Chapter 19 - Darts

Darts are triangular arrangements which take up excess fullness in clothes and make them fit better. They are necessary because the body is not flat nor straight, but curved. Darts are usually made on wrong side of garment, and appear on right side only as a decorative effect, as in waistline darts in very slim skirts. The most usual places for darts are at the waistline tapering up to the bust, from the side seam of the bodice tapering in towards the bust, from the shoulder down, and at the neckline in back.

Patterns are marked, at the places where darts are to be made, with a series of perforations or printed dots. Mark the spots with tailor tacks, remove the pattern and fold the material between the tailor tacks. Put a pin into the center of the upper tack and through to the center of the under one. The tailor tacks should fall one on top of the other. If they don't, readjust the fold you have made till it is perfect, and secure the pin. Baste from one tailor tack to the next, starting from the point. Now stitch the dart at the machine, but start at the wide end and taper to the point. When you are a stitch or two before the point, start to sew very slowly. It is best to turn the balance wheel by hand here and to take three or four stitches in a straight line directly along the fold. Back-tack carefully or tie the thread ends with a secure knot. You will get a more professional effect if, when you place your material under the presser foot preparatory to stitching, you make sure that the line of basting from the wide end to the point is in a perfectly straight line parallel to the side of the presser foot. Do not allow this line to slant.

Some darts are wide in the middle and taper at both ends. They are called body darts, and are stitched in the same way as the simple darts just described. These darts, at the waistline, are often clipped or notched to relieve strain.

A dart tuck is a dart that is stitched along part of its length. This gives a softer effect.

When a dart is very wide, or when it is made in heavy material, it is often slashed open and down as close to the point as is safe. It is pressed after slashing, the excess material is trimmed off to seam width, and the edges are overcast to prevent raveling.

When darts are finished, press them towards the center line or down away from the armscye if they are underarm darts. The latter is to prevent bulkiness at the armhole. A tailor's cushion is helpful here to get the proper curve when pressing.

There is one more kind of dart that should be mentioned. Sometimes a dart has to hold a gathered fullness. The material is cut as for a seam and the straight upper edge of the fabric overlaps a gathered lower edge. Slash the fabric, turn in the raw edge on the upper edge and baste. Then gather the lower edge to fit. Place top edge over lower edge, baste in position, and top stitch.

Top stitching is not always appropriate on dressy garments where this type of dart is most likely to be used. A gathered dart may be made easily by stitching right sides together, on the wrong side, pressing seam together and Overcastting raw edges together.

When material ravels easily, face the slash by pinning on a piece of fabric, right sides of materials together before slashing. Stitch around dart markings, slash, turn facing to wrong side and press. Then proceed as above.

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