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Beginners
Lesson Part One
Darts
A dart is used to shape a flat piece of fabric to fit bust,
waist, hip or elbow curves. There are two types of darts. A
single-pointed dart is wide at one end and pointed at the other.
A shaped dart has points at both ends. It is usually used at the
waistline, with the points extending to the bust and hips.
Besides providing a closer fit, darts are also used to create
special designer touches and unique styles.
Perfect darts are straight and smooth, not puckered at the ends.
The darts on the right and left sides of the garment should have
the same placement and length.
How to Sew a Dart:
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1. Mark
dart suing appropriate marking method for fabric. Mark point
of dart with horizontal line. |
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2. Fold
dart on centre line, matching stitching lines and markings
at the wide end, the point and in between. Pin in place,
with heads of pins toward folded edge for easy removal as
you stitch. |
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3.
Stitch from wide end to point of dart. Backstitch at
beginning of stitching line, then continue stitching toward
point, removing pins as you come to them. |
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Dart Techniques
Shaped darts are stitched in two steps, beginning at the
waistline and stitching toward each point. Overlap stitching at
waist about 1" (2.5 cm). Clip dart fold at waistline and midway
along points, to within 1/8" to ¼" (3 to 6 mm) of stitching to
relieve strain and allow dart to curve smoothly.
Wide darts and
darts in bulky fabrics should be slashed open on the fold line
and trimmed to 5/8" (1.5 cm) or less. Slash to within ½" (1.3
cm) of point. Press dart open and press point flat.
Press darts over
the curve of a tailor's ham to maintain the built-in curve.
Vertical darts are usually pressed toward the centre front or
centre back. Horizontal darts are usually pressed downward.
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4.
Taper to point of dart. When ½" (1.3 cm) remains, shorten
stitch length to 12 to 16 stitches per inch (2.5 cm). Take
last two to three stitches directly on fold. Do not
backstitch at the point, because this may cause puckering.
Continue stitching off edge of fabric.
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5.
Raise presser foot and pull dart toward front. About 1" (2.5
cm) back from point of dart, lower presser foot and secure
thread by stitching several times in fold of the dart with
stitch length set at 0. Clip threads close to knot.
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6.
Press folded edge of dart flat, being careful not to crease
fabric beyond the point. Then place dart over curve of
tailor's ham and press in proper direction .for a neat, flat
finish, press darts before they are stitched into a seam. |
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Beginners Lesson Part Two
Invisible Zipper Application
An invisible zipper is inserted in an entirely open seam; the
rest of the seam is stitched after the application is completed.
· Use the foot designed for the zipper brand you are
using because coil sizes of zippers vary.
· Stitch from top to bottom of zipper.
· Apply any facing after the zipper has been sewn in.
· Before starting, press the zipper as follows, using a
synthetic setting: Open zipper; from wrong side, press zipper
flat, using point of iron to push coil over so that the two rows
of stitching show.
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1.
Attach the invisible zipper foot to the machine, with the
needle lined up with centre mark. Place open zipper
face-down on right side of fabric as shown. Pin in place
with coil on seam line (5/8" in) and top stop ¾" below raw
edge of garment (1a). With right-hand groove of foot over
coil, stitch zipper until the foot hits the slider (remove
pins as you come to them.) Back-tack.
2. To attach the other half of the zipper, pin tape
face-down with coil on seam line (5/8" in) and top stop ¾"
below raw edge of garment, as before. Make sure that the
zipper is not twisted at the bottom. Use the left-hand
groove of foot, making sure that the centre marking is still
lined up with the needle and stitch, as before.
3. Close zipper. Slide zipper foot to the left so
that needle is in the outer notch. Pin the seam together
below zipper opening. Fold end of zipper out of the way and
lower the needle by hand slightly above and to the left of
the last stitch. Stitch seam for about 2", as shown. Pull
thread through to one side and tie. Change to regular
presser foot and complete the seam. At zipper end, stitch
about 1" of each zipper tape to seam allowance only. |
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