ALTERATION: Back Darts FTW!

When a simple, ten-minute alteration can turn a dud of a garment into a win, and make the wearer feel great, I am super happy.  While visiting my sister, I worked with her to alter some items in her wardrobe so they'd highlight her beauty.  The biggest problem she faces, like many small but busty women, is that any Ready To Wear (RTW) shirt which fits her bosom will bag out in other places.  In my sister's case, the bagging happens in her back.  So though she has a great figure, she puts on a shirt and feels sloppy and disheveled. 

The shirt I'm working on here is a RTW sweater, with plenty of stretch to it and a large cowl neck.  The excess fabric is all in the small of her back.  My solution is simple, but nigh impossible to do on yourself: you need someone else to pin-fit the top to you.  I'll show you how I did it. 

TUTORIAL: BACK DARTS ON A SWEATER

1. Have the person put the sweater on inside out.  Pin the side seams (vertical seams under the arms) to the sides of the pants and the center back to the center back of the bra band or undershirt.  These base-lines shouldn't move when you pin the darts. 

Here you can see how saggy-baggy the back is on my sister.  No wonder she feels dumpy wearing it!  All that excess fabric flapping around...

2. Pin fish-eye darts to the contour of the wearer.  Don't pin super tight, since it's not a snug-fitting shirt.  And even though most people are un-even, try to keep your darts the same on both sides.  Remember that when the shirt is right side out, the darts will sit on opposite sides of where they are now!  With pins in place, have the wearer take the shirt off to make sure you haven't pinned too tight.

3. Sew the darts you just pinned.  Try to match the thread weight and sewing method to the fabric. 

Since this is a sweater, I just use a fat darning needle and some embroidery floss to hand-stitch the darts in place, and it works perfectly! 

4. Have the wearer try the finished garment on to see how the alteration worked! 

What do you do with the fabric that became seam allowance in the darts?  On this shirt, I leave it there, because the shirt fabric is bulky enough to conceal the seam allowances once the shirt is worn.  I tell my sister to turn the darts inward toward center back when she blocks her sweater to dry after washing.  Other options are trimming and serging the edges, or tacking them down to the preferred side, or ironing the darts open, depending on your fabric and the depth of your darts.  Do whatever works for your project. 

Don't be afraid to alter your clothes!  The risk is small (this simple change requires no cutting, so you can take it out if it doesn't work) and the pay-off is measured in confidence and neatness.  Here's my sister looking as beautiful as she deserves to: