Placing the pockets on the dress is a pain, so you might as well do it accurately. This is the method I’ve worked out to make it as easy and accurate as possible.
The sample shown is an Extra Large size dress with pockets measuring 6″ square (finished size).
Finished Dress (complete with pockets)!
Step One: Fold the finished dress in half to locate the center front. The center front of the dress is located at the top right of the photo (turquoise flower) on the inside of the dress. (What you’re seeing is the back left half of the dress.)
Find the front center of the dress by folding it in half lengthwise.
After locating the center front, lay the dress out flat on your work surface. Make sure to keep the two halves of the dress on either side of the back seam as even as possible.
Lay dress out flat, front side up.
Step Two: I frequently forget this step, but it’s very important! Insert a smallish cutting mat, or other non-pin-prickable material, between the front and back layers of the dress. The two photos here show the mat slipping between the two dress layers, and where the mat should be located after you’ve slipped it in place (only yours should be underneath the top layer of the dress).
Slip mat between top and bottom layers of the dress.
Mat should end up in the middle of the dress, but between the two layers.
Step Three: Use ruler(s) to make sure you have the body of the dress located equally to the right and the left of the back seam; on this particular dress there are 13″ to the left and 13″ to the right.
Rulers show the dress has equal amounts both to left and right of back seam.
Second photo shows a close-up of the back seam with ruler to right and left of it (front edge of dress is folded up for clarity in the photo).
Close-up of seam
Step Four: Measure 15.5″ up from the bottom (for an Extra Large dress). Make sure to preserve the 13″ to left and right of dress center.
Center front of dress is located at top right corner of vertical ruler. Horizontal rulers show 13″ to left and 13″ to right of center front. (Top thin ruler acts as a straightedge to make sure lower three rulers are in alignment.)
Step Five: Place pockets with help of T-shaped ruler configuration. Pockets pictured are 3.5″ from left and right edges, 7″ apart.
Use rulers to place pockets equidistant from left-edge-and-center and right-edge-and-center.
Step Six: I hope you didn’t neglect Step Two because now it pays off. Pinning the pockets in place is SO much easier when you’re not catching the back layer of the dress. After pinning the pockets in place, hold the dress up against yourself and check to see if pocket placement suits you. Sew pockets in place. (It takes me about 15 leisurely minutes to sew on four pockets. I discovered this because the first movement of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D finished at the same time I clipped the last thread. My friend suggested the tutorial was not complete without this information.)
Pin the pockets in place and sew. Make sure you leave the top open–don’t sew it shut!
Do something good today. 🙂
Dress A Girl Around the World
Is there a rule of thumb that I can use for various dress sizes? I want to make different sizes.
It’s been almost two years since I wrote this post or made a dress, so let me review it and I’ll get back to you.
I’m sorry, I haven’t had a chance to review this old post. I’m not currently making the dresses. When I did make them I just held the dress up to myself and placed the pockets where they’d feel comfortable for my hands.