Add Fisheye Darts to a Readymade Garment

Alterations to readywear garments can be challenging, but adding a fisheye, or princess line, dart to a shirt or dress is easy. Nicki LaFoille shows you how.

If a shirt or dress is too large at the waist, taking the excess out at the side seams is not always the best option. If you find you have excess fabric pooling or folding horizontally at the small of your back, this method is for you. A fisheye dart is a double-sided dart that begins and ends in points within the garment, rather than at an edge.

With the garment wrong side out, put the garment on and pinch out the excess fabric on each side of the center back. Having a friend to help will make this easier, however it is not necessary. When you remove the garment, you can straighten up the lines and ensure the darts on either side of the center back are symmetrical.

Stitch the dart as you would any dart, beginning at the fold of one point and stitch along the marked dart. End at the opposite point by gradually stitching the dart off the fold, to achieve a smooth dart without sharp points.

For more readywear garment alterations, check out these videos:
Shoulder Seam Alteration
Pants Seat Alteration
Taking in a Shirt