Replace the Insert with a Dart in Jalie’s Renee

I decided to replace the insert with a dart in Jalie’s Renee pattern to eleminate the bulk of the seam in the area where I added a welt pocket.

My Pocket Story

Pockets are a staple in my garments. I put “stuff” in my pockets, my keys, my coffee card, credit card, change, all the stuff I need with me.
My mom was fond of sharing her experience of when I was a little girl, she once did the laundry and found my pockets filled with earthworms. They’d been there for a while. My mom was not impressed.

I’ve added pockets to a few “unpocketed” patterns, in fact, I added front pockets to the Eleonore pull-on jeans before Jalie offered an official pattern for them.

In my first front pocket in Jalie’s Renee, the welt crossed the seam where the inset joined the front. It was ok, but on some fabrics it was a bit lumpy.

For this version I decided to replace the insert with a dart in Jalie’s Renee.  See how smooth that front is?

How to replace the insert with a dart in Jalie’s Renee

Pictured below are the pattern pieces of the insert and the front. Notice how the area above the notches are straight?

I joined them there by drawing in the seam line on both pieces, (shown in red), then overlapping them so the seamline of the insert was directly over the seamline of the front. I used a couple of pins to hold the pattern pieces in place.

The open area at the hip becomes a dart. (shown in orange)

The joined pattern pieces are cut as one.
Sew the hip darts first, then you can add your easy single welt pocket as described here.

Jalie’s Renee has become my Go-To pattern this year, so watch out for more variations.  You just never know what I’ll come up with.