What is a dress without pockets, right? One of the most important reasons I sew is the ability to tailor my clothes to my body and style preferences. And that usually includes pockets.
I love the Sheona dress for it’s simple style lines and almost endless “hack” potential. It is a quick sew and allows for special fabric to be prominently featured. With some gorgeous floral Liverpool from my local fabric store in hand I knew the perfect make would be a Sheona with pockets and quickly got to work. In addition to cutting the pattern pieces I needed for the Sheona dress I also cut two sets (4 total) pocket pieces.
Download the FREE Sheona pocket piece here.
The pattern instructions are very easy to understand and within a few hours I had the shell of my Sheona. With the shoulder seams completed, the neckband inserted, and the sleeves set in flat, but before I sewed up the side seams, I tried my Sheona on to assess where I wanted to place the pockets. I clipped all pattern marks, making it easy to find my waist on both the front and back pattern pieces. Measuring down from the waistline approximately 2 ½” (6cm) was about where the top of my hands fell and I placed a mark here with my fabric marker to remind myself where to place the pockets.
After taking my dress back off I placed one pocket piece on each side seam of the dress, right sides together and matching raw edges, at the mark I made 2 ½” below my waistline. After pinning I stitched each pocket in place at the ⅜” standard seam allowance.
Next I pressed the pockets away from the dress, making sure the seam allowance was also pressed towards the pocket. Then I understitched the pockets, attaching the pocket seams to the pocket pieces. This will help my pockets stay tucked inside when I’m wearing my new dress.
To sew the side seams I pinned the side seams from the sleeve hem all the way down to the dress hem, making sure to match the underarm seams and all pattern marks, including pinning the pocket pieces together. Then I sewed the side seam using the ⅜” seam allowance. When I reached the pocket pieces I stitched down ⅜” past the pocket before lifting my presser foot and turning the dress to sew the pocket closed, also at ⅜” seam. Once back on the dress portion I sewed ⅜” into the dress before pivoting again and sewing the rest of the side seam.
After hemming the skirt and sleeves my new Sheona dress was ready to wear! From cutting the fabric to a finished garment took me less than 4 hours. Give it a try and add pockets to your own Sheona!
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