Ok so next step in my pattern drafting for this dress was creating the bodice pattern. Now luckily the bodice shape I want isn’t too dissimilar to the original bodice slopers that i drafted a while back… all I really needed to do was change the position of the bust dart in the front piece – I want a side dart as i think with the plackets and ruffle it may be a bit much having darts in the very front of the bodice as well.

First step moving the bust dart. Now here’s one of the most awesome things about bust darts. You can transfer a dart to any position around the bust point (I’m sure I don’t need to expand on what I mean by bust point, right?). That means as long as I keep the same size dart and same bust point and just pivot it around that point, I can move it anywhere. Seriously, how awesome is that????

So as always I traced a copy of my bodice front piece. Then I marked the position of my new dart.

This is soooo cool… then I cut along that line, and just pivoted the piece around the bust point until the center dart was closed and the side dart was open. Come on isn’t that cool?

Now this step is important to remember. What I’ve been showing you is a bodice block/sloper. So there are no seam allowances. Also, and most importantly, the dart you are seeing is not the dart that will be sewn. What I mean is that no dart ever touches the bust point (that would fit incorrectly and look so silly!!). They always stop a short distance away from the bust point. My preference is for the dart to end an inch or so from the bust point. So the last thing I had to do was draw the correct dart legs.  I marked a point 1 inch inwards from the bust point and then redraw the dart legs so that they still originated in the same place.

A point to remember: If you want to move the bust dart of a pre-existing pattern, then you will need to locate the bust point, and cut from the dart point to the bust point. Mark your new dart position with respect to the bust point. Cut and pivot the piece so that the old dart is closed. Then re-draw the new dart point, as above. If that doesn’t make sense without pictures, I can always do a post about moving the bust dart of a pre-existing pattern at a later date.

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