Keep large amounts of cash secure in a hidden jacket pocket.
Hidden pockets are not only handy for holding extra items; they can be a lifesaver when traveling abroad. Use a hidden pocket to hold your passport, extra money, credit cards or other sensitive information. Safeguard such items from the reach of pickpockets or keep them from falling out of unsecured exterior pockets. Make your own hidden pockets as small or as large as you need for any jacket you own.
Instructions
1. Use a lined or unlined jacket; however, a lined jacket's hidden pocket is not visible from the outside nor the inside, while an unlined jacket's hidden pocket is not visible from the outside only.
2. Draw a square- or rectangle-shaped pocket on a piece of paper. Make it as large as desired and add 2 inches to the top edge of the pocket. Add 1/2 inch around all the edges of the pocket for a seam allowance. Cut out the pocket pattern. Lay the pattern on top of the fabric and cut two fabric pieces.
3. Hand sew the snaps or Velcro to the right sides of the pocket pieces 2 3/4 inches from the top edges to fasten your pocket closed.
4. Lay down the pocket pieces wrong sides up. Fold over the top 2 1/2 inches of the fabric onto itself. Pin in place. Match up the pockets right sides together. Machine sew the left, bottom and right edges. Then sew the circumference of the pocket 1/2 inch from the bottom edge. Do not sew over the Velcro or snaps.
5. For unlined jackets, hand sew to an inside seam the top edge of the pocket half that faces the jacket material. Stitch between the edge and 1/4 inch of the pocket before the Velcro or snaps begin.
6. For lined jackets, carefully rip out the width of the pocket from one of the jacket lining's side seams with a seam ripper. Baste the edges. Insert the pocket between the jacket's lining and outer shell. Match and pin the circumference of the pocket's opening to the basted lining edges. Hand sew the top of the pocket (between the edge and 1/4 inch, before the Velcro or snaps begin) to the basted lining edges.
7. Repeat the process to add additional hidden pockets.
Tags: hidden pocket, Velcro snaps, basted lining, basted lining edges, before Velcro, before Velcro snaps