Help with sewing a pocket inside a fabric-lined basket

[limabean]

I embroider a bit, but other than that I'm inexperienced at sewing. But recently we got DS a canvas-lined basket to keep his homework in, and I'd like to sew a pocket into the basket's liner to keep a few crayons and a pencil in for easy access, since they keep getting lost down at the bottom of the basket. It seems like it'd be really easy, but I want to make sure I'm not missing anything.

Do I just hem a single-thickness rectangle of canvas and then stitch 3 sides to the liner to create the pocket? When attaching it to the liner, do I stitch inside the hem (seems like it'd look messy), or right through the hem? If it's right through the hem, do I try to make the hem relatively thin (like only folding over the fabric once) so that it's not too hard to get my needle through? (I don't have a machine, so this'll all be hand done.)

I know this is probably ridiculously obvious to you more experienced seamstresses, but I'd hate to start this project only to find that I was completely off base! Any tips would be appreciated -- thanks!

[KariM]

I would just hem the top of the pocket. I'd iron down the other three sides and sew them on. No need to "hem" those sides.

[rubelin]

Since it's going to have pencils in it, you probalby want a really sturdy pocket. I'd use 2 rectangles of pocket fabric and stich around the sides, leaving an opening. Trim the corners and turn it right side out and press it neatly. Then you just stich around the 3 sides to attach it to the lining.

[limabean]

Originally Posted by rubelin

Since it's going to have pencils in it, you probalby want a really sturdy pocket. I'd use 2 rectangles of pocket fabric and stich around the sides, leaving an opening. Trim the corners and turn it right side out and press it neatly. Then you just stich around the 3 sides to attach it to the lining.

What is pocket fabric?

Would it be totally tacky to just sew (or even velcro) a pocket protector to the inside lining instead?

[rubelin]

Originally Posted by limabean

What is pocket fabric?

Whatever fabric you want to use for the pocket.

Originally Posted by limabean

Would it be totally tacky to just sew (or even velcro) a pocket protector to the inside lining instead?

it wouldn't be tacky, but it might not stay in there very well and it's really hard to sew through plastic, even with a machine. And velcro is just a PITB so I avoid it whenever possible

[limabean]

Originally Posted by rubelin

Whatever fabric you want to use for the pocket.

Oh. Can you tell I'm new to sewing?

I guess I would be using canvas to match the liner that's already there. So the way you described it in your earlier post, it'd be a full pocket even before I attached it to the liner, right? Not like how a shirt pocket is just stuck on and the shirt itself acts as the other side of the pocket? And that would make it sturdier?

[rubelin]

no, it would still just be just stuck on like a shirt pocket but it would have 2 layers to make it sturdier and you wouldn't need to do any hemming, since the raw edges would be inside the "patch" you just made. When you sew it on, the opening goes down at the bottom and gets closed up when you sew the pocket onto the fabric.

[limabean]

Originally Posted by rubelin

no, it would still just be just stuck on like a shirt pocket but it would have 2 layers to make it sturdier and you wouldn't need to do any hemming, since the raw edges would be inside the "patch" you just made. When you sew it on, the opening goes down at the bottom and gets closed up when you sew the pocket onto the fabric.

Oh, I get it -- thank you! I went to the fabric store this morning, and the closest thing to canvas I could find was something called duck cloth, which is really sturdy-feeling. I'll try it the way you describe -- sounds like it'll work great!

[rubelin]

duck should be great, it's just a tighter weave than canvas. The nice thing about a turned pocket is that it doesn't matter if it's messy as anything since you turn all the mess to the inside