Patchwork Pockets

[saint_arlo]

Since my first pair of pockets are no longer with us (RIP) I decided to make a second pair for my Renaissance fair costume this year. I had a bunch of scraps left over from the project, so I figured creating patchwork pockets would be a nice way to use them up. While I'd made pockets before, I'd done it a little differently and hadn't done patchwork before, so I used this tutorial for some guidance.



While I more often see extant examples of patchwork pockets from the 19th century, there certainly are examples from the 18th as well. Their pieces are much more precise and organized than mine are, but I thought it would be fun to cut them into uneven rectangles. It may have technically been more wasteful if the goal was to be as efficient with fabric use as possible, but that wasn't my goal so it didn't matter.

This time instead of the construction method I used for my first pair where I didn't need to bind the edges, similar to what's seen in the first extant example, I decided to try binding the edges as that seems to be a far more common practice. While I machine sewed all the patchwork, I had to hand sew the binding, and while it was tedious, it was worth it. I think there's a visual charm to it, and it's a bit less bulky than my other method. If/when I make another pair, I'll probably end up using binding again.

While my pair is functional and have been used twice already, I wouldn't call them "finished", as right now they're tied on with a polyester ribbon, and I don't like how it looks, so I will be changing that eventually.