What is the best dress form for sewing ?

Hi everyone and welcome for the second video of my mini-series dedicated to the dress form. We are going to discover together what are the different types of mannequins, their pros and cons and, as promised, I will also talk in details about the dress forms I personally use. To get off to a good start, I highly recommend you watch the first episode in which I answer frequently asked questions such as what is the dress form used for, who uses it, what is draping, is there a dress form for my size and of course the famous question is it necessary to own a dress form as a beginner. In my next videos we will speak about measurements, dress form sizes to match them and we will also learn to make the unavoidable modifications and necessary adjustments for your dress form to be matching your body shape and size to the tee. So for today then we are going to speak about the following forms, the display forms, the adjustable forms, the professional dress forms and the do-it-yourself custom fit dress forms. I will not address half scale dress forms today, they are a little less known and because I find them fantastic I will prepare a dedicated video on the subject. And we'll start without further ado with the display forms that you can see on a regular basis in ready-to-wear fashion stores. These mannequins most of the time are made out of plastic which of course does not allow us to create garments with the draping technique. First it's impossible to stick pins in them and secondly they are often fixed in various poses that are quite attractive indeed but it wouldn't really facilitate our work. However they are quite useful to present garments in order to sell them or to display the work of the designer. Also they come in different sizes and shapes for women, men and children and sometimes it's just a lonely limb like a torso, a head, an arm with a hand, legs and so on. Why am I mentioning these display forms in this video? Because sometimes we can come across a more high-end quality of display forms that are made out of foam instead of plastic and that are covered with cotton fabric. Therefore we can stick pins in them and use them for draping. This little torso for instance is a display form made out of foam that I was lucky to find on the second-hand market. Its measurements are very close to mine and I just had to pat it on the shoulders and on the low back area and then to sew its cover back to be able to work with a perfect clone. The advantage of the display form is its price. It is less expensive than the professional dress form which we will discuss later in this video but unfortunately the ones made out of foam do not come in a diverse range of shapes and sizes. It is time to address the matter of adjustable dress forms and I know that many of you are curious about them. At the risk of crushing your hopes, I will go straight to the point. Working with them is quite frustrating to say the least. Of course it's not completely impossible to achieve a decent work with them especially if you already have some experience but frankly it's cumbersome and as efficient as riding a bike with the brakes applied. That being said, this form still has some qualities and I will start with them. First, the price. They are more affordable of course than the non-adjustable professional dress forms. Also and that to me is their greatest asset, they come in a huge range of sizes from petite to plus size and they exist for both men and women. Another good point you will say they are adjustable. Sure but is it really convenient? Adjustable means rolling wheels and dials to make these adjustments and let me tell you the form has plenty of them and they are placed exactly on top of the strategic sewing lines. Middle front line, middle back line, waist and sides lines and so on. Making it impossible to pin pins where should be for draping garments yet draping is the purpose of owning a dress form in the first place. The dress form is made out of plastic, is quite unsightly, isn't sturdy nor stable enough and is barely covered with a paper-thin synthetic fabric cloth. To pin it, you have to maintain it firmly if you'd rather not have the little guy tip backwards plus you'll have to angle the pin and slide it between the plastic and the fabric. Very frustrating. Finally, if you can approximately adjust the form to your measurements, you cannot adjust the proportions and the latter are quite strange indeed. To tell you the truth, I once used a jigsaw to try cutting the sort of cone that they have instead of normal shaped breasts. It was not a success. If you own an adjustable dress form, don't be discouraged. There are a few tips and tricks that you probably already know that you can use to make up the best you can for these major inconveniences. In order not to extend this video too much, I'll make a dedicated video on the subject another time. To speak frankly though, I do not recommend buying an adjustable dress form. I believe it is wiser to take a bit more time to save a little bit more money in order to make a sound investment like buying a professional dress form. Another option would be to invest time, motivation and a little bit of money as well in the making of your own do-it-yourself custom fit dress form. Let's start with the professional dress form. It is not adjustable or at least not thanks to rolling wheels or dials and therefore it is crucial to choose the proper size. You might as well choose the most useful shape for your needs, torso only, torso with the start of the legs, full body, legs only, dress form for underwear and lingerie, for men, teenagers, children and so on. I will touch on the matter of sizing and padding techniques in a separate tutorial. Just know for now that resizing a dress form to your size and shape is indeed common practice and isn't as hard as you might think. Let's discover then together a professional dress form. For that purpose, I will film as promised the ones I personally use. They have a torso, the beginning of the legs and removable arms. I find them absolutely fantastic since they are quite versatile, extremely well made with an overall realistic shape that can easily be modulated. Since I am so happy with them, I decided to contact the company that creates them in order to see whether they would agree to offer a little discount to the subscribers of this channel and I am thrilled they were happy to do so. You'll find all the details in the description box of this video. Professional dress forms have to be very sturdy since we're going to drape, pin, adjust, pull, push, in a word, work with them. Therefore, a heavy base is a must. Wheels with brakes as well as the option to adjust the height of the mannequin are very much appreciated to prevent back pains. On top of being stable and sturdy, it must be pinnable. This one is actually fully pinnable which really fills me with joy. It's not the case with every professional dress form, so do your research properly. Most of the time, the pins cannot be fully inserted and you have to stick them at an angle. Nothing wrong, no prohibitive with that, of course, it's just a matter of what you are used to. Personally, I am really happy with the fully pinnable option that allows me to really anchor my fabric when it is needed. Some professional forms have to be prepped with seam taped, also called draping tape, that you pin directly onto the dress form in order to indicate the construction lines and seams of your garment. Middle front, middle back, side seams, waistline, hips, princess seams, arm, holes, and so on. Others, and that's the case with this dress form, already come with these draping lines indicated which I appreciate very much, even though, once again, it is a matter of personal preference and habit. It can save you a lot of time and work since placing seam tape is a long and meticulous work that should not be hurried. Also, on top of being practical, the presence of seams really is educational and therefore ideal for beginners. On this cover, which, by the way, is entirely handmade, the seams are bumping out which enable us to feel them through the fabric whilst draping and to retrace them on the fabric like we would with normal seam tape. You can also see the placement of construction marks indicated in the fronts and the back armholes line, as well as all the markings for making lingerie or trousers, for instance. But, of course, if you'd rather draping dresses and skirts only, you can pick a dress form without legs. Some professional forms have collapsible shoulders. Unfortunately, not this one, but honestly, I managed without since the form is quite flexible around this area, allowing it to make way to the extremely tight-fitted garments that I sew, which is quite rare. I'd rather add buttons or zippers or lacings for the garment to be pleasant to put onto the dress form, of course, but especially for the human being that will actually wear the garment. Also, for knits, designs and lingerie, it's common practice to slightly modify the side line just below the arm directly on the pattern after draping them in order to tighten the bust at this level and prevent the fabric from gaping. So, really think about what you sew on a regular basis and if knits and extra tight garments are your top priority, collapsible shoulders might help you a great deal. Before speaking about prices, I'd like to add that it is really important to choose a dress form with a realistic shape and, above all, a size that would allow you to pad it properly and obtain a body shape that reflects yours exactly. Don't forget that if it is possible to add material, breasts, belly, behind, width of the back, height of the shoulders and so on, it is absolutely impossible to remove any. To a certain extent, it is possible to change the position of the waistline and the hips in order to have the length of the bust longer or shorter. But again, to do that, it is really important to think about the size of the dress form you want to buy. Let's talk budget now. Professional dress forms are expensive. I am not gonna lie, some are actually very expensive indeed. Keep in mind though that it is a lifetime investment and thankfully the ones I am using are on the lower price bracket in the market. Just for you to get an idea, I spent less money on this sweet lady, her base, her arms and her shipping than on buying this phone. Guess which one will die first? So when possible, I highly highly recommend buying a professional dress form, the one that will match your needs and you will see how pleasurable it is to create with it. Do as much research as possible to find the perfect size and shape for you before giving up. Petite figures can look up mrs dresses and large sizes can look up specialized company. The dress forms I use do not come in plus sizes which really is saddening. Now if money really is tight, don't feel overwhelmed or discouraged. We are now going to speak about do-it-yourself custom-made dress forms. Everyone's dream of course is to obtain a perfect clone of oneself and therefore the best solution would be to possess the gift of ubiquity. But failing that, creating your own custom fit dress form remains an excellent choice and besides, tutorials on the matter flourish on the internet. However, it's quite difficult to sort out what's best amongst the large amount of ideas and solutions available online. Some get a really nice result, some propose creations slightly less convincing. The challenge is to obtain a solid torso that is pinnable ad libitum and finally to find a way to add a stable and sturdy base to maintain it all and properly work with it. Here are the three principal categories of techniques to create a custom dress form. The first category and you probably have heard about it already are the busts created with garbage bags or old t-shirts draped on the body and wrapped with tape, adhesive craft paper, cling film or plastic wrap and so on. In all honesty, I must say that I'm not convinced by this method. On one hand, the tape leaves traces on the pins which of course damages both the pins and the fabric and on another hand, pins leave tiny little knots in the tape which weakens the bust greatly after times since we are to pin certain places like seam lines hundreds if not thousands of times. Also at the risk of sounding a little bit pedantic maybe, the fragility and the aspect a little too DIY but not in a good way isn't really compelling for my taste. The intrinsic beauty of an object really is for me a source of inspiration and motivation. That being said, we are all different so just know that this small budget but also small quality technique exists. Second category, busts made out of plaster and insulating foam. The principle is simple, it's about casting the body in plaster in order to create a mold out of this plaster cast. Then just fill that mold with foam. The bust therefore created will be removed from its cast, covered with cotton fabric and mounted to a base. If a principle is simple and the idea brilliant, the realization itself is quite long and complex some might say. Also it requires a lot of energy and meticulousness as well as a couple of friends motivated to help you out. Now considering the supplies and the time involved, this solution isn't necessarily more economical than buying a professional dress form but obviously if work is really well done, the result will be a perfect fit which can be really tempting if you find you have a hard time finding the right dress form for you in the market. Finally the third category, busts made out of fabric and I want to deny that it is by far my favorite technique. It's about sewing your own dress form in a thick cotton canvas using your own block or moulage with darts, slightly modified for this specific usage. This second skin once sewn will be filled with a firm but pinnable padding or placed on top of an existing form making sure to properly pad the gaps. The result is a very aesthetic dress form, perfectly custom made, pinnable at will and whose pattern one can keep in order to make modifications in case of weight gain or weight loss in the future. It is of course a great deal of work and precision and it requires quite a few skills like creating your own basic block or moulage but these competencies can indeed be acquired and as a matter of fact are wonderful to be acquired, really improving your sewing skills and propelling them to the next level at the same time. Voilà, you might have gathered by now that the two options I personally recommend are investing in a professional dress form, it is a true delight and source of inspiration or creating your own custom-made dress form with fabric. Maybe if I feel that there is enough demand for it, I'll create a course on the matter. Chers amis, this is the end of this video. I really hope it was useful. Please share it around and leave me a comment. I wish you a wonderful end of the year. Bye bye! À bientôt!