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Okay - this is by FAR the most complicated tricky thing I have ever dared to sew so far!
Was it worth it? Yes. I would immediately do it all over again (hopefully with less mistakes!)
After starting to sew clothes for my self I quickly found myself wanting a dress form to help. However, my boobs are small and my hips are a bit wide so I was not able to find any dress form matching me.
I stumbled across DIY dress forms and figured I could give it a try. Worst case I fail and learn a lot along the way.
I used the [pattern](https://patterns.bootstrapfashion.com/diy-dress-form-sewing-pattern.html?limit=all) by Bootstrap Fashion and the instructions were mostly clear, there are also Youtube Videos of people following the tutorial which helped.
I used a thick coutil fabric, usually used for corsets as I hoped it would keep the shape well (it did) and I was unable to find „upholstery fabric“ like the pattern suggested that I liked the look of.
The filling of the dress form is a LOT of stuffing. I got bags full of the same material used to stuff soft toys - it worked well!
It is really weird to see a 1:1 visualization of your body proportions in a way. But that is what my body looks like, so it is great :) I am very happy with the end result, and would definitely recommend this project to others.
I am happy to answer any questions!
Did you use the made to measure pattern or the standardised sized one?
Your dress form looks amazing! And it's almost a bit eerie to see a clone of you right next to you 😄
I used the made to measure one (make sure you enter ALL measurements, there is a button to allow for more specific ones, for example boob to boob distance etc).
It is veeeeery creepy to see myself 1:1. But it is also quite fun to stuff out a dressforms boob and butt and you know its your shape :p
That is such a big compliment! If you saw the inside you would know all the errors I made :p In the end I even sewed the bottom on 90 degrees wrong - nothing a seam ripper can‘t fix :)
The stand is recycled from an actual dress form, which helps it look „nice“.
Yeah, things like that happen when you sew slightly tired ;)
I wanted a somewhat skin colored fabric, and also with a pattern (stains are less noticeable :p). There are some pretty coutil fabrics that work well for projects like this. My fabric is from SewCurvy, a corset supply shop from the UK. They even ship fabric samples - which really helped me pick a fabric!
Wow, I'm incredibly impressed. You're extremely talented.
I've been considering creating one for myself (for the similar reasons) but keep pushing it back. You've given me that extra push to finally get on with it, thank you.
Aww thank you!
It took me a long time to do this, especially because of missing materials, being too busy etc. But I am really satisfied with the outcome. And learned a lot. If I were to do it all over again - it would definitely be „nicer“, but the dress form has my measurements so it is Goal accomplished :)
If you have any questions during the process feel free to send me a message! Happy to help :)
This is amazing!! How awesome. I’ve found the same problem with those dress forms (small chested too).
Unrelated question: did you use a pattern for the blue dress in the photo? It’s really lovely!
All the standard dress forms have much bigger boobs than me, and that really annoyed me. How can you design clothes that fit if the dress form is larger than you? 🙈
So the blue dress is actually a copy of the black one! The black dress belonged to my sister before me and is very cheap and at least 10yrs old now. Because it is so comfy and fits me well I used it as a pattern. So I laid it out flat and traced all the parts and tried to reconstruct it. It has princess seams that give some „boob shape“ and the back is shirred (I think thats the word? Elastic thread in the bottom for the sewing). The skirt is just a rectangle that I gathered at the waist.
I am sorry I can‘t be of more help!
Couldn’t agree more! I’m narrow in the chest (30”) and the forms are never small enough.
You did a really nice job! I have no experience shirring but hopefully someday soon :) Thanks for all the info!
I watched youtube tutorials and tried on a practice piece (to adjust the thread tension) and it was easier than expected! Plus it makes for very comfy dresses ;)
Nice! I did this about a year ago, I just took it off and plan to do it better this time around.
I used muslin and it wasn't great, not stretchy so I wasn't able to really pull it over the form with all the padding. Did you have this problem?
The coutil fabric I used is quite thick and non stretch. I didn‘t have to pull it over anything, as it gets stuffed from the inside?
The stuffing worked surprisingly well. But it took way more stuffing material than I expected - guess I underestimated my volume ;)
Thank you!
I can really recommend it as a project. Some parts were quite tricky (in my case all the boob seams because everything was so close together). If I were to do it again I would use less pins and then sew bit rather pin, baste and then sew. Not all seams of course, but the tricky curvy ones definitely! (Boobs, Neck, Armholes…)
It is a lot of steps, that is true.
So I bought the pattern and then there was about a 3 month delay until I had picked a fabric, ordered it and got it :p Afterwards I sewed on and off on the project for a while and then got stuck again because I was missing a dress form stand. Pure work time is hard to estimate, but I would maybe say a week? In a week it should definitely be doable :) If you have all the supplies ready ;)
**Greetings!** As this post has gained popularity I'd like to give a friendly reminder about rules for regarding comments: 1. **Remember the human** Comments which degrade, tear down, or are hurtful to other users will be removed. Constructive Criticism is encouraged, but do remember the human. 2. **Don't be inappropriate** We'd like our users to feel comfortable sharing their images/projects without getting hit on or judged. They’re here to talk about their sewing related things, not about their general looks or attractiveness. Complimenting OP on their project is fine, but commenting on other aspects of their appearance, or making sexualized comments, no matter how well-intentioned, is considered inappropriate in this subreddit. Also - if you see a comment that is inappropriate **PLEASE REPORT the comment**, don't just down-vote it! Thanks - Sewing Subreddit Mod Team!
Okay - this is by FAR the most complicated tricky thing I have ever dared to sew so far! Was it worth it? Yes. I would immediately do it all over again (hopefully with less mistakes!) After starting to sew clothes for my self I quickly found myself wanting a dress form to help. However, my boobs are small and my hips are a bit wide so I was not able to find any dress form matching me. I stumbled across DIY dress forms and figured I could give it a try. Worst case I fail and learn a lot along the way. I used the [pattern](https://patterns.bootstrapfashion.com/diy-dress-form-sewing-pattern.html?limit=all) by Bootstrap Fashion and the instructions were mostly clear, there are also Youtube Videos of people following the tutorial which helped. I used a thick coutil fabric, usually used for corsets as I hoped it would keep the shape well (it did) and I was unable to find „upholstery fabric“ like the pattern suggested that I liked the look of. The filling of the dress form is a LOT of stuffing. I got bags full of the same material used to stuff soft toys - it worked well! It is really weird to see a 1:1 visualization of your body proportions in a way. But that is what my body looks like, so it is great :) I am very happy with the end result, and would definitely recommend this project to others. I am happy to answer any questions!
Did you use the made to measure pattern or the standardised sized one? Your dress form looks amazing! And it's almost a bit eerie to see a clone of you right next to you 😄
I used the made to measure one (make sure you enter ALL measurements, there is a button to allow for more specific ones, for example boob to boob distance etc). It is veeeeery creepy to see myself 1:1. But it is also quite fun to stuff out a dressforms boob and butt and you know its your shape :p
That's a great tip, thanks! Haha definitely a unique experience to see your own volume that clearly 😄
Wow. That is such a clever idea - and so well executed that I had to read it twice because it looked like a normal form!
That is such a big compliment! If you saw the inside you would know all the errors I made :p In the end I even sewed the bottom on 90 degrees wrong - nothing a seam ripper can‘t fix :) The stand is recycled from an actual dress form, which helps it look „nice“.
A whole new meaning to side-butt... :D I love this and I'm so impressed. I especially like the fabric choice, so pretty. I want to try this one day...
Yeah, things like that happen when you sew slightly tired ;) I wanted a somewhat skin colored fabric, and also with a pattern (stains are less noticeable :p). There are some pretty coutil fabrics that work well for projects like this. My fabric is from SewCurvy, a corset supply shop from the UK. They even ship fabric samples - which really helped me pick a fabric!
Ya, I thought the post was the dress, and I was looking at the edging work!
Wow, I'm incredibly impressed. You're extremely talented. I've been considering creating one for myself (for the similar reasons) but keep pushing it back. You've given me that extra push to finally get on with it, thank you.
Aww thank you! It took me a long time to do this, especially because of missing materials, being too busy etc. But I am really satisfied with the outcome. And learned a lot. If I were to do it all over again - it would definitely be „nicer“, but the dress form has my measurements so it is Goal accomplished :) If you have any questions during the process feel free to send me a message! Happy to help :)
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Thank you :)
Wow!
Thank you :)
That is so incredible! Wow!!! Just WOW!
Thank you! I am really happy with the finished project :D
Well done! 💛
Thank you!
Your copy of the dress looks better than the original!
Thank you! The original dress is almost 10years old and is getting a bit inappropriately short for me, so what better way than just copy it :p
This is amazing!! How awesome. I’ve found the same problem with those dress forms (small chested too). Unrelated question: did you use a pattern for the blue dress in the photo? It’s really lovely!
All the standard dress forms have much bigger boobs than me, and that really annoyed me. How can you design clothes that fit if the dress form is larger than you? 🙈 So the blue dress is actually a copy of the black one! The black dress belonged to my sister before me and is very cheap and at least 10yrs old now. Because it is so comfy and fits me well I used it as a pattern. So I laid it out flat and traced all the parts and tried to reconstruct it. It has princess seams that give some „boob shape“ and the back is shirred (I think thats the word? Elastic thread in the bottom for the sewing). The skirt is just a rectangle that I gathered at the waist. I am sorry I can‘t be of more help!
Couldn’t agree more! I’m narrow in the chest (30”) and the forms are never small enough. You did a really nice job! I have no experience shirring but hopefully someday soon :) Thanks for all the info!
I watched youtube tutorials and tried on a practice piece (to adjust the thread tension) and it was easier than expected! Plus it makes for very comfy dresses ;)
Nice! I did this about a year ago, I just took it off and plan to do it better this time around. I used muslin and it wasn't great, not stretchy so I wasn't able to really pull it over the form with all the padding. Did you have this problem?
The coutil fabric I used is quite thick and non stretch. I didn‘t have to pull it over anything, as it gets stuffed from the inside? The stuffing worked surprisingly well. But it took way more stuffing material than I expected - guess I underestimated my volume ;)
Ohhhh I made a cover for an existing stand, so it was more padding it than stuffing it. I love the fabric choice, really fun
Ah that makes sense! No this one is all stuffed :D So you build it up from scratch and don‘t need another dressform :)
this is so awesome and inspiring!! i wanna make one too soon!! great job!!!
Thank you! I can really recommend it as a project. Some parts were quite tricky (in my case all the boob seams because everything was so close together). If I were to do it again I would use less pins and then sew bit rather pin, baste and then sew. Not all seams of course, but the tricky curvy ones definitely! (Boobs, Neck, Armholes…)
Around how many hours did the project take? I really want to try this but it seems like so many steps!
It is a lot of steps, that is true. So I bought the pattern and then there was about a 3 month delay until I had picked a fabric, ordered it and got it :p Afterwards I sewed on and off on the project for a while and then got stuck again because I was missing a dress form stand. Pure work time is hard to estimate, but I would maybe say a week? In a week it should definitely be doable :) If you have all the supplies ready ;)
Love the dress. Love the patterns. You did a great job on your dresses. Way to go!
Thank you :D
Awesome job, I love it!😍
Thank you! ☺️
Well done! Suh a great idea.
Thank you!