---
title: 'Wahid waistcoat: Sewing Instructions'
sidebar_label: Sewing Instructions
sidebar_position: 20
---
## Step 1: Fuse interfacing
### Press interfacing to pocket welts
Place your pocket welt with the good side down, and your pocket interfacing on
top.
The interfacing is a bit shorter than the welt, so make sure to align the side
that has the help line marked on it.
For each pocket, press the interfacing piece to the bad side of the pocket
welt.
### Press interfacing to fronts
Place your front with the good side down, and your interfacing on top.
Press the interfacing in place.
:::tip Take your time
Don't just iron this on to get it over with, you want to really press that
interfacing onto your fabric so that it fuses well.
Place your iron down and lean on it for 10 seconds or so before you move on to
the next spot to repeat the process.
:::
## Step 2: Join front facing and lining
### Sew facing to lining
Place your front facing and lining with good sides together. Pin the edges of
the facing/lining boundary in place.
Sew them together.
### Press open seam allowance
Press open the seam allowance between facing and lining.
## Step 3: Close all darts
### Close back darts
Fold your back with good sides together, and sew the back dart.
:::note
Don't forget to do the same for the lining
:::
### Close front darts
Fold your front (and the interfacing fused to it) with good sides together, and
sew the front dart.
## Step 4: Press all darts
### Press the front darts
Once cut open, press the front darts open.
### Press the back darts
If you cut open the back darts, press them open. If not, press them to the
side.
:::note
Don't forget to do the same for the lining
:::
## Step 5: Construct the pockets
### Attach the pocket bag to the pocket welt
Place your pocket bag down with the good side up, and your pocket welt on top
of it with the good side down.
Align the straight side of the bag with the side of the welt that has no
interfacing, and sew them together at the standard seam allowance.
### Press seam open
When you are done, press open this seam.
### Mark where your pocket needs to go
Your front pattern piece has a helpline on it to show where the welt pocket
should go. It's two half rectangles that got joined together when you closed
the dart to form the shape of your welt pocket.
If you haven't marked the four corners of that rectangle yet, you should do so
now.
:::note
The pocket sits under a slight angle on your pattern. Going forward, in the
illustrations, I will draw the pocket straight as that makes things easier.
:::
### Attach pocket welt and pocket facing
Place your front piece down with the good side up. We're going to attach the
welt to the bottom line of your pocket outline, and the facing to the top line.
:::tip
If you've never made a welt pocket before, it can be a bit counterintuitive to
attach the pocket on the outside of the garment. Pocket should be on the
inside, right?
Relax, the pocket will end up on the inside
:::
Both your pocket welt and your pocket facing have a help line on them. That
line needs to line up with the long edges of your pocket.
Place the pocket welt at the bottom, and the pocket facing on the top, both
with their good side down.
Carefully align their helpline on the pocket outline. They should now sit side
by side, and just bump into each other at the middle of your pocket.
Now sew along the helpline which marks the long edge of your pocket.
:::note
It is important that the lines you sew now form the long edges of a perfect
rectangle. This will determine the shape of your pocket, so if you make one
line longer than the other, or if they are not parallel or mis-aligned, you
pocket will look bad.
:::
### Cut open the pocket
Time to carefully cut open the pocket. Start in the middle of the pocket, and
cut towards along the longest edges towards the side.
At the edges of your pocket you need to stop cutting open the center and
instead cut towards the end of your line of stitches under 45 degrees.
:::tip
This small triangle you are cutting at the end is important. Make sure to aim
carefully as you should cut right up to the end of your stitches, without
cutting into the stitches.
:::
### Press open the seam allowance
Press open the seam allowance along the long edges of your pocket.
### Bring the pocket facing to the back and press
Flip the pocket facing to the back side and press it down.
### Press down the triangles at the short sides
Move your pocket facing out of the way to reveal those little triangles at the
side of your pocket.
Fold them back making sure you to keep your pocket opening a clean rectangle,
and press them down.
### Bring the pocket welt to the back, fold and press
Flip the pocket welt with the attached pocket back tot he back side.
Fold your welt down at the point where it reaches the top of the pocket. The
welt should cover the entire pocket opening.
:::note
The illustration shows this from the back as it's easier to see what is going
on this way. However, you should check from the front to make sure your welt
pocket looks good.
:::
### Sew down the pocket triangles
Put your front down with the good side up and make sure the pocket facing and
welt lie flat.
Fold your front over vertically at the edge of your pocket to reveal that
little triangle at the short side of your pocket opening.
Sew this triangle down by sewing right next to the fold, and pocket edge.
### Close the pocket bag
Sew your pocket facing to the pocket bag to finish your pocket.
:::warning
This should go without saying, but be careful not to sew your pocket bag to the
front of your waistcoat.
:::
### Press your completed pocket
When you're done, give your pocket a good final press.
## Step 6: Center back seam
Put your two back pieces with their good side together and sew the center back
seam.
When you're done, press open this seam.
:::note
Don't forget to do the same for the lining
:::
## Step 7: Join back to fronts
Put your back down with the good side up and put your fronts on it with the
good side down. Align the side seams, pin and sew.
When you're done, press open these seams.
## Step 8: Join the shoulders
Align the shoulder seams, sew them, and press open the seam allowance.
> Don't forget to do the same for the lining
## Step 9: Insert the lining
### Slide lining into the wasitcoat
Place your lining in your waistcoat, good sides together. In other words, the
waistcoat should have the good side in and bad side out. The lining should have
the bad side in and good side out.
### Pin lining to fabric
Align the lining with the fabric edge, and pin it in place.
Start at center back, and follow the neckline down the front closure. Work your
way around the hem, but leave about a 15cm gap at the center back.
### Sew lining to fabric
With your lining pinned neatly in place, sew lining and fabric together.
Do not forget to leave that 15cm gap at the center back.
### Turn waistcoat and press edges
Reach through the gap you left open at the hem, and turn your waistcoat.
Press the edges you've just sewn, making sure to roll the fabric a bit so that
the lining is always hidden.
## Step 10: Finish the armholes
### Pin back the fabric seam allowance
All along the armhole, pin back the seam allowance of your waistcoat fabric.
While doing so, keep your lining out of the way.
### Pin down lining
Now fold back your lining a bit before the edge of the armhole and pin it down.
### Hand-sew the lining to the fabric
Use a slipstitch to hand-sew the lining to the fabric all along the armhole.
## Step 11: Finish the hem
Remember that gap we didn't close in step 9? Time to close it.
Use a slipstitch to hand-sew the lining to the fabric and close the hem.
## Step 12: Make the buttonholes
If you haven't done so yet, transfer the buttonhole placement from your pattern
onto your fabric.
Make those buttonholes.
## Step 13: Attach the buttons
Pin your waistcoat closed and transfer the location of your buttonholes to the button side.
Sew on those buttons.
:::tip
You could also transfer the location of the buttons from the pattern. However,
transferring the buttonholes you just made assures you that the buttons and
buttonholes will line up, even if your buttonhole(s) is/are ever so slightly
off.
:::
## Step 14: Optional: Pick-stitch the edges
If you'd like, you can pick-stitch around the edges of your waistcoat.
Pick-stitching needs to be done by hand. You run a simple stitch a few mm from
the edges of your waistcoat, but only let your stitches surface for a few
threads. You've certainly seen it as a finish on suit jackets.
:::tip
You can pick-stitch with thread of the same colour, or use a contrasting colour
if you're feeling bold.
:::
:::note
While pick-stitching adds a distinctive look, it also locks your fabric to your
lining/facing which prevents things from shifting around.
:::
After this, you probably want to iron your waistcoat.
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