After exploring the various types and importance of darts, I went on to apply this knowledge to the construction of a bodice/toile using the original block patterns for a bodice with waist darts and mid shoulder darts. I used calico to create my toile and opted for a back opening, therefore the front of the bodice was one piece of fabric and the back was cut out of two pieces of fabric. Before making the toile, I also watched some videos (which I found very helpful) about how to find the grain line using the selvedge as a guide if it is present, and also how to find the grain if there is no selvedge.
Below are some photos to show the steps of the process.
- Cutting out the bodice blocks and marking on the darts
- Pinning and sewing the darts
- Front bodice block with darts sewn in
- Back bodice blocks with darts pinned in
- Back bodice blocks with darts sewn in
- Sides and shoulders sewn up to produce a finished toile
I found that this task was quite easy to complete, and I enjoyed watching the transformation of a paper pattern to an actual garment in which all the pieces lined up and fit together perfectly. To improve my outcome, I should have tried to be more adventurous with the darts that I used, such as bust level or french darts, instead of using the original ones (waist and mid-shoulder) – perhaps something to experiment with in the future…
an.andycaptures 