1922—Tailored Pockets
Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts & Sciences, by Mary Brooks Picken
General Discussion on Tailored Pockets
By tailored pockets are meant all pockets used in tailored garments, with the exception of those in coat linings, regardless of their style or position. The pockets used in linings, properly termed lining pockets, will prove very simple in construction after a knowledge of tailored pockets is gained. There are only five distinct standard types of tailored pockets, namely, the stand pocket, the flap pocket, the welt, or slit, pocket, the patch pocket, and the bound pocket. Each type, however, is subject to many modifications in shape, some pockets assuming an entirely different appearance from the original of its type. It is well to remember, though, that the detail of finishing pockets that vary from the original will never be difficult, because the principle of making them always remains practically the same.
2. In considering the style, shape, position, and size of tailored pockets, it is important to know that they are governed more or less by prevailing styles at the time they are made, by the style of the garment in which they are to be placed, by the taste of the person that is to use them; and by their purpose. Such pockets are employed in both long and short coats, in skirts, and in wide belts. If a pocket is to be used on the breast of a coat, it is generally put on the left side, but there are cases where a breast pocket is placed on each side. If two pockets are used in this way, however, they are generally made smaller than if only one is used, as they are intended more for ornament than for service. The stand and the welt type of pocket are used most frequently in such places, although the flap and patch types are sometimes employed.
3. The all-important considerations in the making of tailored pockets are accuracy and neatness, for to have a perfect pocket the material must always match, whether it is the design or the grain. To beginners, such tailoring work may seem difficult, yet by studying each type of pocket diligently and doing the actual construction on each so as to come to know every little detail, no tailored pocket will be too hard to make. Really, the first step to success in work of this kind is a full appreciation of how neatly made pockets add to tailored garments from the standpoint of both utility and ornament, and the next step is to be willing to spare no effort in the careful working out of every detail.
