How to Sew a In-Seam Pockets with a Serger – Lou Box Dress Sewalong Day 7 | Sew DIY

The Lou Box Dress 1, view A features traditional in-seam pockets. During my development of the pattern, I found two methods for attaching them when using a knit fabric. The first is detailed in the instruction booklet and is more similar to sewing with a woven fabric. This second method uses a serger for the majority of the sewing and a conventional machine to finish it off.

I cannot take credit for inventing this technique. I first learned it in this post by Johanna Lu of The Last Stitch. It’s also part of the instructions for the Sweatshirt Dress designed by Emily of In The Folds. They are both very talented sewists so make sure to check out their blogs and shops. Johanna released an e-book about sewing activewear last year and Emily has a shop full of stellar patterns.

By this point in the construction of your dress, you will sewn the shoulders, neck binding and sewn the sleeves to the shoulders. In this tutorial, we will sew the pockets to the dress and sew the side seams.

How to Sew In-Sew Pockets with a Serger/Overlocker

Step 1: With right sides together, pin pockets to front and back matching circle markings. Try on the dress to check that you like the pocket placement. Using the serger with the knife disengaged, stitch the pockets in place. Press pockets away from the dress.

Note: This fabric is a thick ponte knit fabric so to cut down on the bulk I used a lightweight knit for the pockets sewn to the front of the dress. Also, it was a little hard to see the stitching in the photos so I've added the blue line to show you where to sew.

Step 2: Pin front to back along the side seams matching underarm seam and pockets. Serge/overlock from the end of the sleeve, down the side, around the pockets and all the way to the hem. You’ll be able to use the 1/2 inch seam allowance everywhere except the inner curved edges of the pockets. We’ll fix that in the next step.

Step 3: Now we need to make the opening for the pockets smaller. Grab your conventional machine and set it to a narrow zig zag or a stretch stitch. I usually eyeball this but it’s a good idea to use a ruler to mark the seam line (1/2 inch from the edge of the pocket/side seam).

Starting above the pocket, stitch down towards the pocket until you’re about an inch below the top of the pocket. Backstitch and trim threads. Repeat for the bottom part of the pocket. Starting about 1 inch above the bottom of the pocket, stitch until you reach the serged stitches.

That's it! See below for the rest of the sewalong schedule, links to the patterns or to catch up on previous posts. Happy sewing!