…using fabric stretch to fit knit garments. Don’t get me wrong, there are garments that absolutely need to be sewn with negative (or very minimal) ease — think swimwear and other athletic gear, shape wear, etc. And it is certainly gratifying to be able to still squeeze into our clothing when a few holiday pounds appear.
But, for myself, I prefer knit clothing that actually fits the contours of my body without any distortion of the fabric when worn. That doesn’t mean loose and baggy — it simply means draping over the shaped bits & removing excess over the smaller places — in other words, darts.
Why so peeved this week? Because I just finished a hand knit pullover that I added bust darts to. I wanted to reassure myself on good technique, so consulted a few sources for tips. And I did find helpful information on how to achieve bust darts, but usually accompanied by comments about not needing darts if you simply add additional stitches to the front. Well no, a larger bust may require additional circumference, but what it really needs is additional depth. We’ve all seen (or experienced!) tops that hike up in front. There may be enough fabric to go around, but there isn’t enough to go over and still appear level — and this happens for any bumps. Large booty? Skirt hems will be higher in back. Large tummy? — pulls up in front. The beauty of a bust dart in knits is that it adds depth to get over the bump, keeps the appearance of level hems and doesn’t require the knit fabric to do any extra stretching to achieve that.
OK, I feel a peeve is turning into a rant and that’s not helpful. Obviously I’ll continue to do what I think best for fitting knits I make, but I hope others might consider darts for better fit in their makes too. Whether in hand knitting or sewing, it seems bust darts have gotten a bad rap — but really, they’re a bump’s best friend for looking good! And (shhh, our little secret!) if you think sewn bust darts in knit fabric look bulky and awkward — they can be trimmed.
Any thoughts? Polite comments, pro or con are always welcome.
3 comments:
I wholeheartedly agree that darts are an under utilized tool…I sew, never got the hang of knitting, but I have princess seams or bust darts in almost everything I own, and take advantage of booty darts to fit around my…err…Italian, middle aged backside. I finally figured out a few years ago that patterns were just a starting point, but I was the one who got to decide how I like things to sit on my body. After all, I’m the one who lives in here. Congrats on finds the right technique to meet your requirements, and not harming the opinionated individual who didn’t understand.
For me, it is where do you place the darts. I understand the concept and know what they are meant to accomplish. But are darts place at the top of the bust, or middle, or slight below midpoint and underside of the breast?
CAN - love me a princess seam in sewn garments - find the shoulder princess works well for me. Sounds like you’ve found fitting methods that work well for you - such a good feeling, yes?
Patricia - in knitting I aim to have the middle of my dart shaping (and I’m referring to number of rows here) hit the mid point of the breast mound - this will obviously be at a different point for different people. This would compare to sewing — the dart seam would be on level with the bust apex. This seems to work well for me for the amount of depth I am adding. Karen
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