How to Make a Dart

Crafting a Paper Dart

Crease a square piece of paper in half horizontally. Grab a small piece of paper and place it on a flat surface. Fold the bottom edge upwards so it’s lined up with the topmost edge. Press and slide your finger along the fold to create an obvious horizontal crease along the paper. The paper needs to be square, or else your dart won’t work properly. For instance, a 3 by 3 in (7.6 by 7.6 cm) sticky note works well for this.

Fold the bottom right corner along the center horizontal crease. Grab the bottom right corner of paper and fold it towards the center, lining up the top edge of the fold along the large horizontal crease. Once again, slide your finger along the edge of the new triangular fold so your paper keeps its new shape.

Take the bottom half of the paper and fold it along the center crease. Pinch and lift the folded edge of the lower triangle, bringing it to the horizontal crease that you made previously. Press and crease along the edge of this triangle, so your dart keeps its form. This helps create the sharp, angled edge of your dart, which makes it easier to throw. The angled edge of your triangle will be around 45 degrees.

Fold the bottom, angled paper up and over the center crease. Lift the angled triangle and fold it over the horizontal crease, so the dart starts taking shape.

Fold the dart upwards 1 more time. Pinch the dart, wrapping it up in the leftover, unfolded paper. Crease along the edge of this paper so your dart continues to take shape. You’ll be using the unfolded section of paper for this.

Wrap and fold the leftover paper around the thin base of the dart. Look along the top right corner to find a leftover scrap of unfolded triangular paper. Fold this section of paper forward and around the dart.

Fold the dart in half horizontally. Examine the folded paper you have so far—one end will be significantly wider than the pointed tip. Fold this paper in half horizontally, allowing the long, horizontal edges of the paper to be flush against each other. Crease the bottom edge to finish forming your dart!

Practice throwing your paper dart. Hold the paper dart so that it’s facing you. Place both of your pointer fingers along opposite sides of the dart, closer to the tip. Lift and rotate your hands so the point of the dart faces away from you, then throw the paper dart forward. It helps to pinch the paper with both fingers before you throw the dart.

Sewing a Basic Dart

Sketch the darts onto your template if you’re making your own. Grab a flat piece of craft paper if you don’t have a paper template on hand, then measure out the positions of your darts with a ruler. Sketch out the top “point” of the dart, along with the 2 “legs” coming off the bottom. Note that these legs will touch the edge of the fabric, which will help add shape to the garment overall. Keep in mind that darts look like small triangles, with the tip of the dart pointing to the inside of the garment. Darts are usually created in pairs. Typically, darts are used on garments to help curve the clothing, along the chest, waist, or shoulders.

Pin your paper template on top of a cut piece of fabric. Grab your paper template or guide and arrange it on top of your material. Stick a few pins through both the paper and fabric so you can accurately draw the darts on your fabric. It can help to pin the paper and fabric through the very tip of the dart. Pre-made templates are easiest to use if you’re new to sewing. These templates will mark the darts on the template for you.

Mark the base of the dart on your fabric with white chalk. Lift up the bottom edge of the paper with 1 hand. Grab a piece of white chalk and mark 2 tiny dots along the bottom edge of the fabric, where the legs of the dart go. Additionally, mark a single dot along the tip of the dart. Marking the dots ahead of time makes it easier to sketch out an accurate dart.

Sketch out the legs and punch hole of the dark with chalk. Arrange a ruler between the point of the dart along with 1 of the lower leg marks. Draw out a long, straight line connecting these 2 points together. Once you’ve done this, complete the triangle by tracing a second line along the other side of the dart. As a finishing touch, draw a horizontal line about ⁄2 in (1.3 cm) below the point of the dart, which is known as a “punch hole.” The sketched dart will look like a long triangle, with the short edge bordering the bottom of the fabric. The punch hole lets you know when you’re almost finished stitching the dart.

Fold the darts in half with the right sides of your material touching. Take your fabric and fold along the center of the dart. Double-check the “right” sides of the fabric are touching one another with the “wrong” side facing up. When sewn, the folded dart adds a lot of depth to your garment.

Pin the folded dart in place. Insert 2 pins horizontally, which will help hold the dart together. Arrange the pins so the pointy end is facing the folded edge, while the head of the pin sits along the traced edge of the dart. You can place 1 pin along the bottom of the dart, and another towards the point.

Stitch from bottom to top, working your way to the top of the dart. Center your folded and pinned fabric beneath the needle of your sewing machine. Sew the dart slowly, starting from the wider, bottom end of the dart. Work your way up the angled chalk line until you reach the small punch line. You can backstitch the first few stitches, which will help reinforce them.

Lower your stitch length after you pass the punch hole. Go into your sewing machine’s settings and find the dial or knob that adjusts the stitch length. Make the length as small as possible, which will help the tip of the dart hold its shape. Continue stitching past the punch hole, working your way past the tip of the dart.

Knot the extra threads and cut away any extra. Pull your stitched fabric away from the sewing machine, then cut away the extra threads. Tie the loose ends from the dart tip in a tight knot, and trim away the excess thread. This helps ensure that your dart is extra secure.

Iron the darts in the direction indicated by the template. Double-check your template to see which direction your darts need to be facing within the garment. As a basic rule of thumb, iron your vertical darts so they’re pointed towards the inside of the garments. If you’re working with horizontal darts, iron them so the they’re pointed down. Always iron the “wrong side” of the fabric. On a finished garment, darts will simply look like a line of stitching on the fabric. Set your iron temperature to something that’s best suited to the fabric that you’re working with.