Patch pockets

What it is

A patch pocket is a shaped piece of cloth with its edges turned under, laid on the outside of a garment and topstitched around three sides. The opening is the fourth. There is no bag inside; the garment itself is the back of the pocket. The back pockets on a jean and the big pockets on a chore coat are both patch pockets.

Why it was chosen

Patch pockets are the plainest way to add a pocket and the easiest to size honestly. A work coat wants pockets a hand can go into without thinking, that can hold a notebook or a pair of pliers, and that can be seen — because a pocket you cannot see is a pocket you forget to use. On the Chore Coat they are deliberately oversized for that reason.

They are also the easiest pocket to repair or replace, since they sit on the surface.

How it is built here

The pocket piece is cut on grain, its top edge is hemmed first, the remaining edges are pressed under, and it is topstitched down — usually with two rows, an outer and an inner, which hold the folded edge flat and spread the strain. The top corners are the weak points; on the Chore Coat they carry bar tacks, and on the jean's back pockets the same. See Reinforcement and bar tacks.

What it changes

Functionally: a pocket that can be as big as the garment can carry, with no bag adding bulk inside. Visually: the pocket is part of the design — its shape, placement and stitching are among the first things the eye reads on a coat or the back of a jean. Over time the topstitched edges and the corners fade and fray first, and the mouth of the pocket stretches a little with use.