The Magic of Pockets: Why Your Clothes Don't Have Good Pockets, and How to Fix That

by Jess Driscoll

Transform your wardrobe with this step-by-step guide to sewing pockets into your favorite clothes. With simple instructions and line drawings, this book teaches six basic pockets, with suggested alterations to customize each pocket to your wardrobe needs, while learning the history of what pockets looked like and why they remain a political tool today. All the projects are designed for beginner sewists, and most can be made by hand, with no specialty tools or machine required. For every pair of pants with the pockets sewn shut, for every skirt with nowhere to put your hands, for every jacket missing a place to put your cash, there is one dress with pockets big enough to hold your entire world. Finding that one feels like finding a lucky clover among the grass. But clothes with pockets should not be so rare. There are reasons why (spoiler alert: it's about patriarchy and capitalism!), and this book will teach you some of the history of fashion and politics, but more importantly, this book will teach you how to fix the problem yourself. With the skills in this book, you can make your old clothes useful again. This book is for sewists who don't always have the time and energy to make a whole garment, and it's also for those beginners who have never used a needle and thread. This book is for people who aren't satisfied with clothes as they are and want to make a change. Most of all, this book is for everyone, because everyone deserves pockets.

Genres: Sewing, Nonfiction, Crafts, Adult

128 pages, Paperback

Published October 11, 2022

Reviews

[Amy N.]

There are some really great video essays out there by people like Abby Cox and Bernadette Banner about the history of pockets and why women's clothes don't seem to have them anymore, if this book piqued your interest.

[Heather Layne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very quick read if you just sit down and read it straight through like I did, but it's also a good resource to use bits and pieces from. Even as someone who has been sewing things (including pockets) for most of my life (almost 40 years), there were some really useful tips and things I'd never thought of or done before. The instructions are clear and well-worded (I did get a little confused by a couple of things, but I think that's partly a "me" thing and partly because I wasn't doing actual sewing so I could see what was happening in real life) with basic, helpful illustrations for many steps. The history and background of pockets was also interesting, and everything is cited at the end. I would definitely recommend this if you, of course, want to add pockets to your clothes, but also if you are a beginning or intermediate sewer or someone interested in the subject of pockets.

[Katie G · Rating 2 out of 5]

Caught off guard by the "ripping into capitalism by sewing pockets" and other parts of the short history. Sewing pockets isn't fighting capitalism or consumerism, it's called having a hobby. You still would have had to buy the fabric, the thread, the sewing machine, and all the other tools. I just wanted a book about pockets, not nonsense about fighting capitalism by sewing pockets which is the most hilarious thing. Sadly it's not satire. They are serious. Also the illustrations are very amateur.

[Katra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great for the beginner.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute little book with a bit of fashion history and some hands on tips for beginner sewists to add different pockets to readymade clothes.

[Louise Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am interested in pockets in clothing. This short book is an instructional manual on how to add pockets to clothing.

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

[Cassandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strange mix of clever ideas, some clear very basic instructions, and then some really not clear instructions. But still a nice reminder that I should add pockets to everything!