The Diamond Dart

When I first saw this draft in my craftsy course, I thought it was a bit kitsch.  It has grown on me over time (and I have had time, because it is taking me quite some time to get through this course!) and now I have found a way to make it work for me....as a tank top with a peplum skirt and V back.

The bust and waist darts are rotated to form the sides of the diamond, so there are no darts on the front of the top.

In the back, I cut a V neckline and angled the back darts to mimic this V.

Here's a closer shot of the back darts. You can also see some of my neck binding.  I bound the armholes and neck with self made bias strips.  I have been watching old episodes of the Great British Sewing Bee, so I am a bit more conscious of how long my sewing takes and how neat (or not so neat it is).  It takes me an hour to bind the armholes and neck of a tank top.

I am so proud of my neat sewing on this top.  Look at the perfect top of the diamond.

The bottom of the diamond is pretty good too (though I do need to remove that gathering stitch from the skirt portion)

 I am not super happy with the draft of the skirt portion.  It is both flared and gathered.  I didn't muslin it, because I thought that my fabric would behave very differently to the calico I used for the muslin, and I don't have unwanted silks just lying around to use for muslins.  I think I perhaps overdid it.  Maybe gathered without the flare would have been enough.  To make matters worse, I thought I had heaps of fabric so I cut the bias binding strips before the I drafted the skirt...and then I could only fit the skirt pieces if I cut them on the bias.  As you can imagine, this was an absolute nightmare to hem...bias circular very full pieces.  In the end, I just stood in front of the mirror with a pair of scissors and hacked away.  I really should invest in a hem marker of some sort.

 Some photos on me.  Front view...

I forgot to get a back shot this morning, so here is a less than flattering shot of my behind when I wore it with a turquoise skirt last week.  Actually, the back V looks wider here than I thought it would...I really should take back photos in the muslin stage.  The top is meant to be a loosish fit so I can pull it on...which I can, but it does involve a little wiggle.  I will have to add width next time.

I like the upper portion of this top, so I think I will make it again with a different skirt portion.  I think it will be a great pattern for mixing prints.