Sew a Patch Pocket is a zine and comes with an accompanying shirt, however, the shirt is not required because it is written to stand alone so the reader/wearer can apply its instructions to whatever they want to sew a pocket onto. The zine teaches the reader/wearer 3 hand stitches as a pocket’s edge is finished and sewn onto a garment. Fabric for the pocket is provided within the zine and once cut out the remaining fabric can be used to learn practice and on. The accompanying shirt is a low-waste pattern meaning all pattern pieces fit within a rectangle eliminating fabric scraps left over between pattern pieces. An allover print of dashed lines acts as a guide for pocket placement and works on its own as a snappy graphic. The reader/wearer can place a pocket where they choose, they can sew one pocket and continue to use all the dashed line guides to gradually cover the shirt with pockets.
The hope is to spark an interest and understanding of garment creation and the history of pockets in particular. I find there is an intrinsic amount of value that I feel towards an object when I have control of aesthetic and functional choices and invest the time to implement them. Sew a Patch Pocket allows someone to experience this all while learning valuable skills.
In the United States, fast fashion is booming. As a symptom, people seek out and expect clothing to be cheap often thinking of them as disposable or good for one season. This state of mind is generated and reinforced by the fast fashion industry that has grown during the last couple of decades. Ready-to-wear clothing has been around since the 1800s, it’s not a new concept, however many people needed to sew their clothes because the fabric was cheaper than ready-to-wear items. Hand sewing and using a sewing machine used to be a necessary skill, people had a handful of garments washing them periodically and mending areas of wear and tear.