt pocket

• Pretreat the fabric with steam, so it doesn't shrink later when you fuse the interfacing.
• Mark the pocket with basting stitches, not tailor's chalk: the markings go on the right side of the garment, and most chalks leave marks. Make the stitches short on the wrong side and long on the right side, so they are easy to pull out after interfacing.
• If your lining is a solid colour, mark its wrong side with crosses when you cut it, so you can always tell the right side from the wrong side.
• Cut down the middle and stop 2 cm before the ends, then cut into the corners from the wrong side, as close to the stitching as you can, stopping about 1 mm before it. Never cut beyond it: a hole can't be fixed.
• Don't pull the corners when you stitch the pocket lining: it puts tension on the welt.
• Press with a piece of cotton on top, and slip folded paper under the seam allowances so they don't leave shiny marks. A piece of wood helps the fabric cool and set.

What you need for a welt pocket

• Vlieseline H250 interfacing cut 2 cm bigger than the pocket on every side Find it ↗
• Lining fabric if it is a solid colour, mark the wrong side with crosses
• Topstitching thread or two ordinary threads together
• Thread snips sharp tips for cutting into the corners Find it ↗
• Janome 2030 DC sewing machine Find it ↗
• Singer Heavy Duty 4432 sewing machine Find it ↗
• Juki DDL-8700 industrial sewing machine I use it for outerwear in my atelier, for perfect stitches Find it ↗