Heart Pocket Tutorial

Today I am posting my first ever tutorial! I am so excited to share it even though it is just an itty bitty project. I have so much fun reading (and pinning) others' tutorials. It is one of my favorite things about reading blogs and being on Pinterest. I featured a sweet purple dress a couple days ago, and today I am going to show you how I made the heart-shaped pocket. The dress pattern/tutorial is from this blog.

First, cut out two identical heart shapes in your choice of fabric. I recommend folding your fabric in half and then cutting a half-heart (a la elementary school paper valentines!) for symmetry, then tracing the second from the first.

Put your two hearts right-sides together. My fabric was double-sided, so it didn't matter, but if you have a pattern on one side, make sure the pattern sides are facing. Stitch around the heart, leaving at least an inch unstitched along the straight edge. That space is where you will turn the pocket right-side out. It will be easier to line up and stitch it closed it if is along the straight edge of the heart rather than a curved edge. Backstitch at both ends. Try to keep your seam allowance stable–my heart turned out a little lopsided b/c my seam allowance wasn't quite consistent.

Clip your curves and corners and trim the edge to 1/8", or use pinking shears. Do not trim where your seam is open, and make sure you do not cut into your seam.

Turn the heart right-side out. You might use an awl to get your corner crisp. Make sure your unsewn edge is folded in evenly. Press.

Topstitch all the way around the heart, closing up the hole as you go. If you want this to be a patch instead of a pocket, you can skip this step.

Pin the heart where you want it go.

Stitch along the bottom half of the heart directly over the topstitching, backstitching both ends. All done!

This would be a great embellishment for little girl clothes or even big girl clothes. Sew some heart pockets on your little girl's jeans, maybe an arm pocket for mom, and maybe even a shirt pocket for dad if he really wants to get in the spirit (ha! my hubs would not be happy if I did this to his shirt!). You could also make it into a patch just by skipping the topstitching step and sewing all the way around when attaching to your garment. I am thinking these would make super cute knee or elbow patches on girl clothes. You can also experiment with any shape you want. Leave me a comment or email if you use this tutorial. I'd love to see what you make!