Making of Piped (Welt) Pocket

Piped pockets are important for all types of garments to give a consistent and neat look to the pieces both at the width and the ends.

The making of a Piped Pocket (also called double bone pocket) is very crucial in all types of garments as there is a requirement for a consistent width of bones & parallel and neat appearance at the ends, which is not always easy. While using stripes or checks, matching is yet another concern. Manual operation is always time-consuming as a lot of handling, slashing, and turning of fabric is involved.
Priya Kumar, BF Tech from NIFT, New Delhi, and Professor Prabir Jana, Chairperson, Dept. of Fashion Technology, NIFT analyze the operation of Piped (Welt) pocket and the technology involved at the basic and highest levels.
Basic Level of Technology (Manual Operations)
This level is the rudimentary level of the welt pocket-making operation where simple lock stitch machines are used for the process. It requires dexterity and skilled labor to complete this operation at this level. Strict control over the machine is necessary to make the pocket as per defined quality standards. After the pocket position is marked, the bone fabric is placed as shown in the picture and two parallel rows of stitches are made in two operations using a single needle lockstitch machine. Auto back tack and a number of stitches can be programmed to ensure both stitch lines are equal in length, but the parallelism of stitches depends on operator skill. After slashing between stitch lines and mitering of corners, the bones are turned; inside corners are tacked using a single needle lockstitch machine. As the operator slashes using a pair of scissors, there is a possibility of inconsistency between pieces and also damage.