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11.310 Page 1
Princess seams are a variation of darts, allowing the creation of a fitted garment through
the use of shaped seams. They start at the waist and travel toward the most prominent part
of the body in that quadrant of the garment. For example, on a bodice front they travel
over or near (within 1 1/2") the bust point, while on the bodice back they travel over or
near the shoulder blades. Though less common, skirt or pants princess seams start at the
waist and travel over or near the fullest part of the abdomen and/or near the fullest part of
the buttocks.
Style Options
Because the seam always starts at the waist,
names of princess seam styles refer to the
ending point. Two classic styles of princess
seams are shoulder (1) and armhole (2). A
princess seam can end almost anywhere—
in the neckline (3) or in the center front (4),
depending on the garment design.
1 2
Different From Darts
To see how a princess seam is related to
darts, place the front and side front pattern
pieces of an armhole princess-seamed
bodice (5) side by side with a bodice front
containing a waist and an armhole bust dart
(6). A princess seam is actually the
combined waist and bust darts, with the
curved lined smoothed between and seam
3 4
allowances added to the new edges on each
pattern piece.
Great Grains
Many sewers find curved seams easier to
sew and fit than curved bust darts. Princess-
seamed bodices allow for a more precise use
of the garment fabric grain than darted
bodices, because each pattern piece has its
own grainline. This creates more or less
distortion of the patterns/stripes/figures on 5 6
the garment fabric for styling purposes. For
example, all of a darted bodice front is cut
on the same grain line (7), causing pattern
distortion as the darts are sewn. The front of
an armhole princess seamed jacket might
be cut on the lengthwise grain, while the
side front can be cut on the true bias (8) as a
design feature.
7 8
Princess Seams
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