Style Lines that Intersect a Dart

Last week we talked about style lines that were only for looks (corner and curve seams) and style lines that act as dart equivalents (princess seams). There is also the option to have a style line that crosses a dart. In this case, the dart (or dart equivalent) is still present in the garment and needed for shaping to the body, but it no longer comes from the side seam, shoulder, or waist. It is moved into the new style line.

The empire waist style line is one example of this. A seam line is created through the midriff and passes under the bust. The shaping for the bust still needs to be present in the form of a dart or gathers or pleats, but now those elements will come out of the style line.

Important Note: There is an essential patttern making concept that applies when creating style lines within the bodice. This concept called Contouring and unfortunately we will not have time to consider in depth in this course.

The basic idea is that the Basic Bodice Sloper is designed in such a way that in certain areas, the fabric comes away from the body. When you create style lines in those areas you must do additional shaping so that the garment will sit closer to the body and not gape. Particular attention must be paid to seam lines that pass close to, but not over the bust such as the Empire line. Contouring also applies when significantly increasing the size of the neckline and armholes, or creating off the shoulder or one shoulder designs. We will discuss Contouring during our Zoom lecture on November 5th.

Style Lines as Dart Equivalents

Princess seam lines are one example of style lines that are used as dart equivalents. The shaping that had been provided by the darts is maintained with the shape of the seam line.

Another example of this concept is seen in Yokes. A very common place to see a yoke is in the back of a button down shirt. The back yoke is the dart equivalent for the back shoulder dart and helps give the correct shape over the shoulder blades. Another common example is on the back of your jeans. The angled seam above the pockets is what gives shape to the back of the pants and eliminates the need for darts in that area.

Yokes can also be used in skirts to eliminate the waist darts. In the activity in this module you will do just that.

Style Lines with Added Fullness

Any type of style line that is created in a pattern may be manipulated to add fullness. For vertical style lines or the gores of a skirt, volume can be added horizontally by flaring outward or adding excess for a pleat. For Horizontal style lines, slash and spread can be used to give one-sided fullness for flare, equal fullness for gathers, or unequal fullness for gathers and flare.

Click NEXT to begin patterning with Style Lines