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Calculate Bust Dart Tool Icon

Calculate Bust Dart Tool

What it Does​

Works out how wide a bust dart should be and how far down it should start, based on your Full Bust and High Bust measurements. A dart is a wedge-shaped fold that is sewn out to shape fabric around the body. The High Bust is the measurement just above the bust.

The tool gives you two values, Bust Dart Width and Bust Dart Vertical Drop. You can save them to a measurement set, so any draft that needs a bust dart can use them in its formulas.

Use this when your draft has a bust dart and you want its size to fit a specific person.

How the tool works it out:

  • It compares the Full Bust and High Bust to find the cup size.
  • It starts with a dart width for a B cup, which is the Full Bust divided by 10, minus 2.2 cm.
  • It then adjusts the width and the vertical drop for the cup size it found.

Many drafting methods draft a standard B cup and then use slash and spread to add room for larger cups. PatternMaker Pro builds the cup size into the dart values from the start. To learn about darts as a drafting subject, see the Academy page on Dart Introduction.

How to Use​

  1. Activate the tool by clicking the Calculate Bust Dart icon
  2. Select a measurement set from the Available Sets list. The calculated values are saved to this set
  3. Enter the Full Bust, in the unit shown, or select it from the measurement list
  4. Enter the High Bust, in the unit shown, or select it from the measurement list
  5. Select Continue. The tool shows the calculated Bust Dart Width and Bust Dart Vertical Drop
  6. Select Save to Set to add both values to the measurement set, or Cancel to leave without saving

If you have no measurement sets yet, the tool tells you to select Cancel and create one first. See Add Measurement Set.

Until you select Continue, the Save button is disabled.

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You can type a number or a formula for the Full Bust and High Bust. See Entering Values. To see what is in a set, see Edit Measurement Set.

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The two calculated values are shown for reading only. They are saved in the unit of the measurement set you chose.