I love pockets. I like putting my hands in my pockets. I like putting lip gloss in my pockets.
But every once in awhile I will get a new pair of pants or a jacket and the pocket are SEWN SHUT. Just like the pockets on my new grey jacket shown above. It is a mystery of the universe.
Everyone has been so helpful in finding a pattern for my little snowman... (I think this one is spot on) that I am hoping that someone will know the answer to this question.
Why do clothes that have pockets sometimes come sewn shut?
Pockets are sewn shut as part of the construction process - they lie flatter and are easier to seam that way. Generally they're shipped still sewn shut so nothing catches on a pocket and tears it, and so nothing can be slipped into a pocket.
ReplyDeleteIt's generally considered a sign of better quality sewing.
What Diann said. And that's why a seam ripper is handy to have near the closet and not just in the secret compartment of your sewing machine for times like these when you've just gotta tear the new duds out of the shopping bag and wear 'em right away!
ReplyDeleteMy mom always told me not to open the pockets on more expensive garments like blazers or suit coats because then they'll hang funny. And so that's what I do. Because who am I to contradict Mom?
ReplyDeleteSharkey
My sister always told me not to open up the pockets, but mainly on pants so they don't gap. She told me the same about jackets but I usually just open them like Debbie does - I even keep my seam ripper in my pencil cup on my desk!
ReplyDeleteBut if you love pockets, you can remove the basting thread
ReplyDeleteI'm with you: it's a mystery of the universe.
ReplyDeletelike Lori said, it's usually just basting thread that will come out quite easily. if you look closely, they are really *sewn* the way the rest of the garmet is sewn. you also sometimes see pleated skirts with the pleats gently basted down so they don't get all wrinkly in the shipping process.
ReplyDeleteI was watching a few minutes of Tim Gunn's Guide to Style last night (BTW terrible show - I wouldn't recommend it). Anyway, he mentioned that it is common knowledge and a given that women should have a tailor sew their pockets shut to improve their appearance. This was news to me! This practical girl will not be following this advice in the name of style.
ReplyDeleteI've been wondering the same thing for some time now. Why design clothing with pockets and sew them shut? And if ripping them open will make the garment hang funny, why put them in at all in the first place.
ReplyDeleteWhat Diann says makes sense. But from the fashion guys who say "don't open them to improve your appearance," Again, why put them there at all if they wont be functional?
it's all about options! some people prefer function; others prefer the smoother silhouette. i think the pocket users and pocket illusionists can decide for themselves.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Pirate Alice - doesn't make sense to add a functional item and then take away the function. When I buy dress pants for work, I look for ones without pockets, frankly. Sometimes (depending on where pockets are placed), they add bulk to the silhouette, or they gap open if the wearer is not standing mannequin-straight and still. For casual pants, I buy pants with pockets and open them up. I've never opened up jacket pockets - what would you put in there? Hands? Sometimes, jacket "pockets" are actually only decorative pocket flaps, too.
ReplyDeletethis ties to a really funny story from my old job - the guy running our group insisted his jackets didn't have pockets and wouldn't hear otherwise. So one day we stole his jacket from his office, ripped them open, and stuck something in there, then replaced the jacket. Totally freaked him out. I know, we were easily amused.
ReplyDeleteI am loving the term "Pocket Illusionists"!
ReplyDeleteyou don't realize how much you put your hands in your pockets until they are sewn shut. Sooo annoying!
ReplyDeleteI have sewn for years and took tailoring at one point and can tell you the reason pockets are "basted" shut is to help the seamstress sew the garment without accidently distorting the garment's shape (resulting in pockets that gap, buckle and never lie flat etc).
ReplyDeleteLeaving them shut after you take the garment home is purely for esthetics and not the intent of the designer or else they would have made fake pockets and saved a lot of time and energy. Diann is spot on ;)
You know the worst thing? The winter jacket I bought from H&M is so adorable...except that when I got it home, I realized it only had one pocket. The other 'pocket' is not only sewn shut, but there's nothing behind it! Who doesn't want pockets in their winter coat?!
ReplyDeleteSo now only my left hand gets to be toasty. Not fair.
Not only are the pockets sewn shut for the ease of construction, but it's also an anti-theft issue. When people try on clothes in the stores, some tend to put things in the pockets as to steal them. Sewing the pockets shut will prevent the shop-lifting. This is what I learned at a convention when I sold upscale menswear back in the day.
ReplyDeleteAt least they can be rectified. I hate fake pockets, when the item looks like it has pockets, but they are just pretend ones!
ReplyDeleteI was once told by an Executive of Softlines at a high-end retail store that clothing manufacturers sew the pockets of clothes together to keep rodents from crawling in. It seems plausible to me. Who knows? It is a big pocket sewn mystery.
ReplyDeleteI was once told by an Executive of Softlines of a very high-end retail store that clothing manufacturers sew the pockets shut to keep rodents from crawling in. It seems plausible to me. Who knows? It's a big pocket sewing mystery.
ReplyDeleteOh I really like this sewn shut on my jacket, also we have to admit pockets are very need, we dont know when we need a pocket, or when It would be useful.
ReplyDeleteI am loving the term "Pocket Illusionists"!
ReplyDelete