Mrs Bowden’s top tip Darts part 2
This is the second part of the dart construction story and this deals with the sewing and tying off of the dart.
Once you have prepared the dart by marking it, pinning and/or tacking you are ready to sew. Remove the tailor’s tacks at this point. It is very important to start at the widest point of the dart and sew to the apex. This reduces the possibility of creating a hood or unsightly bulge at the head of your dart.
Position the needle as near as you can to the edge of the fabric. Hold onto the thread tails when you start to stop the machine chasing to make contact between the feed dogs and fabric – this should reduce the risk of creating a knot. Backstitch at the start.
Stitch along the legs until you reach the apex but DO NOT BACKSTITCH. Simply run the machine off the edge of the fabric – you can do this using the balance wheel to progress the stitch slowly.
Pull the fabric away from the machine to create long tails with the thread.
Tie the threads off gently at first to avoid causing a pucker and then tightly to secure the threads. Trim the tails. Remove the tacking. Part 3 will deal with pressing the dart.
In stitches,
Amanda xx