Welt Pockets Revealed (And Why You Need To Sew Them)

I mentioned in my tutorial on sewing a welt pocket that there is confusion over what a welt pocket is, so this short guide is more of an explainer to help you differentiate between the different types of welt pockets that you can use in your various sewing and tailoring projects.

What Is A Welt Pocket?

A welt pocket is an inset pocket, which means that it is set into fabric.

A welt pocket has a front and back pocket bag section. The front of the pocket bag is often made from pocketing fabric or the fabric you have chosen to line your garment with.

The back part of the welt pocket bag is cut either as one piece of fashion fabric or as a combination of fashion fabric for the upper visible section and lining fabric for the lower part.

The ‘welt’ part is the strip of fabric used to cover the opening that is cut into the main fabric to create a pocket opening. Still with me?

Where Are Welt Pockets Used?

Welt pockets are commonly found on tailored items – the breast pocket on the inside of tailored jackets is a classic example but they are also seen on the outside of men’s tailored jackets, waistcoats / vests and back pockets of some pants / trouser styles.

Single Welt Vs Double Welt Pocket

Whilst studying fashion design in the UK, I learned that what really creates the difference between a single welt and a double welt is often the construction process.

Below is an example of a ‘single welt pocket’ found on a casual pair of pants / trousers.

And in the photo below you can see a ‘double welt pocket’ – which I was taught to call a ‘jetted pocket’ – that is found on a more tailored pair of pants / trousers.

In both of the above examples, the ‘welt pocket’ is constructed the way that I was taught (in the UK) to construct jetted pockets – also referred to as ‘double welts’ in the US.

Below is an example of a ‘true’ welt pocket, found on a casual-tailored jacket. This pocket is constructed differently to the above examples, and is the traditional method of constructing a welt pocket – though visible topstitching seen here really is an optional detail.

What Do Welt Pockets Look Like?

In case you’re struggling to picture what welt pockets look like, I’ve included some examples below of welt pockets that I have sewn myself, or photographed for my own construction process notes.

Welt Pocket On A Men’s Waistcoat / Vest

This is a standard welt pocket found on the upper chest area of my partner’s most often worn waistcoat.

Notice that the welt is an angled welt, meaning it is constructed on a slight diagonal. This is very common for menswear tailoring and is usually on the upper left hand side. It can feel trickier to sew than a straight welt, but just takes some practice to get right.

Welt Pocket On Tailored Tweed Jacket

And below is another welt pocket on my partner’s favorite tweed jacket.

Notice how beautifully the welt pocket has been pattern matched?

A Welt Pocket As A Back Pant’s Pocket

Another example, this welt pocket is commonly found on the backs of pants / trousers – note that while I have referred to this as a ‘welt pocket’ it is constructed in the same way as a jetted pocket it.

A Welt Pocket As A Casual Jacket Pocket

Finally, here is the welt pocket constructed on my Dad’s very old Levi’s jacket from the 70s.

You can see from all of the above examples that there are small variations in how a welt pocket is constructed, but they all have one thing in common – they have just one welt, not two, and the welt is set in to the main fabric of the garment.

If you’re keen to start sewing your own welt pockets, I have a great in-depth tutorial which covers the process or sewing a one piece welt pocket, or if the double welt (aka jetted pocket) is more your thing, check out my jetted pocket sewing tutorial.

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