Use Darts to Improve Fit

What you will learn

• Marking a dart on the body
• Sewing to a point
• Pressing a dart

Materials and tools

• Garment
• Pins
• Chalk or marking pencil
• Ruler
• Matching thread
• Sewing machine or hand-sewing needle
• Iron and board
• Tailor's ham or rolled towel, optional

Before you start

• Put the garment on inside out. A helper pinches the loose fabric where you want a dart. A dart is a wedge-shaped fold, stitched in a line that narrows to a point, that gives the fabric shape.

1. Stand still while your helper pinches the loose fabric into a vertical fold, usually 1/2 to 1 in (12 to 25 mm) wide at the widest point. The fold must point toward the fullest part of the body, such as the bust, but stop 1 in (2.5 cm) short of it.
2. Look at the fold from the front and sides. A good dart lies straight and follows the body line. Pin it in place and mark the fold with chalk.
3. Take the garment off and lay it flat. Mark the dart as a long, narrow triangle. The wide end is twice the depth of the pinched fold, because the fold has two layers. It sits on the edge or seam, and the point is 3 to 4 in (7.5 to 10 cm) away for a waist dart.
4. Fold the fabric so that the two legs of the triangle meet, right sides together. Pin along the line.

5. Baste the dart with long stitches. Try the garment on and check the fit. A dart that is too wide makes the fabric pucker, and a dart that is too narrow does little.
6. Sew from the wide end to the point with a 2.5 mm stitch length. Do not backstitch at the point. Sew off the fold at the point, with the last two or three stitches right on the edge of the fold.
7. Tie the thread ends in a small knot at the point to secure the stitching. Trim the tails to 1/2 in (12 mm).
8. Press the dart flat as stitched, at the heat on the care label. Then press it toward the centre of the garment. Use a tailor's ham or rolled towel to press over a curve.
9. Try on the garment and check for dimples at the dart point.

Tips for a neat result

• A dart that stops too far from the fullest part of the body leaves a bubble at its point, and one that reaches it makes a peak. Stopping about 1 in (2.5 cm) short suits most figures. A dart in the middle of a garment has a point at each end and is sewn from its widest part to each point in turn.
• Match darts on both sides. Measure position, length and width from the nearest seam.

Common mistakes and fixes

Check your result

• The dart lies flat and follows the body line.
• No dimple shows at the point.
• Matching darts are the same size on both sides.

Projects that use this