Consider every element of store-bought clothing to be the “factory settings” that you have the agency to change. Case in point, while I don’t have a problem with a basic shirt pocket, I can really make a splash if I remove it and add a round “modern” pocket. This video is a bit of a sequel to my previous rework: the Colorblock Sleeve.
If you have a button-up shirt in your closet you’d like to rework with a modern pocket, but don’t feel like sewing it yourself, I offer rework services and I can sew it for you! Review my Rework Menu for more info or email me to source a button-up in your size for a custom piece. If you’d like to make your own version, watch the video tutorial and follow these steps…
➀ Remove the original pocket with thread snippers or a seam ripper. My pocket pattern piece is about 6” in diameter. It’s tricky to draw a perfect circle, so use a bowl as a tracing guide. You can use fabric similar to your shirt, a contrast color or a printed fabric.
➁ Sew a basting stitch around the edge; don’t backtack, keep the ends long and loose. Pull one of the threads and start creating gathers. The edges will pucker and pull inwards, until it looks a bit like a shower cap. Scrunch the gathers to make them even and iron it flat (making sure the edge is as round as possible).
