Fine Tuning Fit: Concave vs Convex Darts

You’re probably pretty familiar with darts. Darts are the most commonly found fitting elements in a pattern design so you’ve probably stitched many of them over the years. Whether you’ve noticed or not, the legs of the dart on most sewing patterns are straight, but have you ever wondered if you could improve the fit by making them curved? 

This was one of the first questions I got from a member of my new on-line course Fitting Essentials: How to Make Sewing Patterns Fit You.

Ruth asked:

"You’ve  talked about darts and the various ways they can be manipulated for fit and style. I’ve read in a few places that it’s helpful to put a bit of a curve in the stitch line so the dart fits better. Is this a good or bad idea? I keep thinking that it would be a longer seam and that it would throw off the rest of the fitting. And while it sounds plausible, how would you figure out what shape of curve to put in? My biggest issue with darts is that they pretty well always end up looking way too pointy, what’s the solution?"

A great question with an answer that I’m happy to share with you. Watch the video for all the details.

Resources mentioned in this video can be found here:

Fitting Essentials: How to Make Sewing Patterns Fit You

How to True Darts and Manage Dart Volume [double dart tutorial]

Two Essentials Skills for Pattern Manipulation [dart rotation]

 Enjoy!

All My Best,
Alexandra