How exciting is it that Reef is now in our full size range?! We’re pretty stoked about it! If you saw the first post in the Reef sewalong, you’ll know that in the development of Reef Curve some tweaks were made to the pattern such as the adding of darts! In today’s blog post we are going through the couple of extra steps that Curve sewers will need to do before moving onto the facing & seams. So let’s get started!
So the first port of call is transferring your dart markings onto the wrong side of your camisole front. There are heaps of ways you can do this and we have a great blog post about some of those techniques here!
To mark the dart legs at the side seams I like to snip notches and for the dart point I use an awl to poke a hole through my paper pattern all the way through to my fabric below, making a little mark. If you’re not keen on putting a small hole in your fabric, you can also just poke the hole through the pattern and then mark with tailors chalk or your preferred marking tool through the hole. Either way, don’t forget to put a cutting mat or piece of cardboard underneath anything your poking so you don’t damage your table!
If you’ve got a heavily patterned fabric or one that doesn’t mark easily, you might find that the little awl markings don’t show up very well. When this is the case, I simple fold my pattern back while keeping my awl (that’s still poked through the pattern) in place at the dart point. You can then mark again with a more obvious method – like pinning!
If you like to have a guide to sew along, you can also draw your dart legs in between your side seam markings and dart point using chalk or an erasable pen.
With right sides together, fold down the centre of the darts – matching the notches at the side seams and ensuring the dart legs are aligned as you pin in place.
Starting at the side seam, sew from your dart leg notches to the dart point. To get a really smooth and nice sitting dart point, I like to taper my stitching very slightly in the last centimetre or two before hitting the folded edge of the dart.
Instead of back stitching at the end of your dart which can be tricky on the thin folded edge, simply sew off the end and tie off the threads with a double knot before trimming them.
Now it’s time to give your cami front a press! Your darts should get pushed downwards towards the hem and all edges along the side seam should be aligned. I like to press on the right side of the fabric to make sure the dart is fully spread and I’m also careful to only press the dart flat between the dart point and the side seams, holding up the hem as I press down from the underarm in order to preserve the shaping that the dart has created. I then use an ironing ham underneath to give the dart point a press. The ham underneath mimics the curve of a bust, so the dart doesn’t get squished flat.
And with that, the darts are complete! Next up – the facing & seams!
LOOKING FOR MORE REEF POSTS?
Here’s the full list of the upcoming Reef posts and tutorials:
- How to choose between Reef & Reef Curve
- Reef Maker Roundup
- Reef Inspiration & Ideas
- Reef Tester Round-Up & Reef Curve Tester Roundup
- How to Block fuse facings
- How to Sew a Perfect V Neck on Woven Fabrics
- Sewalong | Camisole Yoke
- Sewalong | Curve Darts (this post!)
- Sewalong | Camisole Facing & Seams
- Sewalong | Camisole Hem
- Sewalong | Shorts Pockets
- Sewalong | Shorts Seams
- Sewalong | Shorts Waistband
- Sewalong | Shorts Hem
We’d love to see what you’re creating from the new Reef camisole & shorts set pattern or the new Reef Curve camisole & shorts pattern! Don’t forget to tag your creations #MNreef and @megannielsenpatterns to share what you’ve been working on, and check out what everyone else is up to!
