Norfolk Jacket Pockets: A (Brief) Tutorial

When I decided to go from the planned patch pockets on my current jacket project, to ones which were hidden under the decorative pleats of a Norfolk jacket...I had to figure out how to do so, and figure it wouldn't hurt to share here how I did it.

The Cutter's Practical Guide to Jacket Cutting & Making:
Lounges, Reefers, and Patrol Jackets.  by W.D.F. Vincent, 1890s
Page 35, Plate 15

While the pleats of a Norfolk jacket sometimes were true pleats, built into the pattern (seen on yoked ones in particular)...by the 1890s it wasn't uncommon for them to be made of a separate strip of self fabric, folded under and applied.  Which as you can see on the cyclist above, gives a lovely opportunity for pockets.

Start by marking out where you want the pleat trim to go on your fashion fabric.  Unfold the trim towards the outside of the pocket (opposite of the opening), making sure it doesn't shift on you.  I recommend pinning or basting the spot as well.

Mark your vertical pocket opening.  Sew one side of your pocketing to the fashion fabric as above, leaving a seam allowance above the pocket opening.  This will be the outside layer of the pocket.  It would not hurt to sew the pleat trim opposite of this portion of the pocket, but isn't necessary.

The other side of the pocketing will be sewn to the opposite side of the pleat for the same distance.

Cut through your fashion fabric along your marked line.  About 1/2cm from the end, flare the cut into a V shape towards the end of the stitching.  This neatens the edges when you pull the pocketing through.

Pull the pocketing through to the wrong side and press lightly.

At this point, you want to sew the outside of the trim pleat down.  Do not sew through the pocket material.

Once that is done, you will shift the pocketing to its final place, press, bar tack the ends of the pocket opening (making sure to include the little triangle of fashion fabric), and sew the pocket pieces together.

The last step is to mark the pocket opening on the pleat trim.  /Without/ sewing it to to the fabric body, top-stitch the pleating in this location.  Then finish sewing the pleat-trim through all layers along the rest of its length, leaving the pocket opening open, as you see.

You may also want to bar tack the pleat opening by hand from the wrong side to reinforce the stitching there, but I have not yet done so.

Hopefully the tutorial helped you figure out how to assemble this particular style of pocket!

© John Frey, 2019. The Author of this work retains full copyright for this material.  Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this document for non-commercial private research or educational purposes provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are preserved on all copies.