Three Ways To Buy Pockets. Or Make Kangaroo Hand-Warming Pockets.Dress post by Angela Lansbury.

 Now I realise why I am so keen to have pockets in winter coats. I use pockets not just for carrying keys and coins and tissues, but also to warm my hands. 

I put my hands in pockets with gloves on and without gloves. But because I use my phone a lot, I am more frequently not wearing gloves. Especially indoors. 

Gloves To Warm - And Hide 

I might prefer to keep gloves on to hide rings and bracelets. Or a watch, not a valuable watch, but one which does not match in colour.

Warm Gloves Without Fingertips

You can buy fingerless gloves, gloves with the finger tips missing, gloves with right hand finger tips missing, gloves with just the right hand finger two missing, and gloves with sensitive pads.

Comfortable Pockets

When you are not wearing gloves, the warmth and softness of the pocket is important.

Wrap Around Dressing Gown Fleece

I have a burgundy fleece wrap around, old fashioned style fleece dressing gown from Marks & Spencer. I bought it in a sale. It was large, and it was too long. 

The bugundy fleece dressing gown already has deep pockets. I have been using the cut off hem as a hood outdoors, as a neck warming scarf  indoors.

Cut Hem As Scarf

So I cut off the hem. I wore it as a scarf. I wore it U shape around my neck. I started sewing up scarves at the midpoint to create a hood.

Old fashioned, but an old favourite. Warm in cold weather.

One Piece Long Fleece

I started wearing a recently sold garment, a fleece from Primark which looked like off white sheepswool. This had a kangaroo pocket.

I was looking online for Indigo Moon jacket and Coats with pockets. Then I thought, why don't I look for winter wear, kangaroo pockets.

I did another search and found a large number of garments, waist length and knee length.

I found a burgundy fleece, short. I thought, it's a pity I can't get a burgundy fleece. I do have one already. But that is wrap around. What I want is kangaroo pockets. 

Several tee=shirts with hoods looked interesting, some with pockets, only a few with kantaroo pockets, and not my chosen colours.

I researched online to see whether I could buy another, maybe more colourful, smarter fleece in burgundy, maybe add pockets, or kangaroo pockets. What could I take from my sewing box of scraps. Could I used the gusset of underwear or pants, uk trousers?

I looked at my wrap around fleece. Could I add a kangaroo pocket? Not whilst the garment was wrap around. But I could sew the central seam.

Adapting The Hem Scarf

I noticed the scarf I had made from the cut off hem from the wrap around dressing gown. Could I cut off the ends and make them into a kangaroo pouch? Yes. Maybe one pouch with two sections, one for each hand, sewn vertically in the middle. 

Then I realised that I had no need to cut up the scarf. I could simply seam it up into a hanging hand warmer. I could join the two ends. Or leave them like a scarf with a pocket at each end. 

To be sure the pockets were big enough for my hands, and the right height, and that I should sew vertically, not horizontally, or vice versa, I used large safety pins to try the shape and size. I simply folded back the ends of each end of the scarf. You could turn one end in, like an infinity scarf. You risk finding there is not way to get in one of your hands. My dry run with the safety pin proved very useful.

Safety Pins

You can use large nappy pins or brooch style pins. If they have thick pins, this may be hard to get through multiple layers of fabric.

My fabric had decorative stitching on one side, what would have been the front of the dressing gown. I wanted that to show. You might wish to show the fabric pattern on one side, or a seam, or an embroidered edge. Alternatively, you might to hide a pattern or decoration to make the scarf more universal, matching more types of item. You need to take that into account.