Dress forms - purchase, make your own, what works best?

[sewingnana]

Now that I'm retired, I'm finally getting back to sewing my own clothes (as well as numerous quilts for my 4 grandsons and the granddog!). Not surprisingly, I can no longer purchase a pattern, cut it out, sew it, and barely even try it on until it's done. Age and gravity have taken their toll, and I think I need a dress form to make things that actually fit, and that I will want to wear. I've read many articles on making your own custom dress form, involving lots of duct tape, paper tape, etc - and I'd like to know if anyone out there has actually ever made one? And what do you do if your only "sewing buddy" (the one who actually tapes you up while you stand there) is a husband who will pin up hems, but balks at the idea of helping with this project? On to option 2 - buy a dress form! But now the question is, which one actually works best, and can be customized to kind of fit your (less-than-ideal) measurements? I will gladly spend the money for one that works - but I don't want to get stuck with something that either can't be easily adjusted, or is so flimsy it fall apart. Any suggestions? Thanks for any input!

[Bling]

I really think a lot depends on how well-fitted you want your clothes---as well as your figure. The better the fit, the more satisfying a purchased form would be.

[menzrob]

I too am recently retired and have returned to sewing for myself. My first discovery was that pattern sizes haven't changed nearly as much as retail clothes (and I thought I was losing weight:)). In the meantime, as gravity is not kind to the aging, I have also been looking at dress form options. There seem to be a lot of forms, but which is best? After reading the directions for a self-made form, I don't think I have the patience to go that route. So, the question remains--which retail form works best overall, and, in my case, is most cost effective? What about a used form? They can be reset, right? Do shipping costs prohibit buying on-line, or are there good enough deals to make it worthwhile? Lots of questions; hopefully some answers out there. Thanks in advance.

[sewingnana]

I am still trying to decide which form is most likely to fit my needs (and my wallet!) One of the large fabric/craft chains had dress forms on sale online for about half-price, and also offered free shipping if you typed in the coupon code. I will probably regret not getting one for that price, but I'm hoping to get some feedback on what brands work best. I tried to do some checking in other online forums, and apparently there is one brand that has adjustable dials that are very hard to adjust, another is flimsy and doesn't stand up well, etc. What I'm hoping for is someone who has had good experiences and can highly recommend one brand over another.
Also, with regard to dress/pattern sizes - the new issue of Vogue Patterns has a reply to a lady who wanted patterns for her size 0 granddaughter - and Vogue responded that their size 6 patterns are actually the same measurements as a ready-to-wear 0! That would be about right, as I wear a size 12, but in patterns, I need to cut somewhere between 16 and 18 to get a proper fit. Keep telling yourself, "Pattern sizes are just numbers!"

[Rhaevyn]

I have a My Double dress form, and while it's great in some ways, such as doing hems, in other ways I wish I had just made a duct-tape dummy. I may still do the dummy and use it to modify the dressform. They say you should modify the dressform by using batting to fill out your own shape anyway.

The downsides: It IS adjustable, but only so much. If your shoulders are wider or more sloped, or if your waist is longer or shorter, you can't adjust that. Also, for me, I am on the large-end of the small dress form. When I put on weight (like around the holidays) I really need the medium-size dress form. Being between sizes can be a pain. I also got the dressform that only does skirts. I want to go back and get one for pants.

The upsides: I have a hard time with hemming, and my fiance is too paranoid to help me get the hems right (even though he does a good job). The dressform does the most help in this aspect. It does at least give me a basic idea of human shape, so if I'm trying to put together a garment, I can do some simple draping to fit sleeves and other pieces I tend to have a hard time with. Also, once I know a garment is shaped right by testing it both on the dressform and on myself, the dressform IS a major helper in constructing the garment. Finally, I don't have any full-length mirrors in my apartment, so this allows me to put a garment on (the form, not myself), step back, and see the full effect.

Again, mine is the My Double. Yes, the dials are a bit hard to turn to adjust, and it seems like a flimsy dressform. It's surprisingly more sturdy than it looks, in my opinion. I just wish it had more adjustment capabilities. So while it's a good basic for me (I have a fairly standard shape), I know when I do my friend's wedding dress, I'm going to make a duct-tape dummy for her and place it on my dressform (using my dressform as a stand) and fill out the insides with batting.

Overall, I'd say the dressform is a good place to start, but won't be accurate if used alone. To truly match your shape so you'd never have to try things on yourself during the sewing process, you're going to have to do a tape dummy (or other method). If you think you can deal with that as I have, by all means go for it. Mine was $150 when it was on sale, and I certainly think it was a worth-while investment for my needs.

[sewingnana]

Thank you! That is the kind of information I was hoping to get on dress forms. Actually, My Double is the one I was looking at online, and I think I may just go ahead and try it. The duct tape form would be fine if I could find someone other than my dear husband to do it! He helped me make a duct-tape sloper (waist-to-hips) for skirts and slacks following directions in Threads, and nearly drove us both crazy, as he is a CPA and way too precise (pinning up hems is another story - takes at least an hour, as every pin has to be exactly the same distance from the ground, so at least a dress form would help with that!) Thanks for the tip on padding the form also - I imagine maybe a jersey-knit cover over the ready-make one, with polyfill stuffing to approximate your real measurements if the form doesn't quite make it? Thanks also for mentioning the pants-fitting model as I hadn't remembered seeing that online, but it would certainly be helpful. I'm guessing you could also use it for skirts? I appreciate your input!

[Rhaevyn]

You're so very welcome! And I hear you on the issue of getting help! My fiance was an astrophysics major. I swear, he acts as though it's the end of the world if he doesn't get the hem perfectly straight for me. (I think it's from his professor who drilled it into his head that being off by .01% would kill an astronaut! And he's been out of college for over 6 years now!) Despite the fact that he does a GREAT job, I don't make him do it often because he gets so paranoid about it!

Anyway, it's the MyDouble Deluxe (http://www.joannfabrics.com/catalog.jhtml;$sessionid$UJWCD4AAAGAUIP4SY5NBIHR50 LD3OEPO?CATID=40924&PRODID=105389) that has the pants shape. (I just used the link to Jo-Ann's as I knew they had it there so you can see it.) The reviews there are mixed. The off-center pole might make it a little less sturdy if you put something heavy like a gown on it, but should be okay for pants. And it apparently has an adjustable back-waist length where my basic one does not. Again, I think it's great to have it as a starter, ESPECIALLY for hemming. Making a jersey-knit cover and padding it that way is a great idea, and I may have to try it myself! ;) I saw a company at one point that sold basic dress forms similar to Wolf forms, and then sold a "system" that involved a knit cover and foam padding in shapes to make it more accurate to your own body. I can't remember what the brand was, though, and I searched for it a bit earlier. But for people who sew, you'd think it wouldn't be too hard to come up with ourselves, right?

[sewingnana]

Thank you again! I bit the bullet and ordered the My Double Deluxe from Joann's, so will have to see how it works. This forum has been so helpful - NONE of my friends sew, and they can't imagine why I would want to make my own clothes! After I get my form adjusted, I thought I would just look for a thin knit fabric, maybe even one that's already tubular, and just slip it over the form and start stuffing to get the proportions I need. With foam , you could use a piece slightly larger than you need, and then put twill tape or something similar around the form to tighten it up and actually give you curves. Then you could use polyfil stuffing to sort of fill in the lumpy parts. I could just baste it in place so if the shape changes, the form can also. One little sewing notion I got that has been invaluable is a tape measure with a locking device on the end, so you can accurately take your own measurements (or most of them) as the sliding lock keeps the final measurement in place. I ordered mine from Nancy's Notions, but have since seen them in Hancock Fabrics, and I think JoAnn's. The companion to this is a tape especially designed to measure your bust and cup size accurately, which was a real revelation when I used it before buying some new bras. I guess I am no longer the same bra size I was 20 years ago, even though the chest measurement hasn't changed much! Anyway, I would highly recommend these two measuring aids. Thanks again for your input and the link to JoAnn's!

[sew & sew]

I have made two duct tape forms. The thing that matters most is someone who wraps tightly and accurately. It is somewhat uncomfortable to be wrapped. There is a web site www.leanna.com (http://www.leanna.com) which gives good instructions.

My first thought when I saw the form after I took it off -- "I don't look like that" - but I did. :mad: I put my duct tape double on an old dress form stand. Works pretty good.

[thejanet]

My thoughts exactly once I'd finished my duct tape dummy... yikes! that can't be all me! It sure does show every bump, ripple and bulge (bad for ego) which is what I really needed for fitting garments (so good for sewing).

Strangely enough, my husband really got into taping me up. We made a whole evening of it. (Details best left to your imaginations.)

[JoyceCanDoIt]

I made a duct tape dummy of me, but had no stand to "hang it on". I actually did a neck-to-toes duct tape dummy and filled it with polyfill and rocks and stood it in my back room. It was hysterical! It was there for months!
I never did use it to check fit, because I could see pretty quickly the overall sag that was immediately occurring. I called a lady who is a clothing designer to ask how accurate the fit would be. She was sorry to hear I had gone this route. She said the only accurate personal form is the paper mache' method of wrapping the body and letting it dry then gently "sawing" it off at the side seams and then re-connecting it. She said this type of form is worth the time and will remain a "very accurate" personal dress form. I can not think where the info is to do this, but a search would be worthwhile.

[westbrook]

I spent months reading every site that talked about making a body double. I have instructions from the 1900's on using paper tape, read about using duct tape, plaster casting- making a negative then positive, saran wrap, every possible way you can imagine.

I settled on the duct tape method. It was inexpensive so when the body changes it isn't anything to buy two more rolls of duct tape, reusing the stuffing (adding more or using less) and the same stand.

I am delighted with the outcome! I originally taped my daughter, then she brought over a couple of friends... got them taped, then taped a few sewing sisters (best to have some really delicious drink like Chocolate delight -better then bailey's cream! after all it is chocolate) and wrap!

I am now eyeing my husband and my dogs!

I make the duct tape come down to mid thigh, made the stand the actual height of the person with 3" heels on (to the base not to the floor). the stand has wheels so I can move the stand around.

I will be making a pants double of my daughter over Winter break. I will take this one up to under the bust line. I don't want her to spread her legs too wide when taping so that I can suspend this double from a chain out of the middle/top. I would like to be able to slide a tight skirt on it and mark the hems. also I do want to be able to put pants on this.

I know this will be a difficult feat to do with limited space to work in but worth it in the end.

For others that read this, follow the link given on page one, read every page and every detail then just go for it! It took about 2 hours to wrap.

Be sure to mark the waist, bust, hips, center front and back while on the dummy .. I mean person. It really was easy to cut using bandage scissors because they were angled. Having the lines helps keep things lined up when stuffing .. and keep checking the measurements.. too much stuffing will increase the size. also be prepared for a 1/2-1 inch over the actual measurements, after all you were wrapped over a t-shirt and 3 layers of duct tape.

I found if I trimmed a wee bit off each side of the double it didn't distort too much but then later left it for growing room <wink>

brook