How to Sew Back Darts

I finished this woven tee in the middle of the summer and liked it except I realized after putting it on that the back was pooling. I’m pretty sure I have a sway back, but I’ve never done the pattern alteration, and I just keep putting it off. I know it’s not hard, I’m just always in a hurry. One way to get rid of the pooling to a woven top that is already finished or a RTW woven top is to add two fisheye darts to the back. It’s a little tricky to fit yourself, but it’s definitely possible. I’ll do my best to show you how I did it to this striped woven tee.

The shirt on the left is before the darts were added and the shirt on the right is after the darts were added. Adding darts is definitely a personal preference. Some people like the looser fit or the looser fit is more flattering to their body type. I am mostly a rectangle so I need the appearance of waist definition for it to be flattering. What I love about the woven tee with a fitted back is that I get bust definition, front tummy skimming, and back waist definition.

To mark your own darts:

1. Put your hand on your waist. Your waist is where you BEND. I like to bend side to side to find my waist.
2. Using both hands gather the excess fabric into two pinches on both sides of your back center.
3. Pin the deepest part of the dart at your waist with safety pins. *Make sure you still have ease and that you can get the shirt on and off.*
4. Pin where you want the top and bottom of the darts to end. This is about where the fabric smooths out. My darts ended at my armpit and 3″ from my hem.
5. Take off the shirt and mark where you pinned. Take the safety pins out.
6. Measure the darts and if the amounts are different then find the average.
7. Measure the same distance from the side seam for each dart and mark. Draw the fisheye shape.
8. Sew the darts.

Tips for sewing fisheye darts:

• Draw your darts in before sewing.
• Don’t backstitch at the end of the dart.
• Do tie knots with the thread tails at the end of a dart.
• Start in the middle of the dart and sew towards the ends.
• Press the darts towards the middle for the most flattering look.
• Use a pressing ham to press the ends of the darts.

One thing I didn’t realize that back darts would do is that it gave me more bust definition without making the top that much tighter. It made the woven tee fitted just enough to be perfect without it being restricting or too tight. It’s a great thing to add to any woven top you have like a button down shirt!

Learn How to Sew Your Own Clothes

1. If you want to learn how to sew your own clothing you need to start somewhere. These are the Things I Wish I Could Tell Myself Before I Started Sewing. They will help any beginner who wants to learn how to sew.
2. Then you can read some Tips to Start Sewing Clothing.
3. Once you start you’ll get better at using a sewing machine, but you’ll make clothing that you might not wear or love. I made every mistake and this is How to Sew Clothing You’ll Love. (Avoid my mistakes!)
4. As you get better and better you’ll need to learn How to Choose Fabric for Sewing Clothes and the Best Fabrics for Sewing Clothing. I recommend fabrics that I love, but you’ll find the fabric you love the best.
5. You can use paper patterns which are great to buy on sale or you can use PDF patterns which are great for instant gratification. There are lots of Different Ways to Assemble PDF Patterns so you need to find what works for you.
6. Lastly, when you are sewing your own clothing and you are drawn to lots of different printed fabric, you need to learn How to Make a Versatile Handmade Wardrobe + Free Printable so that all the items in your wardrobe can coordinate with another item of clothing and be worn!