Love your darts

Darts get a poor press. It saddens me when I hear someone say 'I don't like darts, can we get rid of them?' Of course you can remove a dart, and modern stretch fabrics will stretch around the body where the unyielding wovens wouldn't. But I like darts, they are the shape makers and are what create the beautiful flow that skims the body rather than dragging across it. Even on my jersey block I have a dart. Sometimes I ignore it but more often I find its just what's need to enhance an otherwise flat and unflattering sample. You may not see the dart, its probably been incorporated into a seam or style detail, but the suppression is there, quietly doing its job. Knowing how to remove a wedge of fabric and transfer it into the construction of the garment is an endless fascination to me. Its the basis of 'fitting' a garment. Just a pinch here, just a nip there. Knowing how to use a dart effectively must surely be the basis of pattern cutting.