Adjustable dress form

WORKSHOP

Many sewists dream of having a dress form, (also referred to as a tailor's dummy or mannequin) to add to their sewing room. They’re an essential tool for any garment work, from elaborate design to occasional alterations.

At Simply Sewing HQ, I use a dress form to check the fit of our samples for our cover projects. A dress form with an adjustable dial allows me to check the fit and hang of a whole selection of sizes to make sure our patterns are true to size and drape nicely before they go to print. They’re also a handy tool for alterations, pattern hacks, hemming, and even creating your own made-to-measure designs.

HOW TO PAD OUT YOUR DRESS FORM

You can pad your dress form with a lightweight quilt wadding. Shoulder pads are also useful for padding curved areas such as the hips, bust and shoulders; they are inexpensive, and you can cut into them any way you like. If you are pinning wadding in place, the angle of the pins is important. Pin with the sharp point facing down along the top edges, inwards at any side edges, and upward along lower edges – this will prevent the wadding from being pulled out.

FITTING GARMENTS TO YOUR DRESS FORM

Remember to leave ease in your garments when fitting them to your dress form. Your dress form is static, whereas bodies need to be able to breathe, eat and move! Try on the garment frequently to get an idea of fit on a real body and assess if you need to add extra ease in areas such as the hips, arms or bust. It’s rare for our measurements to fall exactly in line with those of the dress form. Make a toile to test the garment fit. This is always important, not only for fit, but also to work out how you plan to sew the various seams before cutting into your final choice of fabric.

Check for any adjustments needed too. You may need to make an adjustment such as broad/narrow back, sloped shoulder or full stomach. You can add a light layer of padding to areas that differ on your dress form to make them a similar shape to your body.

ADJUSTING THE DRESS FORM

Adjustable dress forms have dials which can be turned according to your measurements. Check your measurements against those of the dress for