How to Add Pockets to Jeggings with fake pockets

 Jeggings often are made to look like 5 pocket jeans, but only the coin pocket, and back pockets are real. Sure, you can put your cell phone in your back pocket, but risk it falling out, being stolen, or breaking it, if you sit down against something hard, and forget to pull the phone out of your back pocket, first!

Real front pockets are in!

I finally got around to cutting pockets out of an old sheet, to sew regular jeans style pockets into 3 pair of jeggings, and finally figured out a way to sew it all by machine, without totally having to seam rip the entire waist and pocket area!

 I traced my pocket opening from the jeggings, and from my waistband and side seam, making sure my pockets were big enough for my cell phone, and my hand.

While I like that men's jeans large pockets, I discovered I don't like my front pockets to be any deeper than where the top of my thigh bends, when I sit down.  I didn't realize this, until I tried my jeggings on, and put my cell phone in my new pocket, after installing the pockets, so I did trim off around 2 1/2" of the bottoms of all 6 pockets I had made.

8" x 8" is the perfect size for my pockets! (After I trimmed them.) 

My cell phone is 7" x 3"

Pockets completed and trimmed 8"x 8"

 I serged them, then used a tapestry needle, with the big eye, to secure my serger thread tails, inside the serged stitches, so they won't come undone.

Pick the top stitching where your pocket opening should be, starting with the end by the side seam, since it is a coverstitch, usually, so after picking the first couple of stitches on the front, you may get lucky, and have the back thread just pull out easily, since it is a type of chainstitch. 

A seam ripper is very helpful. There is usually a second row of 4 thread overlock stitch, here, still, cut the 2 rows of needle threads on the front, with your seam ripper. If you cut every other stitch of the needle threads, the looper threads pull out more easily.

Cut out pocket front and back, you need 2 of each, per pair of leggings.

Finish the edges of your pockets, a zigzag stitch, or multi stitch zigzag mending stitchcan be used, if you don't have a serger. 

I serged all the sides of my pockets, to prevent fraying, by first serging the pocket opening, then serging the pocket front, to the pocket back. I realized, after  serging all 6 pockets, that I should have left the 5/8" seam allowance for the pocket opening, free, at the top and side, so I could sew the pocket opening, tucked under the fold of the jegging pocket opening, and have enough room, to still secure the pocket top, to the waistband, and the pocket side, to the side seam of the jeggings, for extra stability.

I had to pick those areas, and zigzag them, to finish the edges, before sewing the pockets into the jeggings.

Place your sewn pocket inside the jeggings, and line up the pocket openings of the jegging and your pocket. The finished pocket edge should fit right into the folded down pocket opening. Pin the fold over the pocket edge, then sew. 

Be aware, you won't be able to start stitching until about 1/2" in from your side or pocket top seam, but that is fine.

I sewed 2 rows of stitches, to mimic the coverstitch it had before.

I used a straight stitch, on my vintage Kenmore model 92, with a size 14 ballpoint needle, and the regular presser foot. I matched my thread to the color of my jeggings. You may need to adjust your presser foot pressure, depending on your machine, and fabric type.

Now line up the top of the pocket to overlap your waistband seam by approximately 1/4", from the side seam, towards the center front seam.  Pin, then sew, using the "taut sewing method", to ensure the non stretch pocket fabric has enough ease, so it won't pop stitches, when your jegging fabric stretches.

Beginning to sew top of pocket. After locking your seam with 3 back stitches (reverse), hold fabric and waistband behind the presser foot with left hand, hold front of waistband in right hand, and stretch the elastic waistband, taut, as you sew the pocket top to the waistband. Allow fabric to feed naturally with the feed dogs, if done right, there will be no risk of bending your needle. (Never pull fabric against the needle, when sewing, it can break the needle, possibly damage your machine.) Remember to lock your seam with 3 reverse stitches, at beginning and end of each seam.

 

Right side of waistband, after top of pocket was sewn in.

Line up the side of the pocket, with your side seam, pin, then stitch, from the waistband, down about 4 inches. This gives extra stability to the pockets, similar to the way they would have been sewn if they were put in during manufacturing.

Sewing top 3 to 4" of pocket, to the side seam.

Next, tuck the fabric of the jeggings, above the pocket, down over the top of your pocket lining fabric, pin and stitch it along the curved edge. Like the top of the pocket, you may not be able to sew completely from the waistband, to the side seam, but most machines can get about 1/2" from them, which is enough to hold this pocket facing where it belongs, so it looks like your jeggings had pockets all the time!

Pockets all sewn in! This is before I shortened the pockets, but I just used my serger to cut off the extra 3"!

Completed trimmed pockets are 8" x 8"

My cell phone is 7" x 3"