copying a dart in a shirt

[the_professors_assistantKeymaster]

Hi, have been watching your videos about creating patterns from existing tops. Could you explain a little further about measuring and drawing the width of the dart. In the 2nd video at http://youtu.be/tCEs0SMyzDc?t=12m32s the existing dart was measured along the seam line from the fold to the stitching, and then the gauge was tilted a little to measure the length. When I tried to draw the other side in the same way it didn’t come out the same size. I don’t know what I did wrong. The videos are great. Thanks in advance.

[the_professors_assistantKeymaster]

The foldline is the center of your dart. So the distance from the foldline to the stitchline is the measurement you use to make marks on both sides of the foldline mark. You really don’t have to make the marks quite as long as mine. If you want to make a dot, right on the side seam line of your shirt, that’s perfectly ok and will help make it more accurate. Then connect each dot with the end of the dart. The dart should be equal on each side of the fold line. If you’re still having trouble, here’s another way you can do it. Create half of the dart, with dart lines and everything, it’s maybe just the top half. You’ll still fold on the foldline just like I do when folding my dart. Take your tracing wheel and run it along your outside dart line. Then unfold it and you should get a mirror image of the dart. Hope this helps.

[the_professors_assistantKeymaster]

Yes, definitely helping. I have done both ways now to check that I measured correctly – they came out different so will redo on new sheet of paper. Your second method looked more accurate when I eyeballed my dart. The dart of my shirt is quite wide but is a jersey so it doesn’t look like much in the shirt, only on the paper. Thanks very much!

[the_professors_assistantKeymaster]

The 2nd method is what worked. If the center fold of the dart is not at right angles to both sides of the shirt’s stitching line, measuring at the shirt’s stitching line creates 2 different angles on each side of the dart fold. Maybe this doesn’t matter all the time. But tracing the top half of the dart will match exactly. I used both methods and compared the differences. So what I did that worked accurately- your method 2 tracing the top half of the dart-

Create the top half of the dart, with dart lines of just the top half, exactly the way the dart looks on the shirt. Fold the paper under on the dart foldline, with the unmarked section under the marked top half of the dart. With a pin, punch along the marked half dart line through to the unmarked paper. Then unfold it and mark in the mirror image of the dart. When taping the dart down on the paper, the 2 sides folded together will be exactly matching.

I made a draft tee from my copy pattern. It came out too large, mainly at the neckline which I had trouble taking in, but it’s not bad overall. The darts came out perfect. Thank you!

[the_professors_assistantKeymaster]

yay! I’m so glad to hear that method worked out for you. Good luck in making the rest of your shirt 🙂 Please post a pic when you finish

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