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Member since 6/7/05
Posts: 1778
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Posted on: 1/11/10 3:23 PM ET
I need an FBA when I make most tops and dresses. But, I have some RTW garments that fit "okay for RTW" by going up a size to accommodate my bust. Yes, the shoulders and armholes are a little too big, but since RTW is what most people wear, most people wouldn't really notice this.

On a couple of my RTW shirts, though, there is also extra fabric vertically on the back, and it bunches up at the waist. My hourglass figure (hips to match the bust) prevents the length from causing a sagging hemline in back. I am tempted to simply make a large fisheye dart from side seam to side seam to remove this extra fabric. If done at the waistline, I suspect it will look like part of the design. It would also fall above the bottom of any vest or jacket I wore over it, would be covered by a belt should I wear one, and would not be noticeable in my view.

While one could argue that the side seams should be shorter to get a proper fit rather than simply darting out the length from the middle, the RTW shirts will never be a perfect fit, yet I get compliments on them all the time.

Has anyone ever done this? Do you have other ideas for how to fix this problem? I think the bunchiness adds pounds and looks less neat than a smooth line in back. I will also add that I have a slightly flat backside. It doesn't look that way, but since my width is from side to side instead of from front to back, I generally have to take a smidge out of the back of pants for a great fit. So, this may also be a factor. In fact, I'm sure it is because RTW dresses always hang a little better if I pinch up a little bit at the waist in back with my fingers. Again, it's not noticeable to the average person, but I'd like to do a little better than RTW when I can.

Anyway, how to fix the back waist bunching of RTW shirts? One is black cotton shirting, and the other is black/white narrow vertical stripe cotton shirting. I know I'd need to match the stripes if I do a waistline fisheye dart. Not sure what I would have to do to make the seam to lay flat. Trim closely, clip if necessary and then press open and topstich to each side of the seam?
-- Edited on 1/11/10 3:26 PM --
  
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