PSA: Don't put darts in stretchy fabric - learned this the hard way

I was working on a fitted knit top last month and thought adding darts would give it better shape. Seemed like a good idea since I saw it in a pattern book from the 80s. But the fabric just bunched up and created this weird pucker look at the bust. My sewing group leader took one look and said, "Knit fabrics need their own shaping rules." Has anyone else run into this with jersey or double knits?

2 comments

2 Comments

wesley_hart18d ago

Oh man, I feel your pain. I tried the same thing on a rayon spandex jersey and ended up with what looked like sad little nipples on my shirt. The trick I finally learned is to use soft darts that blend into the fabric with a zigzag stitch and a lot of steam pressing. Or better yet, just skip darts altogether and use side shaping with a stretch stitch. Double knits can sometimes take a dart if you treat it like a woven with a ballpoint needle and a really short stitch length, but knits with lots of spandex just fight you every step of the way.

the_amy18d ago

Oh gosh, that "sad little nipples" thing made me laugh so hard I scared my cat. I've had similar disasters with a cheap poly spandex blend where the dart just laughed at me and puckered right up.