A very long time ago, I complained that women’s pant pockets are too small for a smartphone. Since then, smartphones have only gotten bigger! Here’s what it looks like when I try to fit my phone in my pocket (that is a regular iPhone 6, not a 6+!):

My phone won’t fit in my pocket!

Since then, I’ve created a number of rough prototypes to address this issue and finally came up with a solution that I see as the most efficient way of dealing with it. Namely, change your pockets! Here is what the solution looks like for me:

Now, my phone fits in my pocket!

It fulfills my criteria of being comfortable while both sitting and standing, not being something I have to carry (i.e., a purse), and being easy to access. You can do this yourself if you have a sewing machine (hand-stitching won’t hold up to long-term wear, as I found out). However, the good news is that it’s also really easy to “outsource” the solution. Simple steps:

Measure how much of your phone sticks out and add one inch. That’s how much extra pocket you will need to add.

1. Put the phone in your pocket and measure how much is sticking out with a ruler or tape measure. Add one inch to this amount (for comfort and future phone size increases). Do this for every style of jeans/pants that you want to alter (since pockets seem to vary drastically in size).
2. Take to a local seamstress to alter. All they need to know if how many inches to extend each pocket (which you should have from step 1). You just need one pocket extended on each pair of pants. Image below shows what the pocket looks like from the inside. If you’re in the Twin Cities area, I recommend Blue Serge (the cost is $10 per pocket, but you could get a bulk discount to $7 if you bring more than two pairs of pants).

Final outcome. A well-sewn pocket is a thing of beauty!

My favorite thing about this approach is that not only was I able to finally solve my smartphone problem, but that I was also able to support a wonderful seamstress in my local community. If you are the kind of person who doesn’t have a million types of pants and hates carrying a purse, see whether this solution works as well for you as it has for me!

Note: Mini blog post this month as I’m pretty caught up in teaching, an apartment move, and the upcoming wedding. But, I hope to be back in full force in June!