STEP 1:
Lay your front body and sleeve/ front yoke out in front of you with the right side of the fabric facing up.
STEP 2:
Take one pair of pocket bags (you should have x2 pairs or 4 single pieces in total) Identify the notches on the body pieces. Matching the notches on the pocket pieces - lay one pocket piece onto the front yoke, right sides together. Lay the second pocket piece onto the front body, right sides together and stitch the pockets to the body with a 1cm seam. Ensure to stitch ONLY between the notches. Backtack at the beginning and end of the stitching.
STEP 3:
Understitch the pocket bag on the lower front body between the notches. Only understitch the lower pocket bag. Do not understitch the top pocket bag.
STEP 4:
Bring the body and sleeve/yoke back together again in front of you with right sides up. Match the two separate pocket pieces together also. The pockets will be wrong sides together so you should be looking at the right side of the fabric everywhere. Pin the pocket together if needed.
STEP 5:
Stitch the the two pocket pieces together with a 1cm seam all the way around. Ensure that you meet the pockets together so that they are matching edge to edge before you stitch. The seam that was under stitched will have a tendency to want to fold under- make sure you unfold it so you don't catch it when you stitch around the pocket.
STEP 6:
Overlock the outside edge of the pocket bag (this is only necessary if you have a fabric that frays a lot) and then clip the corners to help you get a clean finish when you turn your pocket out.
STEP 7:
Pull the pocket bag out through the opening of the pocket and press the pocket flat. The seam allowance is now inside the pocket bag. (you are now looking at the inside of the shirt) The next step will be to close the seam either side of the pocket bag.
STEP 8:
You need to close the seam between the body and the yoke but you might notice that the seam at corner of the pocket doesn't sit nice and flat, making it difficult to sew.
STEP 9:
Peek under the pocket and very carefully clip into the corner of the stitching, this will release the seam allowance on the lower piece, allowing it to sit flat.
STEP 10:
You will need to clip the seam on both sides of the pocket bag, It should look like this. Pin the yoke seam together.
STEP 11:
Now sew the yoke seam closed with a 1cm stitch. You want to drop your needle down to start exactly where the stitching from your pocket finishes. (I have used red contrast thread to highlight.) This needs to be done in two separate steps. You will see above that the seam nearest to the side/armhole is not stitched all the way to the end. It is helpful at a later stage for you to leave some room here to manoeuvre, so i stopped stitching about 2 or 3 cm from the edge.
STEP 12:
This is what your pocket should look like! This pocket is finished and totally functional like this. You could leave it invisible if you choose and move on to the next step, as this is purely a style choice. However if you want to topstitch your pocket, follow on to step 13.
STEP 13:
Make sure the pocket is sitting straight and parallel to the centre front edge and pin the pocket in place.
STEP 14:
Topstitch your pocket down in place. How you topstitch your pocket is a personal preference. You could do an edgestitch, or a foot width stitch, or a twin row, it is entirely up to you. I choose a 5mm topstitch as that is what I plan to do on my collar and cuffs.
As a general rule of thumb, all top stitching should be done from the top or the right side of a garment (as I have done here) But if you have good bobbin tension and a good colour match with your thread, you could do this step from inside if you prefer as it would be easier.
Repeat all steps 1-14 for the other side of your front so you have a pair of pockets.