Dart Manipulation

DART MANIPULATION
CA-II Project
Project by: Mehak Suneja
Roll Number: 866
What is a Dart?
◦ Darts are folds (tucks coming to a point) sewn into fabric to take in ease and provide shape to
a garment, especially for a woman's bust. They are used frequently in all sorts of clothing to
tailor the garment to the wearer's shape, or to make an innovative shape in the garment.
◦ A dart in a flat pattern has two important properties: its point, the point in the pattern at
which the dart aims or converges, and the intake, or the amount of fabric taken in or
removed. Since the dart can extend toward any edge of the pattern without affecting fit, the
length of the dart intake at the edge of the fabric is not a good measure of dart intake. Rather,
the angle subtracted from the pattern by the dart is what determines the dart's intake.
Introduction of Dart
Manipulation
◦ Manipulating darts is one of the most creative ways to develop sewing patterns, or even get
creative with patterns that you know and love.
◦ The female body is made up of nooks and crannies, and to create clothes that fit those nooks
and crannies, we need to manipulate the fabric to be more form fitting.
◦ We use darts in sewing to suppress the fabric when we want to achieve this more fitted look.
◦ However, as well as creating a more fitted appearance, darts also work to add fullness too,
which helps to create interesting clothing styles.
What Is Dart Manipulation
and Added fullness??
◦ Dart manipulation is the art of taking the existing darts in a sewing pattern, and manipulating
them around the pattern to achieve something else. It’s a common technique used in pattern
making.
◦ Added fullness is the result of manipulating darts to allow more fabric in an area of the
sewing pattern, which results in more fullness. A simple way to visualize it would be to think
of a trapeze dress, which flares out with additional fullness.
TYPES OF DART MANIPULATION
1. SLASH AND SPREAD METHOD

2. PIVOTAL METHOD
Slash and Spread Method
◦ The slash and spread method is a technique used to manipulate darts on patterns –
usually around the bodice but it can also be used on other pattern pieces that have
darting.
◦ Slashing and spreading darts is a simplified version of the second method of dart
manipulation: pivoting. When learning pattern making techniques, slash and spread
is a great starting point for beginners, as there is less possibility for errors – though it
is important to note that once you have ‘slashed’ the pattern piece, it is not
reversible.
◦ Your pattern is cut (slashed) to the dart point, and then spread open the required
amount to add fullness, or moved closer together to remove the fullness
Pivotal Method
This method is mainly used to:
◦ To move one dart to a new place on a sewing pattern.
◦ To separate one large dart into several smaller darts.
◦ To distribute the fabric suppression in a dart into tucks, pleats or gathers.
◦ To add style lines to pattern and eliminate darts either partially or fully.
Types Of Darts In Sewing
Single Darts:
◦ Single darts are the ones which have one point, and two dart legs, forming a triangle of sorts.
Double Darts / Fish Eye Darts:
◦ They have two endpoints, two wider points, and then legs that connect all points together.
When seen un-sewn, they look like a fisheye.The fish-eye dart is the dart you find on the front
and back sections of a fitted dress pattern, running from the bust, down towards the hip, to
suppress the fabric for a closer fitting dress.
Centre Front Neck Dart
The center front neck dart is a diagonal dart from the

center front down to the bust point.
It is often used as part of a style-line to suppress the
fabric in an interesting way.
Mid Neck Dart
The mid-neck dart – from the middle of the
neck down to the bust point – is often used
to open up the neckline and add fullness in
the form of gathers around the neckline.
Neck Tip Dart
The Neck Tip Dart starts around the neck and the point ends
towards the apex of the bust. It can be used to add a feminine
silhouette to any shape or size.
Mid Shoulder Dart
The mid-shoulder dart runs from the middle of your shoulder,

down to the bust point. You’ll often find this dart is drafted in
when drafting a female bodice block. Outside of drafting
blocks, this dart is often incorporated into a princess style
dress!
Shoulder Tip Dart
◦ The shoulder tip dart is a more dramatic diagonal dart from the shoulder tip, running in and down, to
the bust point.
◦ Using a dart in this position is tricky, because you do end up with a very thin section of the bodice
pattern next to the shoulder.
◦ For a kimono top or batwing top, then the shoulder tip dart will work very well!
Mid Armhole Dart
o The armhole dart is a diagonal
dart from the mid armhole down
towards the bust point.
o This is quite a popular dart, used
to shape tops and blouses
around the bust that then fall
straight down or into a flared
hem
Side Seam Dart
o A side seam dart is a horizontal dart from the side seam

towards the bust point.
French Dart
o The French dart is a diagonal dart from the side

seam up to the bust point.
o It is created by transferring the excess in the
waist dart into a dart at the lower side seam –
usually 2-3 inches up from the waistline.
o The French dart is often found on silk tops for a
more ‘finished’ look.
Side Seam Waist Dart
o A side seam Waist dart is a diagonal dart starting
from the waist corner on the armhole side to the
bust area.
Waist Dart
◦ The standard waist dart is a vertical dart
from the waistline up to the bust point.
◦ It is one of the key darts used for
manipulating fabric around the bodice.
◦ The standard waist dart can be divided
into two or three darts and sewn as darts,
external pleats or tucks, for some style
variations
◦ It helps Reduce fullness across the waist and
narrow the waistline.
Centre Front Waist Dart
◦ The center front waist dart is manipulated from the center waist to run
diagonally from the waistline at center front, up to the bust point.
Centre Front Bust Dart
◦ The center front bust dart is a horizontal dart from
the center front towards the bust point.
◦ If the pattern is cut on the fold, this dart becomes a
fish-eye dart, running horizontally.
◦ This dart is often manipulated to create a little
gathering on the center front rather than an actual
dart.

Dart Manipulation

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DART MANIPULATION

1. SLASH AND SPREAD METHOD

The center front neck dart is a diagonal dart from the

The mid-shoulder dart runs from the middle of your shoulder,

o A side seam dart is a horizontal dart from the side seam

o The French dart is a diagonal dart from the side

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