Posts Tagged ‘welt pockets’

Technique of the week – Clotilde welt pocket maker

Monday, March 8th, 2010

I love trying out sewing gadgets!  Some work and others don’t, but show me a new tube turner and I will buy it faster than a sleep-deprived mom watching infomercials in the middle of the night will buy cooking tools. 

I am teaching advanced sewing at UNT this semester, and we are finishing up a jacket.  I mentioned to my students that I had a welt pocket maker that I had never tried.  They expressed interest and I decided to give it a try.  I bought this tool quite a few years ago thinking it would be an easy and fast alternative to traditional welt pockets.  After looking at it, I put it up without even trying it out until I had some time to play with it.  Fast forward all these years and quite a few welt pockets later, and I am trying it for the first time.  In fact, I don’t think it is available to purchase anymore. 

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The key to a welt pocket is precise marking and stitching.  The one advantage of this tool is that it makes precise stitching easier. 

In making any welt pocket, the first thing needed is precise stitching along the center of the pocket and the ends where stitching will stop.  Extend the stitching  1-1/2″ to 2″ longer than the actual pocket measurement.   The best way to do this is to use a running stitch sewn by hand.  To get a straight running stitch, mark the fabric using chalk and then take a couple of stitches in the fabric.  Pull the thread through, leaving a tail.  Line the needle up with the stitches just taken.  Hold the needle straight and take a few more stitches.  This will help to make a very straight line.  I like to use a thread color that is easily seen on the front and back of the fabric. ( White thread isn’t the best choice for my sample as I used white interfacing.) 

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For the welt pocket maker, the next step is to cut the fabric for the double welt (this means both welts are made with 1 piece of fabric as opposed to 2 pieces, which is another step that makes the process a little easier.)   I cut my piece 7″ wide x 4″ tall. 

I positioned the fabric in the tool according to the instructions.   I took care to ensure that the fabric was lying flat on the under side of the tool.  If the fabric isn’t flat, the welts probably won’t be even. 

Under side of welt pocket tool

Under side of welt pocket tool

The next step is to position it on the fabric.  This step is easy, as there are arrows that line up with the stitching lines.  Then the tool is placed under the presser foot and it is time to sew.  The instructions say to “lower presser foot on raised surface of tool.”  This doesn’t help a lot as it doesn’t tell me where the needle should be positioned.  And as I said, precise sewing is key to a successful welt pocket. 
My first attempt didn’t work.  My welts were too close together.  I tried again positioning the needle right at the metal edge and sewed.  This was scary, but it worked.  I sewed slowly.
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After sewing both sides, I checked the wrong side to make sure the stitching lines were spaced an equal distance of 1/4″ apart.  This meant my welts needed to be 1/8″ to fit nicely within the opening without gapping or overlapping.  I also noticed, however, that my stitching didn’t stop exactly at the vertical lines on all 4 corners.  Although there are arrows on the tool, it was still hard to know if I was exactly on the line.   After removing the tool I corrected this by extending the stitching lines before cutting.
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I clipped and turned the welts and it worked!  The welt opening was perfect!
Regardless of the method of constructing the welt pocket opening (using this tool or more traditional methods), I fold the side of the garment straight along the side basted line and stitch the triangles of the welts along this line.  It gives me straight edges to the sides of my pocket opening every time!
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Now that I have mastered this tool, will I use it again? I think so.  It is quicker than the precise cutting and hand basting it takes to make the single welts perfectly.    The tool is limited in its application; it makes 1 pocket and doesn’t easily allow for variations, such as width of the welts. 
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If you are looking for an easy welt pocket, there is technique I call a mock welt pocket that is so easy I bet my 9 year old could do it with a little supervision.  That blog will be coming soon!

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