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Something rather startling is both moved to the waist and then left
happening on the fashion scene ... darts. Alot
ofdarts signal the return ofshape, ofcloser fit,
of more structure in clothing. We've been
wearing casual oversize clothing for years
which could mean we've been cheating on
what size we really are. For example, the
designer intends 12" of ease in the bust area
of a certain thin blousey top, but you only
have 4" of ease. Let's be aware of that
intention and not fill up the designer's fashion
ease with our bodies. In fitted styles, there's
no extra room to do this and we must own up
to our proper sizes.
Especially when you buy a shapely
pattern, it would be wise to take your
measurements and compat:~_ with the pattern
book chart. Most can get the best fit gy
matching high cnest measurement (put tape
your n ca e n t _l!:~_ er arms but
a ove ust) with the pattern's bust
measurement. This is fittins.your high chest:-
shoulder area. Other areas are easier to alter
so of lesser importance in size selection.
This is how a basic bodice front looks
with bust darts based at the side seam and the
waistline seam ( diagram below). But it hasn't
been seen much lately. Mainly we've seen a
blouse or tee shirt top that looks like this.
Where did the darts go? They're there, but
unstitched. When the blouse is tucked into a
;'aistband, the shape takes the form ofgathers.
Patterns are flat, fabric is flat, but your
body is all rounded. The pwpose of darts is to
shape the fabric to fit your body. Darts ca~ be
moved to any corner or any side of the pattern
piece and the fit remains the same. The reason
you might manipulate them to other areas is
to enhance the design or better blend into the
fabric. Darts can be moved by either pivot or
slash techniques. Slashing them open is e~sier
to see and understand, so that's the method
we'll use.
1!,eginning with the basic bodice, draw
lines from each dart poiQ.t inward to where
iliey Intersect. This is the apex ofthe bust and
is often marked on patterns with a little circle.
Cut out the darts and slash your marked Jjn~
ALMOST to the intersection. With the lower
corner hanging by a hair,
you can close up the side
dart manip,ulating all the
shape to the waist dart.
The side seam should.
now be a strais.!!t line. If.~
it is not,J~~:LE it Qy
drawi~~ str~jght.~
4!" - - - - - - - - with a rulef~Q.Q.nef!ins..
., the underarm and waist
7 -10" points~ trim-off'ei~ess-:If
~--------
+ you would add 7 - 10" in
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 length to this you A gathered neckline would result if
woUld have a pattern manipulated to the center front top comer, ; )
lor a blouse front. gathered instead oraarted.
_ _- " : 1 - ___~~~~J' ~

When worn, all that

shape, that extra
fullness, shows up in
gathers as it is tucked
into pants or skirt.

This one big dart

As you look through pattern books,
can also be moved to any
you can see exactly how each pattern was
other location. As
developed from a basic pattern just as we're
demonstrated right, draw
doing here. To finish the dart pattern, mount
a line from the bust apex
it (tape or glue) to a backing paper under the
down to the lower outside
dart area. Fold the dart in place bringing
corner. Slash it open and tape the waist dart
edges together as you would do in stitching
closed. You have a French dart.
the fabric. VertIcal darts fold toward center.l.
To move the dart to the bottom center horizontaI darts fold down. In the folded
front corner, it would show up like the sketch Eosition cut off excess mounting paper..
in a dress or sundress. Opened up you can see the finished pattern
----.-....--
automatically has the correct outer shape .
..

The center front midpoint is

somed roes where fill..ship.e..gQ~~ in a sundress mount fold
~ ~r swimsuit. "

finished pattern
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cut off excess
 Depending
on their
location,
these dans
can look
deceptively
large or
small.
Compare
these darts
in the
bodice shoulder and armscye. The shoulder
dart looks huge. In reality it carries the same
amount of shape as the small armscye dart
because the angle of the wedge is the same.
This compares to cutting a piece from
big and little pies. The angle at the points is
the same for each so they're the same shape
even though one is bigger than the other.
The original darts in the basic pattern,
remember, were split in two instead of one.
This is often done and these can be moved to
any location same as the original dart. Rather
than using dans, this split can also develop
into princess seams which carry shape. Jackets
especially use this curved seaming for shape.
To do this yourself, move half the
shape to each oftwo likely places. The most
common combinations are armscye - waist
and shoulder - waist. These will be split into
two pieces - a front and a side front. First,
"rock" each dart so that sides touch while you
draw a hash mark across the two edges. These
little marks will later become notches. Also
add a side piece grain arrow parallel with the
center front.
w
Split the two pieces at the bust. Add to
each cut edge a seam allowance and notches
where the hash marks indicate. This can be
done by mounting on other paper. Easiest is
just chalking the 5/8 " on the fabric after laying
the pattern or, if experienced, "eyeballing"
the 5/8 " while cutting without marking.
,
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Dart equivalents can be alternatives to
darts such as gathers or tucks to take in
fullness the same amount. These are especially
good for the person with a low bust. A dart
must point to the bust for a proper fit. It
would be terribly unflattering to point
downward, therefore this person would never
want side seam darts.
Lowering the side seam dart to bust
level might look just as bad as it still draws
attention. The best alternative would be to
manipulate all shape to the waist, then gather
or tuck for a softly, gently shaped look.
II
 ~ dart size will change
according to a person's shape.
Picture a little girl's bodice
pattern with a waistline seam.
There will be a very slim dart at
the waist for slight roundness of
the body. When this moves up t----4I~...a
to Junior pattern types, the dart will be a little
more shapely. When it graduates to Miss
patterns, they will be the most shapely in the
bust - waist ratio and therefore, the deepest
darts. The general rule is, the bigger the bulge
a dart points to (in this case the bust), the
larger that dart must be to bridge the transition
from small (waist) to large (bust).
This same rule would hold for other
areas. Someone with large hips and small
waist would have large darts for the same
reason. There must be enough fabric to go
around the large hips. Some side seam CUNe
will shape the waist in slightly. But the main
shaper in the area will be through darts. If a
woman has a large waist making her almost
straight up and down, those darts can be very
slim or at times non-existent.
A fitting pattern was shown on this
program. Most women will never actually
need to use one. Ifyou are extremely shapely,
however, it might be a good investment of
time to buy one and make up a test pattern to
better understand the needs in a perfect fit for
your body.
These patterns (if a particular brand
carries them) will probably be found on the
last page of the Miss dress section of a pattern
book. The one shown had three different
~odice fron~ for B, C and 0 bra cups. Th~
standard is a B cu for Miss patterns. As the
three fronts were superimpose f ap.ex to apex area. I've had
each other, the length increased 3/a " for each
cup size larger:- This was one pattern
Company's opinion, not necessarily agreed
upon bLev~ryone.
. -
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Back in high school geometry, did you
learn "the shortest distance between two
points is a straight line?" That describes the
line between shoulder point and waist of a
woman who is less shapely, here shown with
a tape measure over the shoulder. Looking at
the side view, that same line would measure
more with each additional cup size, perhaps
more like 7/8 11 between each size. If that's the
c~e, extra length must be added for each size
you are above the standard B. The place this
is added is in the dart.
front side A cup side C cup
Cut a straight line across the bust
point perpendicular to the center front. Drop
the lower front down as much longer as you
D!easure beyond the pattern
length. This means that
dart in the side seam is
tiOw a lot bigger than it
-...,Q originally was which is
-- -...... ~ appropriate since more
shape demands bigger
darts. When this dart is
then stitched in placeJ.,. the
side seam len will be the
sap1e as the original and s _
fit the back bodice side seam.
Th~orily length that increases
is where it is needed ... in the
women in fitting classes whose
ill
length has had to increase as
much as 5 ". You can see' why
buying clothes that fit is
impossible for some women .
,
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If 7'8" extra, for example, is needed in length because of the extra shape, it will also be
needed in width. Because you have only half a pattern center front to side seam, you will only
a~d half that amount to the width ~.

We would the~ slash the pattern vertically through the waist dart

.. ·-. : up to the apex and over to the armscye about where the notch is. Spread
this apart half the distance. Mount these pieces on a backing paper.

rn
,,'
TRUE darts and other outer lines and you have a bodice
,
front which will fit you very satisfactorily.

These darts were straight lined, but sometimes

curves are added for a more precise fit. Ifin the midriff
area you wanted a snug fit ... perhaps a formal or a
sundress ... they would assume this curve.
'11\
., a
•

If these darts are in the hip area where your

roundness right under the waist demands some
matching roundness in the fabric, the opposite curve
would fit better.

A jacket or a dropped waistline involves two

:.~
..
,, ,
• I

planes going into and coming out of your waistline so

darts are two-ended. ,
,' I

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I hope this in-depth dart study helps you understand

why you have fitting problems, and that it answers many of
the questions my daily mail brings in. r:tJ

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