rounded pockets

It seems like it's been awhile since I've stretched myself in the skills department and I've been feeling like I could use a little bit of a challenge. Not wanting to actually bite off a whole big challenging project this time of year, I remembered there was this little trick that I've always wanted to be able to pull off but have never been able to do smoothly. It seems like such an inconsequential thing, really, a sideline to the main event, sewing-wise. Still, my own incompetence in this area has been a source of irritation and self-recrimination.

Rounded pockets, people. They are tougher than they should be.

My chance to finally nail down a smooth curve was a recon from this (rather frightful) pajama top,


to a smock for Smootch. I used the collar with the lace edging for the top portion of my pocket and sewed it to a semi-circle-ish shape. Viola, a rounded bottom pocket.


Now to tuck the edge in around smoothly. My rounded shapes usually end up looking a bit more like many pointed stars rather than nicely arced curves. Something in the way I've been pressing them.

I sort of half remembered seeing someone's technique of making a cardboard mold to press the fabric into shape around.

Enter Tony the Tiger and his packaging.

Tracing out my pocket on folded cardboard and then marking out the seam allowance from the traced edge in gave me this:


Cut out and unfolded, it fit over my pocket like so:


Clipping the curves,


and then carefully pressing around the cardboard shape,


Yielded this rather fine, curved pocket:


Not perfect, but, believe me, a hell of a lot better than my previous pockets. I can see how making a few more clips or cutting out actual triangles would of made it even smoother.

Over pinning for fun and because I felt so smug, I sewed on the pocket,


and finished Smootch's smock (say five times fast).


Ahhhh. Feels good to accomplish something that has previous eluded me.

(I know I muttered a little bit about a repurposing vinyl packaging tutorial this week, but a slight change of plans. It's still coming, though, promise.)

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