For my Burdastyle trousers I used contrasting fabric for the pocket lining and waistband facing. The cotton twill was too heavy and bulky to work as pocket fabric, but I don’t like it when the lining fabric shows, even when it’s decorative as in this case. So I decided to face my pockets using a pair of dressier RTW trousers as a guide. And here is a tutorial on how I sewed the faced pockets on my trousers.
To sew a faced trouser pocket with self fabric and lining you’ll need
- Pocket lining fabric (I used quilting cotton from Amy Butler)
- Self fabric strips
1. Cut four fabric strips to cover the pocket lining
I made the strips roughly 2 inches (5 cm) wide and followed the edge of the pocket. On the trousers I modeled the pockets from, the facing was a bit tapered so I did the sam.
2. Serge or zigzag the edges and attach the strips to the lining
I prefer a serged edge, as it looks neat and is not bulky. But for a flawless finish I would instead turn in the raw edge and topstitch over it. I always sew close to the edge so that the facing will lie absolutely flat.
Hers is how the pocket pieces will look now.
3. Attach the upper pocket piece to the front trouser piece
This is a pretty straight forward step. But you need to stabilize the slanted seam with stable interfacing or stay tape before attaching the pocket piece. Otherwise you’ll end up with a gaping pocket.
4. Understitch the facing.
A very important little step that is easy to forget. This stitching will prevent the pocket from rolling out and it also reinforces the seam.
5. Add the lower pocket piece and stitch the pieces together
This is how a pocket looks on classic trousers. The front edge will be attached to the front seam to keep the pocket flat. This is the best pocket construction in my humble opinion. Also notice the staytape interfacing that keeps the slanted pocket shape from gaping.
The pocket is done. To finish off, just sew the side seams together like you normally would.
Another version of this pocket method. This time I used Liberty lawn fabric!
Bonus tip! A few words on order of assembly
I do the side pockets after I have sewn the darts and/or pleats and stabilized the upper waist part of the leg pattern pieces to prevent them from growing. I use either seam tape or stay stitching for this purpose. After the pockets are done, I usually add the zipper fly, before I sew the side seams. I just prefer to work on the flat and always attack the tricky bits early in the process.
The fusible staytape that I used to stabilize the waist.
So that was my tutorial on how add facing to a pair of classic dress trousers. An easy detail to add, that makes the trousers look really classy! Most trouser patterns that I have used, haven’t included this little detail. So I think it can be a good idea to make our own.
