• Prerequisites: marked pieces; Prints, checks and stripes, and marking the pieces.
• Time: 15–30 minutes for all darts and pleats on a trouser.
• Difficulty: easy to sew, harder to press well.
• Tools: chalk, tailor’s tacks, pressing ham (or a rolled towel), press cloth, clapper for wool.

• Forward (inward) pleat: the fold faces the fly. Classic in many British and Indian men’s tailored trousers. Sources differ on which is “traditional” where.
• Reverse (outward) pleat: the fold faces the side pocket. Common in Italian-style and many modern trousers; it can lie flatter when standing.
• Double pleat: a main pleat at the crease and a smaller one between it and the pocket.
• Both sides mirror: the left and right legs fold as mirror images.
• Released pleat: stitched down a short way, then released, so it opens over the hip.
• Women’s soft pleats on palazzos and wide trousers are often unpressed, giving drape instead of a sharp line.

• Double-pointed (contour) dart: used in one-piece trousers such as jumpsuits at the waist; sew from the middle to each point.
• Dart in a lining: sew it as a tuck, a small soft fold, for ease (Module 2, Shrinkage, pre-washing and lining).
• Darts in sheer cloth: use the “thread-the-bobbin” method: thread the bobbin thread up through the needle and tie it to the top thread, so the dart is sewn from point to waist with no knot at the point.
• Darts in checks: the lines must chevron evenly; place the dart centre on a line.
• Pleats with a lining or pocket bag: catch the pleat into the pocket stay (see Side-seam and slant pockets) so it hangs straight.
• Left-handed: sewing is the same. When folding pleats on the table, it can be easier to work the right leg first, then mirror the left; check the fold directions are mirrored.

• Order: darts and pleats are sewn first, on flat pieces, after stay-stitching and before pockets.
• Matching: lay the two back legs together after sewing; the darts must be the same length and position.
• Control: slow near the point; use the needle-down setting and turn the hand wheel for the last stitches.
• Pressing: press from the wrong side first, then a light press from the right side through a press cloth.

1. A strip of masking tape from leg to point gives a straight sewing guide on cloth that will not take chalk.
2. Tie, don’t backstitch, at the point; backstitching makes a lump.
3. Put a strip of paper under the dart when pressing to stop its outline showing on the right side.
4. Curve the dart slightly outwards for a fuller seat or inwards for a hollow below the waist; mark this on the pattern first (teacher to check).
5. Press over a ham, never flat on the board; a dart makes a curve and needs a curve to press on.
6. Slash thick darts (wool, denim) to 1/2 in from the point and press open for less bulk.
7. Baste pleats across the top right away; unbasted pleats shift while you sew pockets.
8. Continue the front pleat into the crease when pressing; it should be one line.
9. Use a clapper on wool pleats for a sharp, lasting fold.
10. Check both sides together before going further; mismatched darts are obvious from behind.
11. What professionals do differently: they shape darts slightly by pressing (shrinking the fullness at the point with steam on wool), so the dart vanishes completely.

A bubble or pucker at the dart point

1. Unpick the last 1 in (2.5 cm) and resew, tapering more gradually along the fold.
2. Steam-press the point over a ham; on wool, shrink the bubble with steam.
3. Prevention: sew the last stitches right beside the fold and off the edge.

The darts are different lengths

1. Resew the shorter one to match.
2. Check the pattern marks were transferred correctly.
3. Prevention: mark with tacks through both layers at once.

The dart shows as a ridge on the right side

1. Press again with paper under the dart.
2. Slash and press open on thick cloth.
3. Prevention: press over a ham, through a press cloth.

The pleats fall open or gape

1. Check the fit: gaping often means the trouser is tight across the hip (Module 3, Fitting issues: how to diagnose, and the waist).
2. Stitch the pleat down 1–1½ in (2.5–4 cm), or add a pocket stay.
3. Prevention: fit the trouser in a test version first.

The pleats fold in different directions on each leg

1. Unpick the basting and refold.
2. Mark the direction with an arrow on each piece.
3. Prevention: arrows on the pattern, and checking before stitching.

The crease does not continue from the pleat

1. Re-press the crease starting from the pleat fold, following the grain.
2. Check the pleat was placed on the crease line.
3. Prevention: mark the crease line when cutting.

Dart thread knots pull out

1. Rethread the tails into a needle and take two tiny stitches into the dart fold.
2. Add a drop of fray stopper on the knot.
3. Prevention: tie a double knot and leave 1/2 in tails.

• Myth: darts are only for women’s trousers. Men’s tailored trousers usually have back darts too.
• Mistake: sewing to the point in a straight line, then stopping abruptly, making a pucker.
• Mistake: pressing darts flat on the board.
• Mistake: pleats left unbasted.

1. Beginner: sew six darts on cotton scraps and press three each way over a rolled towel.
2. Improver: sew a pair of matching back darts on two layers and compare them laid together.
3. Confident: fold and baste a double pleat front on wool, press the crease from the pleat to the hem.

As a hobby: clean darts are the first sign a trouser was made with care.

For earning: converting pleated trousers to flat fronts, or moving darts for a better fit, are skilled alterations customers ask for.

For teaching: let learners sew a dart in paper first, then in cloth; paper shows clearly how a dart makes a 3D shape.

• Re-press pleats after washing from the pleat fold downwards.
• Hang pleated trousers by the hem or folded on the crease, not crushed in a drawer.

• Can you sew a dart with no bubble at the point?
• Do you know which way to press back and front darts?
• Can you fold a forward and a reverse pleat?
• Do your left and right darts and pleats match?

Quiz

1. Should you backstitch at a dart point? Answer: no; tie the threads.
2. Which way does a reverse pleat open? Answer: towards the side pocket.
3. Why press over a ham? Answer: the dart makes a curve and needs a curved surface.
4. Do children’s trousers usually need darts? Answer: usually not; elastic and a straighter cut do the shaping.

• Dart: a stitched, tapered fold that shapes cloth.
• Dart legs, point: the two marked lines and the tip.
• Forward (inward) pleat, reverse (outward) pleat: pleats opening to the fly or to the pocket.
• Pocket stay: an inner piece that holds pleats and pockets flat.
• Pressing ham: a firm, curved cushion for pressing shaped areas.

• Main source: D&D’s own trousers ebook (drafting and pressing chapters), with general, widely taught practice.
• Which pleat direction is “traditional” differs by country and tailor; both are correct.
• Dart lengths are typical starting points; the pattern decides. Teacher to check.