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Member since 4/27/06
Posts: 56
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Posted on: 9/1/06 11:35 AM ET
I gotta ask - when an A-line skirt has two darts at the waist in the front and two in the back, where should the darts be? At the hip bone? Halfway between the side seam and the center? Six-inches apart? Six-inches from the side seams? Is there a rule of thumb?

Rebecca
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Rebecca
  
Member since 8/24/02
Posts: 7614
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Posted on: 9/1/06 12:11 PM ET
My answer is, it all depends. A person with a really big waist wouldn't use a 6" rule for anything. Neither would a very tiny person. According to Patternmaking for Fashion Design by Helen Armstrong, a one-dart skirt foundation, which I'm assuming you're using since one-dart on each side of your body equals two darts, the dart is placed in between the two darts of the two-dart pattern. So that leaves us with the question of where the two darts go on a pattern so we can know where to put the one dart between them. That's where things get personal. It depends on your particular shape which is described in the book and actual measurements are given.

To make this a more simple answer, a dart should point to the highest bump on the body. On the back, that would be the buttock which may or may not be the center depending on whether your body has very full thighs taking up some of the space in the back. If this was the case, I wouldn't use a one-dart pattern in the back, but would distribute it into two darts. On the front I would just center the dart unless you have an oddly placed belly. I hope this makes sense and that I didn't offend anyone.
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If it's worth sewing, it's worth sewing well;
and if it's worth sewing well, it's worth FITTING FIRST! - TSL
  
Member since 6/20/06
Posts: 311
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Posted on: 9/1/06 12:38 PM ET
The patternmaker rule of thumb is that you want the darts to line up with your apex, even though this is a skirt. You should measure the span of your apex to apex (of your bust), you divide that by 2 & then since your waist is smaller than your bust, you subtract 3/4”. Let’s say that your apex span is 7 1/2”. Divided by 2 that is 3 3/4”, subtract 3/4” & you get 3”. You place your darts (both front & back) 3” from your centers.

If you then have another dart, that can be placed anywhere from 1” to 2” (depending on your size & the look you want) toward the side seam from the first dart.

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www.SewFitography.com
  
Member since 4/9/06
Posts: 418
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Posted on: 9/1/06 12:54 PM ET
In reply to ContourClone
ContourClone,

Thanks for that! I've been kind of 'winging' my front dart pants placement (assuming your info translates from skirt to pants) and this provides professional guidance.

Maybe you'd like to put this in Tips & Techniques? I think it would help many burgeoning self drafters.

Kate
  
Member since 4/27/06
Posts: 56
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Posted on: 9/1/06 7:54 PM ET
Great! I was thinking maybe it was based on hip bones somehow, but looking at skirts didn't bear that out.

Rebecca
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Rebecca
  
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