MITCH’S Masterclass

Mitch guides us through perfect darts and gathers

Mitch Bridgewater

M774

B6927

When it comes to sculpting and shaping a garment, darts and gathers are the most important building blocks in a sewist’s tool chest. Using them well can transform the shape, fit and style of a garment and turn an ordinary and simple dress into an extraordinary and structured, elevated look. Famous silhouettes through the history of fashion such as Christian Dior’s 1947 'New Look', which had voluminous skirts and cinched-in waistlines, were created by mastering darts and gathers. You can give your makes added drama and an imposing silhouette too by experimenting with these techniques and elevating your next garment.

DARTS

It is possible to look at gathers as 'filling out' and darts as 'compressing in'. This is, of course, a simplistic way of describing these techniques, but very effective to remember when you want to change the silhouette of a garment. Darts draw the fabric into the body to create shape. Even a small dart can alter how a garment hugs the contours of the body. You will nearly always find them in tops and dresses but they can be widely found in bottoms, outerwear, underwear and almost any other garment you can imagine. Before we look at the steps of creating darts, there are some top tips: