What is Darts in Clothing?
Darts are the fitting essentials of clothing construction that provide the contouring necessary to take a flat piece of fabric and mold it to the shape of the body. A dart is an amount of fabric taken from the flat garment to create shape. Darts are usually placed at the bust, hips, waist, shoulders, and neck and elbow to accent and fit the garment to the body’s curves. Darts can be used to create shape where there is none. Some darts are stitched following straight seams and other darts are sewn following a slightly curved line. Always sew a dart from the point to the wide end because then you will be able to sink the machine needle into the point accurately and securely.
Darts help in shaping the fabric to fit the body and thus provide comfort to the wearer. They provide fullness to natural body curves. Darts are very rarely used for decorative purposes like providing a design line. The fitting, marking, stitching and pressing of darts should be done accurately.
Different Types of Darts in Sewing:
In sewing, darts are used to shape fabric so that it fits the curves of the body. Different types of darts are used depending on the garment and the fit desired. Darts are used mainly on women’s clothing to shape the fabric around the body’s contours and allow for fullness at the bust and hips. Small darts can be used in long sleeves to shape the fabric to the elbow, and at the back of the shoulders on tailored garments to shape the fabric to the shoulder. The different types of darts are discussed below:
Single Ended Darts:
Single ended darts are used in skirts and trousers to suppress the waist area and provide shape to accommodate the hip and tummy areas. A single ended dart is also used when constructing close-fitted upper torso garments; the dart will suppress the waist area of the garment and provide shape for the bust. This type of dart should be stitched from the widest end to the point of the dart. A curved, not a straight, line of stitching is used to ensure that the contour of the dart matches with the body shape.
Double Ended Darts:
Double ended darts are usually found on dresses and jackets. This type of dart should be stitched from the point to point using a curved line of stitching, not a straight line, as shown in Figure 3.
Plain Dart:
This is the most common type of dart and is used to give shaping to the bust in the bodice. It is also found at the waist in skirts and pants to give shape from the waist to the hip.
Straight Dart:
It is a straight line of stitching from the point to the seam line (Figure 4). This can be noticed in the underarm of the front bodice, back skirt, shoulder, elbow and back neckline.
Curved Outward Dart:
The stitch line curves outward along the path from the point to the seam line (Figure 5). This gives a snugger fit to the garment. This is sometimes used on a bodice front to make a mid-body fit snug.
Curved Inward Dart:
The stitch line curves inward from the point to the seam line. This facilitates a better fit along the body curve (Figure 6). It is frequently used in pant and skirt fronts.
Neckline Dart:
This is usually a solid line marking on the back neckline indicating a straight dart of 1/8″ (Figure 7).
Fish-eye, Contour, or Double-Pointed Dart:
This type of dart is like two darts joined together at their wide ends. This dart is unique as it tapers in a straight line from the middle to both the ends (Figure 8) and is clipped at the widest part. It will contour the fabric from the bust into the waist and then from the waist out toward the hip. It is usually made from the waistline (widest point). It finds application in princess and A-line dresses, over blouses and jackets.
Dart in Interfacing:
In this case, a slash is made on the fold line. Then the cut ends are lapped along the line of stitching and zigzagged to keep in place.
A French Dart:
A French dart is used on the front of a garment only. It is a curved dart that extends from the side seam at the waist to the bust point. As this is a long dart that is shaped, it will need to be slashed prior to construction, in order for it to fit together and then lie flat when pressed.
Bust Darts:
This type of dart shapes fabric to the bust. The most common type are single bust darts, which start at the underarm side seams.
Waist Darts:
These are plain darts that shape the fabric in at the waist and give fullness at the hips. There are often two at the front of a garment and two or four at the back.
References:
- Apparel Manufacturing Technology by T. Karthik, P. Ganesan, D. Gopalakrishnan
- Guide to Basic Garment Assembly for the Fashion Industry by Jayne Smith
- The Sewing Book By Alison Smith
- Dressmaking, Step by Step: Classic Patterns and Essential Techniques for a Range of Beautiful Garments By Alison Smith
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101 Essential Tips: Sewing: Breaks Down the Subject into 101 Easy-to-Grasp Tips By DK Publishing
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Professional Sewing Techniques for Designers by Julie Cole and Sharon Czachor
Editor of Fashion2Apparel. She is a fashion designer and ex-lecturer in Fashion Designing. She wants to spread fashion knowledge throughout the world.
