We CAN do pockets - from old sleeves!

[Update: If you have any recommendations for thrift/vintage stores in HK, Toronto or Montreal, pls comment on my latest post.  Thank you!]
When I made my "new dress", I was very keen on putting in pockets. Who doesn't like pockets?  I was a little hesitant, but I knew I had to venture into unknown territory. I quickly searched through Pinterest to find a pocket tutorial.  There were so many, but this one was the best! It has all the tutorials for different types of pockets.

I opted for the in-seam pocket for my dress.  

But first where did I get my pockets from? The sleeves from the old top I used for the dress.  This tute shows you how to add pockets to a dress / skirt already in your wardrobe!

Lay your "pockets" onto the dress and, using a fabric pen, make a small mark as to where the pockets will be.  If you're not sure, wear the dress and get someone to mark it for you!

Turn the sleeves inside out and sew up the raw edges. Do NOT sew the nice end of the sleeve as this will serve as your opening to the pocket.

If you turn the sleeve out again, you should have smooth clean edges as shown below.

Unpick the dress where you had earlier made the markings.

Now comes the difficult part, sewing them together. First of all have your garment turned inside out. Then have your sleeve with all the smooth edges on the outside and insert into the opening that you had made earlier.  Remember, when you want to put your hands into a smooth pocket! So, all your fabrics should be facing each other on the right (ie nice) sides! I "punched" mine in (see tip below)

Tip: Place sleeve rough side out, place at opening and
punch it in so that the smooth side is now on the outside!

So, after you've finished sewing you should have this - a little flipper on both sides of your garment.

You now have pockets! Yay, it does feel great :-)