For me, there are times where I can get away with sewing a knit top without a dart if the fabric is stretchy enough. However, not all fabrics are stretchy enough. This week I made a simple grey T-shirt and the fabric, although a knit, required that I use darts for shaping. I thought I would share my method of sewing darts in knits.
The primary concern with sewing a dart in a knit is to sew the dart nice and straight without stretching the fabric as you sew the dart. My solution is to use Solvy Water Soluble Stabilizer.
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First, snip mark the dart legs on the edge of the fabric with very small snips, preferably 1/8 inch or less:
Mark the dart point with chalk. I push a pin through from the pattern through to the fabric, gently lift the pattern from the fabric and then chalk mark the point:
I then fold the dart and encase it in a piece of Solvy Water Soluble stabilizer and pin the dart. (Addendum 4/25/17: if you want to save on stabilizer, you can also cut strips instead of encasing the dart. Just make sure the strips don't shift out of place.) Since the stabilizer is see through, you can see your dart. However, if you want a clearer line, you can chalk mark on top of the stabilizer:

Wet the darts or wash the finished garment to dissolve the stabilizer. I then steam press by hovering a steam iron above the dart and patting it down with my hand. While doing so, I put a piece of paper underneath the dart to prevent a ridge from forming on the right side while I steam press. Following is a photo of the wrong side of the dart with the stabilizer dissolved:
Darts aren't always necessary in knits but for the more generously endowed, they are often indispensable for a proper fit.
Happy sewing!
Very nice tutorial. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it!
DeleteThat's a nice looking dart!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!
DeleteI agree, that is a nice looking dart. I have never used that stabilizer but I am interested in trying when I sew darts into stretch wovens for skirts. I'll add it to my "supplies to buy" list. :)
ReplyDeleteI like it because you can see through it and gets the job done.
DeleteGreat tutorial! I agree on darts improving the fit of knit tops, just never thought of using water soluble stabilizer for the task!
ReplyDeleteYes, that water soluble stabilizer certainly does the trick!
DeleteI agree that darts gives an outfit more shape as in the black dress I just completed. Thanks for sharing this tutorial.
ReplyDeleteYes, that black ponte dress fit you beautifully! You are welcome.
DeleteThis is brilliant! Thanks for the clear tutorial!
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome. Glad you liked it!
DeleteGreat tips! Thanks for taking the time to write a tute :)
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome! Hope you find it helpful.
DeleteThis is wonderful! Can anyone help sewing a double-legged/fisheye dart in the waist of a knit dress/jacket/top?
ReplyDeleteI'm a fb 35", hb 30", waist 24", hips 35". I'm a true hourglass shape. More often then not, the waist is too big. Due to my large bust and butt, I end up bagging out at the waist and looking pregnant!
Oh, and that woman who makes Creative Feet (can't think of the site) has a wonderful product called Stick N Rinse. Check it out, my fellow seamstresses!!! AMAZING!
Her Creative Feet are cool, but a pain to put on my Pfaff Ambition, but in all seriousness, just at least watch her vids; they're infomercial-like and I love that!
I would experiment and see if the stabilizer would help you with sewing the fisheye dart in a knit. Thanks for the info regarding Stick N Rinse. I must do a search and find out more about it. Sorry for the delayed response. I have settings that notify me when a comment is posted but it doesn't always seem to work.
DeleteOutstanding instructions! And they work! Thank you sew much!
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome Nette! I am glad you found the tutorial to be helpful.
DeleteExcellent .. Amazing .. I’ll bookmark your blog and take the feeds also…I’m happy to find so many useful info here in the post, we need work out more techniques in this regard, thanks for sharing.
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