Adding a Back Pocket to the Foxglove Leggings

October 24, 2023

Leggings without a side seam are classic, and they look really nice without a seam breaking up the print. BUT. Where the heck do I keep my phone? I'm so spoiled about adding pockets to everything, it drives me bonkers when there aren't any. My teen has a pair of Lululemon leggings that have this really cool drop in pocket in the back of the waistband. I sat down with them to figure out how to replicate this.

In this blog post, I'm going to show you how to add a back drop in pocket to either the mid or high rise contour waistband on the Foxglove Leggings. This will work with pretty much any 4 piece waistband as long as it is fitted and supportive.

1) First, you're going to want to make a second waistband pattern piece that you can cut to size. You'll still need all four waistband pieces, but we're going to alter a pattern piece for the pocket bag. Figure out how wide you want the opening to be at the top. My phone is about 6".

2) I'm going to add on just a little bit for seam allowance, but I still want the pocket to be slightly smaller than my phone to hold it secure. I'll go with 6.5". Fold the waistband piece in half and measure over half the distance from the fold. 3.25" is half of 6.5". Mark and draw your vertical line all the way down the waistband piece.

3) Cut on the line and open up your pattern piece for your now Pocket pattern piece. If you are adding the secret shapewear waistband, you won't want the whole height of the pocket. You'll want around 4.5" in height (or the size of your phone).

4) Cut four waistbands and two pockets. I'm using DBP here which is not an awesome choice as it probably doesn't have enough structure and recovery. Eh. Maybe it will be ok? Moving on. Now we're ready to put it together!

5) Set two of your waistbands aside for now. On the other two, find the center top and bottom and pin. Do the same for your pocket pieces. I'm showing you one set here, but you'll have two.

6) Place your pocket and waistband RST, matching up the pins. Do the same for the other pocket and waistband.

7) Using a stretch stitch or a serger, sew along the TOP of the pocket using a 3/8" SA. Do the same for the other pocket and waistband. These are now your back waistband pieces. If your fabric is a little dicey like mine, you can add clear elastic the seam allowances. I certainly did.

8) Place the front waistband RST with the back waistband, and sew both short sides. Do the same for the other two waistbands.

9) Flip the pockets of both waistbands upward. Turn one waistband right side out. Slip that waistband into the other waistband so that they are RST. Match up the pocket pieces, side seams and front waistbands.

10) I start at one corner of the pocket piece first. Then down one side of the pocket, through the corner, around the waistband, through the other corner, and up the other side of the pocket. Leave the bottom of the pocket unsewn. It can be a little tricky if you're using a serger - make sure you've caught all the layers in the corners where the pocket meets the waistband or you'll end up with a little hole there. You might find it easier to use your regular machine and then serge. Add your clear elastic (if you need to) around the waistband seam allowance, skipping the pocket opening. IF you are making the secret shapewear waistband, you'll additionally need to sew the bottom of the pocket.

11) Turn your waistband right sides out and give it a good press. You can now see your pocket!

12) Quarter and pin your waistband and leggings as directed in the tutorial. When placing your waistband around your pants, make sure the pocket is oriented to the back pants. When you sew the waistband on, ensure that you catch the bottom of the pocket in your stitches, giving you a fully encased pocket. IF you are making the secret shapewear waistband, your pocket will float instead of being sewn to the pants.

Try on your leggings! This is my size 0 tween with her way giant phone lol. It fits! Although I'm sure she'd probably rather stash candy or seaglass in there. We're just going to say those are mocktails, mkay? That's what you get when you use scraps of whatever that's in your stash. She says they are perfect for under dresses!