Darts

Dear users, dear authors,
How do you sew darts, and what are darts used for?

Darts turn a *sack* ;-) into a wearable garment. There are different types of darts: first, there are the ones on blouses, known as bust darts, which are located on the sides of the bust area—to the right and left of a blouse, shirt, or even a coat. Then there are waist darts, which are found in the center below the bust on the front of a dress, blouse, or blazer when it’s tailored to the waist. You’ll also find a bust dart on the back panel; there, it usually starts just below the shoulder blade.  Then there’s the dart that runs down from the shoulder seam to just before the bust; this can also be found on both the front and back panels. All darts serve to make a garment fit the figure properly. Then there are the darts on pants: on the front, they’re about 10 cm to the right and left of the center front, extending toward the side seam. At the back, they’re positioned at roughly the same distance outward from the back center seam toward the side seam.
Instead of a dart, you can also create a pleat in the bodice of blouses and dresses—it depends on the pattern and the garment.
A dart should always be measured very precisely, and you should stick to the width and length of the marked dart, because otherwise the garment might not fit properly and won’t look very good.
During my apprenticeship, our master tailor had us practice marking and sewing darts for weeks; she knew why, and we understood it afterward, too :-)

Best regards, Inge

Dear Inge,

that’s a great explanation. 😊


I sew all the time, too. I’ve sewn with darts before, but I don’t like them.

So I sew my tops—coats, jackets, blouses, and the like—using a split pattern. I made a great bodice pattern under the guidance of a master tailor… and I use it for all kinds of pieces. The sleeve is split, too.

Best regards 

Using panel seams is a good step if you’re not too fond of darts; I love these panel seams too, because they also have an elongating effect visually.

Best regards, Inge

Yeah, I agree. And it’s also really easy to use two different colors for a single garment. Or add some embellishment along the split seam—without having to measure too much.