Sewy stitchy garment making bods pleeease. DH bought me a dress...I need to alter it to fit

[tigana]

It is size 12...to fit my hips...but it is too big for my top half. In particular it is sagging and bagging at the back between shoulder blades/bra strap area and top of my arse. What sort of alteration do I need to do to sort out a saggy baggy back?
Take side seams in? Put in darts? Where?
Help?
I can sew and have a machine as well, but can't get my head around the logistics of this!

by no means an expert, but would making the straps shorter make it fit, rather than taking it in?

Can you show us a picture of the style?

Tigana. Put the dress on inside out, then pin the seams or make pinned darts in it until it fits. Sometimes a saggy back can be fixed by taking in the shoulder/sleeve seam.

If you create new darts, make sure that you measure them carefully and make them symmetrical. Also, baste your alterations and try the dress on before you sew anything.

hmmm, don't think so, it helps a bit (tried with safety pins) stops so much vertical sag, but dress still seems convinced I have a pregnant back !

It's quite difficult to make darts behind your own back !!!
will find photo hang on

FLORES on this page

Is that elastic across the back?

If so I would be tempted to take it in under the arms

Yes, it has some smocking at the back, but only about 5-6 inches of it at top around bar strap area, below that is unsmocked and that is where the problem is...would be better if smocked to waist...there is probably enough material to smock

OK

The boobs fit & the waist doesn't?

I'd turn it inside out & put triangular darts under the arms (start about 1 inch at the top & over 4 inches come to a point)

Then try it on inside out & see what is better/worse

Then change the place of the pins

Whole top is too loose really I suppose. I'm used to slightly iffy fit around norks, as I hardly have any.
waist is loose, but especially at the back, not too bad across stomach.

I will put on inside out and contort myself while holding pins.

V shaped darts?
See, I was thinking diamond shaped ones from arm pit to hip, with widest bit at waist obv.
No?

That might work - Don't pin while you're in it

Pin before then try on & then take it off & tweak

Does it fit under the arms - sort of bust line?

Ha ha have image of pinning myself into dress and being unable to get it off now!

Fits under arms ok, but could stand to be bit tighter...the smocking is aimed at making boob-allowance for nice snug fit for 'normal' ladies it seems, and since I have nonorks there is a tiny bit too much give...

It's like there is 4-6inches too much fabric in centre back/waist

Whatever you do

DO NOT CUT the spare fabric away

Pin & tack & pin & tack until it's right then sew

Then wear it at least once & only cut the spare fabric away if it's still OK once it has been worn

(might be an idea to wash it first too)