Different Types of Tucks and Darts in Sewing

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What is Tucks? 
In sewing, a tuck is a fold or pleat in fabric that is sewn in place. Tucks are stitched folds of fabric mainly used to decorate garments. Sometimes, released tucks may be used for shaping the fabric to the body. When the tucks are very narrow, they are called pintucks or Pin-tucking. 

Types of Tucks in Sewing: 
There are several types of tucks; they are given below: 

• Pin tucks: These are minor ones. 

Figure-1: Pin tucks

• Spaced tucks: These tucks have gaps or spaces between the stitching. 

Figure-2: Spaced tucks

• Blind tucks: The stitching of one tuck overlaps the previous tuck. 

Figure-3: Blind tucks

• Shell tucks: These can be stitched using a sewing machine or by hand. Blind stitches are used to produce a uniform design.

Figure-4: Shell tucks

• Released tucks: These tucks are partially stitched and are not stitched along the complete tuck length. 

Figure-5: Released tucks

What is Darts in Sewing? 
Darts are folds and sewn into fabric to take in ease and provide shape to a garment, especially for a woman's bust. It is an essential part of garment construction because they allow flat fabric to take on a shape that will fit the body well. Darts help in shaping the fabric to fit the body and thus provide comfort to the wearer. They provide fullness to natural body curves. Darts are very rarely used for decorative purposes like providing a design line. The fitting, marking, stitching and pressing of darts should be done accurately. 

Types of Darts in Clothing: 
The different types of darts are discussed below: 

Straight dart: 
Straight darts have only one point with dart legs along the edge of the pattern. It is a straight line of stitching from the point to the seam line (Figure-6). This can be noticed in the underarm of the front bodice, back skirt, shoulder, elbow and back neckline. They’re probably the most common kind of dart in home sewing. 

Figure-6: Straight darts

Bust darts: 
Bust darts usually start the side seam of a garment and end near the apex of the bust in order to make the bodice of a garment more formfitting. 

Figure-7: Bust darts in blouse

Curved outward dart: 
The stitch line curves outward along the path from the point to the seam line (Figure-8). This gives a snugger fit to the garment. This is sometimes used on a bodice front to make a mid-body fit snug. 

Figure-8: Curved outward dart

Curved inward dart: 
The stitch line curves inward from the point to the seam line. This facilitates a better fit along the body curve (Figure-9). It is frequently used in pant and skirt fronts. 

Figure-9: Curved inward dart

French darts: 
French darts are a type of elongated bust dart that start at the side seam, down near the waistline, and end up near the bust point. 

Neckline dart: 
This is usually a solid line marking on the back neckline indicating a straight dart of 1/8″ (Figure-10). 

Figure-10: Neckline dart

Double pointed dart: 
This dart is unique as it tapers in a straight line from the middle to both the ends (Figure-11) and is clipped at the widest part. Double point darts tend to be found on dresses with simple lines. It is usually made from the waistline (widest point). It finds application in princess and A-line dresses, over blouses and jackets. Double pointed darts are used to give shaping to the middle of a garment like in a dress or fitted jacket. 

Figure-11: Double pointed dart

Dart in interfacing: 
In this case, a slash is made on the fold line. Then the cut ends are lapped along the line of stitching and zigzagged to keep in place (Figure-12). 

Figure-12: Dart in interfacing

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