How To Add Hidden Patch Pockets

I forgot to put pockets in my rain coat. Yep, I'm a little ashamed of myself. Me, the pocket lover, who adds pockets do everything, failed to put pockets in her rain coat. Honestly, with all the fitting issues I had when I made this rain coat, I didn't have time to add pockets too. Plus, I wasn't really sure how to make water-proof pockets. Still, the first time I wore my raincoat in Colombia I really regretted the lack of pockets and immediately decided I would add some to my rain coat, as soon as I obtained some fabric.

Then, on a very crowded bus ride back to out Colombian home, one of my teammates had her iPhone stolen out of her jacket pocket. Yikes! That made me re-consider my pocket plan for my rain coat. 

I'd been planning on adding side-seam pockets (like the ones in my jean jacket here), but after the pick-pocketing incident, I decided I needed something a little harder to get to.

Back before I left home my friend, Erentry, asked me to help her figure out how to add pockets to most of the items in her wardrobe. One such item was a cardigan. It wouldn't have worked very well to add side-seam pockets to this cardigan, nor would it have looked all that great to add patch pockets to the outside of the cardigan. So, my idea was to add patch pockets to the inside of the cardigan. Useful, but invisible. 

I remembered this as I pondered what to do with my rain coat. Suddenly, I knew what I was going to do, as soon as I found the fabric! Thanks to an impromptu refashion 2 weeks later, I had my fabric so last week I set to work. The process was pretty simple.

Step 1: Cut out 2 squares or rectangles of fabric the size you want your pockets to be, plus a little extra for hem and seam allowance.

Step 2: Hem the top edge of each pocket. (Thanks to using recycled fabric, my pocket pieces were already hemmed so I was able to skip this step! A wonderful thing since I'm currently sewing machine-less.)

Step 3: Fold over the remaining pocket edges about 1/4 inch and pin. Then pin the pockets where you want them on the inside of the garment.

Step 4: Hand sew in place. I used a whip-stitch so you can't tell from the outside of the jacket that anything was added!

Step 5: Enjoy having pockets! The first time I wore my rain coat after adding pockets, I stuffed them full of sandwiches for lunch!

I have loved having pockets in my rain coat, and they were so easy to add! If you have a jacket, cardigan, or coat that lacks pockets, or just needs a couple of extra pockets, I encourage you to add your own hidden patch pockets!

Hasta Luago! Next time I blog it will be from Peru! As always, if you're interested in keeping up with what I'm doing this year, check out my World Race blog and subscribe!