To find out how much excess you have for the front darts you need two measurements.

First take the actual waist measurement from your personal list and divide it by 4.  Call the figure you get C.

Next use your tape measure and measure the front waist curve on the actual block.   To do this stand the tape up on its end and shape it around the curve you have drawn earlier.  Call this figure D.

Take C away from D.  This figure is the excess you use to make your front darts on the curved waistline.

Now make the main front (red) dart.  Use a set square to help.  Mark several points 10 cm away from the centre front line at the top area of the block.  Make it 11cm long.

  Make sure the line you draw  for the main front (red) dart is parallel to the centre front.  Check it is 11cm long.  Make it up to 2cm wide at the top edge of the waist.

If you have more excess to use up than 2cm, then move along the waistline to the next clear area and place it exactly between the hip curve edge corner and the centre top of the first dart you made.

Make any second dart 11 cm long and as parallel as possible to the hip curve.

The block is now complete, but you will need to know how to deal with larger waists and cutting the blocks and making a muslin style toile on the next pages.

The next pages show how to deal with larger waists and cutting the blocks.