Why You Need a Dress Form and How to Go About It

A Dress form (sometimes called a Mannequin) can be a valuable tool for garment sewing! If you're just getting started in sewing you have a couple of DIY options or can look for used dress forms. I give my opinion on what I'd purchase today if I was just starting out, and how I modified my current dress form to better suit my actual shape.

WHY A DRESS FORM WILL INCREASE YOUR GARMENT SEWING SUCCESS:

- You can try out patterns for fit before you've sewn it all together, and if you have a dress form that fits your shape, you have a better idea of how the garment will fit without having to try it on every five seconds.

- You can use a dress form customized to the size of the person you're sewing for, and you'll know how the garment will fit them even when they are not there to try it on.

- Getting a precise fit dress form is easier than I thought (although having accurate measurements is a critical first step and for that you may need a friend to help).

Bonus Trivia: Check out this webpage showing the Christian Dior Ateliers: note the image of all the different torsos, each one of these dress forms is a unique client.
https://www.galeriedior.com/en/30-ave...

Sew Anastasia's video on how to transform an existing shirt to accommodate a larger waistband:
   • How To Make Any Skirt Bigger At The W...  

Ready to customize your dress form?

Here's some help getting started and a link to the Dress Form Cover I used:

Thread Magazine: DIY Dress Forms
https://www.threadsmagazine.com/colle...

Padding A Dress Form for Your Size
SUPER EASY explanation!
   • Padding a Dress Form for Your Size  

Padding Your Dress Form as a Body Double
(this is the method I previously avoided but most recently used, and YES, all of these steps made a difference!)
https://brooksann.com/padding-a-dress...

Here's the Dress Form Cover to finish it all off! I used ponte knit, but many others have made this with a woven fabric and added a zipper.
Bootstrap Fashion DIY Dress Form Cover: https://patterns.bootstrapfashion.com...

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#sewingtipsandtricksforbeginners #sustainablesewing #youcanmakeit #fastfashion #learntosew