Were These Pockets a Mistake?

If you've been around this blog, then you know that I adore pockets. As I began sewing garments, I kept my eyes out for any pattern that had pockets, especially dresses with pockets. 

I made this tunic several years ago, and I'm sad to say that the pockets have always been a problem. There are a lot of reasons why: 

• I didn't have quite enough fabric for a longer version of this tunic, and when I put anything in the pockets (phone, keys, seashells), the weight of the thing would drag the pockets down below the hem. Not the look I was going for.
• I've made several longer versions of this tunic. The overall structure of the tunic means that all the weight of the garment hangs from the shoulders. Even when the garment is long enough to have pockets that don't peek out the hem, any weight in the pockets means it sits awkwardly on my shoulders. 
• The A-line shape of this garment makes the pockets prone to snagging on things—door handles, drawers, etc. This has happened with all the versions of this tunic I've made. But it was especially bad with this version, because I chose a heavier weight fabric for the pockets. At the time, I thought it would be helpful to have strong pockets, and the contrast color would be a fun secret. But it never really worked out that way.

The first time the pockets snagged and ripped a hole, I mended it with a patch of the same ikat fabric. The second time, the tear was much bigger, and I knew the pockets had to go. I took both out with a seam ripper, leaving two gaping holes in the side seams of the tunic.

I opted for a patch on the outside, and carefully matched the pattern over the holes. This is easier said than done with a true ikat fabric, like this one, because it's all hand-tied, hand-dyed, and hand-loomed. It's what makes the beauty of the fabric, and it's not something that perfectly lines up like a machine-made print would. Plus, I've been wearing (and machine washing) this tunic for three or four years now. The tunic fabric has faded some, while the patch fabric is still nice and fresh. 

After matching patterns, I used a fell stitch to attach the patch to the side of the tunic that had the tear. Then I used a running stitch to meld the patch to the main fabric. The patch was larger than I'm used to, about 4"x6", but luckily, all the tearing happened on one side of the fabric, so I didn't need to make multiple patches.

Then I trimmed the patch to match the contours of the seamed edge. I'd originally sewn this dress with French seams, but after years of wear, there wasn't enough fabric to make new French seams. Instead, I did a running backstitch for the new seams to close the holes where the pockets had been. (I could have just as easily done this on the sewing machine, but it would have taken more time to clear off the sewing desk and set up the machine than it took to do by hand.) After pressing the seam to one side, I used a catchstitch or cross stitch to tack down the edge. It's not my favorite finish, but it's held up well over several washes. 

So, were these pockets a mistake? They were definitely a learning experience!