A Feminist’s Guide to Adding Pockets to Clothing That Really Should Have Pockets to Begin With

Historically, men’s clothing accommodated up to 17 pockets in a single suit. Women’s fashion took a different path — one shaped by silhouette over function, and by the commercial and cultural forces that made carrying things someone else’s problem. The Magic of Pockets opens with a concise history of how that happened.

The practical half of the book is the point: Canadian author Jess Driscoll teaches you how to add pockets to the clothes you already own. Patch pockets, in-seam pockets, welt pockets — the techniques are accessible to sewists at a range of skill levels, and the instructions are written for real garments rather than new construction.