Michief Managed!

So I awoke this morning, a calmer and more focused Jen. I was smarter than fiddly fabric, wasn't I? So I moved my hand sewing equipment to the kitchen table because it has great sunlight, and I know now that part of my issue last night was not being able to see the black thread against the 3 different kinds of black fabric... 

So here I am, prepared for a morning of hand sewing.  My first order of business is to attach the open  piece to where the pocket is sewn to the $DHT*&# lining panel and the hip side seam.

Now the side of the pocket next to the lining is done, I need to do the side that faces the pant, which is extra irritating because, not only do I have to twist everything to crazy just to access that spot, but because the pocket opening isn't a straight line, the outside appears shorter than the inside. Hence, the original offset edge.

Nothing wants to sit still where I tell it, and even using pins, the fabrics are slippery and slide all over the place. Once I've finally sewn the above piece, I double check to make sure I didn't sew the pocket shut anywhere. 

Not that I thought I had. I just know my luck and skill level, AKA not the best.

Here you can clearly see that the original pocket - I couldn't even get my hand in to the wrist. that seam? That's my thumb. Yup - can't even get the whole thumb in the dang things. Now you see why I am still willing to go through this?

Now I have attached the new pocket to the old pocket along all the seams I can - it is the point of no return. Time to cut open the old pocket. 

I know I have been whiny about how this project has made me feel, but at this point I do experience a shift. Yes, this has been obnoxious beyond understanding. However, it's because whomever made the original pocket, even though they made it WAY TOO SMALL, made them to LAST. These things are DURABLE. Not only do I have to seam rip a base seam, but the pocket has also been serged together. There was no way this pocket would accidentally come apart. It was a pain to get it apart on purpose.

Here I turn the pocket inside out, from the front, to make sure the opening is big enough and otherwise check and make sure I haven't completely destroyed one of my best pairs of work slacks.

Now that the original pocket is open, and the new pocket completely encases it, I need to stitch shut the last open seam - the space between where the pocket is attached to the exterior seam, and the new pocket bottom. I rolled it to try and give it some extra strength, and also to try and keep the fraying to a minimum. This silky stuff frays like crazy. 

Ok! Here is the finished addition (YEAH!!) The one edge I could sew on the machine is on the right, the one I had to finish by hand is on the left. all the other work of attaching it is hidden under the panel, but you can still see some of the design through the mesh, so you can see the pocket goes all the way up to the waistband. This had added a LOT of length - remember, the original pocket didn't even go past the panel.

Moment of truth!! This new pocket is HUGE. I can get my arm in past the WRIST. Here it is, in all it's comfortable, unbunchy glory, sporting my phone with room to spare.

Yes, this was a time consuming nightmare. Yes, you can see a bit of my hand stitching past the pocket. But I really don't care - can't see it if I'm not standing in sunlight, and who looks that closely at my pockets anyway? 

Final thoughts: Was the project worth it? Yes. Mostly. Kinda.  I did one pocket, the one I usually put my phone in. I'm not willing to go through this headache to adjust the other pocket on these pants. Worth it for the phone? Yes. Just for symmetry? Nope. I never really put anything in my right pocket anyway. If it becomes a nuisance later, I guess I can adjust the other pocket later. But certainly not today. I still have to see how the new pocket holds up to daily wear and the washing machine.

Frustration, thy name is Women's Pockets

This has been driving me nuts. It took me a long time to even FIND work pants with pockets, as I need pockets for my job - required to have my phone on me at all time. However, even with pockets, If I sit down, it falls out. 

So this is not really a How to, more of a How I really ticked myself off tonight.

These are a pair of shorts I had purchased in the men's department this summer, because I was unable to find shorts that were work appropriate in the women's department, in three different stores. These are the pockets I want to emulate, because I love these shorts. Nothing ever fell out of them, and the pocket tapers with the angle of your arm, and is about 11 inches deep. 

This is the pair of women's dress slacks that I am attempting to fix first. I was hoping to be able to take a picture of the pocket, but even with the pants inside out, the pocket is hidden by this mesh flap. I'm assuming it is some type of stabilizing panel. However, you can still see that the pocket is less than 6 inches deep.

Here ya go! under the mesh, we can see that not only is the pocket 5 inches deep, but it tapers THE WRONG WAY. The deepest part is by the outside seam, not the side by the fly. Grrr.

So, here is what I want to do. I don't want to do the easy option, just cutting the pocket open and sewing in fabric, because that would leave a noticeable bump seam from the outside. I was originally going to use a flannel, but I want to reduce as much bulk as possible, so it wasn't as noticeable.  I finally went with this satiny remnant.

I measured out a length so that I could make about a 10 inch pocket. I made it so that the fold would be the bottom of the pocket. One side is longer than the other, the shorter side will be for the front. Sewing it right sides together, because I want the shiny sides being the ones the inside of the pocket.

Flipped around, we have 2 finished sides, and 2 open sides. 

Unfortunately, as is obvious from the above picture, it needed some ironing. I hate ironing. I stitched a quick line down the seam to make sure it stayed flat, & the extra support.

So here is what I'm trying to do. I'm trying to attach the new pocket as close to original seams as possible, to eliminate bunching or bulges. However the stupid panel mesh is very much in the way. I have pinned it back as best I can, but it is sewed in to the fly and the exterior hip seam, so there is no working around it. Tucked the sewn edge tight against the loose edge of the pocket. 

I pinned the longer edge as tight up against the waistband as I could. This last picture is the moment I realized that there was no way I could do any of this with the sewing machine - It was shortly after this that I realized I was not going to be able to finish this tonight. Dang fabric would NOT STAY PUT.  

Trying to figure this all out - how to even get to the other side of the pocket, how to sew up the last raw edge... my brain is all mushy. 

I need a shower. Will tackle this more with the sunlight.