Inside the Secret Kilt Pockets - or “Old Sewing Habits Die Hard”
If you are a longtime sewer or costumer like I am, you know that no matter how simple a sewing task might be, that there is NO WAY you can ‘just do it’ without making a project out of it. Take the secret kilt pockets from another post:
It’s a piece of fabric 6″ wide by 13″ long, folded in half, with two edges sewn together. Simple, No? I cut one rectangle in the blue print and 2 in a green solid to add a pocket to each kilt. (My maroon utility kilt has 2 cargo pockets; it doesn't need a hidden pocket. I folded one 6″ edge down on each to make a finished edge, then flipped them all in half, off-centered by an inch to have a flap to sew to the waistbands.
Did it stop there? NO! I dug my serger out of the closet and made sure all 3 pockets had finished seams! God forbid! Besides, I already own the machine and the cone threads. Then turned the pockets right-side out, used a point turner to push all the corner points out, then steam ironed them all!
The green tartan kilt was bought in Scotland and does not have a waistband, so I had to machine stitch it as invisibly as I could so the pocket would hang down and hide the flap - then pulled out the pinking shears to remove the extra fabric. The blue print kilt (Clan of the Golden Moons) that I made had a regular waistband, so I unstitched the waistband in the center, slid the flap under the waistband, then stitched the waistband back into place.
Why did I do all that work for something most people will never get to see? BECAUSE THAT IS THE WAY I SEW. When I was costume designing, all the costumes where completely finished inside - you could have worn any of them out in the street. Yes, when I actually had a sewing studio with the sewing machine, serger, iron & ironing board out 24/7, it was very easy to do such things; now I live in a 3-room apartment and that is one of the reasons I retired from sewing - no making Anna’s ballgown on my kitchen table - the only flat surface I have! But I already own these machines, own the tools, and own the supplies - why not use them? Even if I have to drag every one out every time I want to use them.