#5 Real Talk on Dress Forms: What Every Sewist Needs to Know

I recently did a survey of my email list asking three simple questions:

• Do you own a custom dress form?
• What kind do you have?
• What do you struggle with when using your form?

For those that didn't have a dress form and had no desire for one, I asked why and received a flood of responses that revealed a lot of misconceptions about the value of using a dress form as a fitting tool.

If you're interested in what I learned from the survey and want some clarifying information about dress forms in general, watch the video. I'm going to clear up some of those misconceptions and, for those of you lucky enough to own a custom dress form that is a replica of your body, I've got a special announcement for you.

Let's start with those that own a dress form.
These were the 5 main dress form types used by those that responded to the survey:

• Beatrice Forms
• Ditto Form
• Mimiquins
• Bootstrap
• Adjustoform

There were 12 other dress form companies mentioned but these were the most commonly referred to.

In truth, I should have been much clearer with my question because owning a custom dress form is not the same as owning a standard dress form. It's not even the same as owning a standard dress form padded to your measurements.

Let me explain.

My definition of a custom dress form is one that is created from a 3D digital body scan. I make this distinction because a body scan is a true representation of your body proportion, shape, and posture. Beatrice Forms, Ditto Forms and Mimiquins are three companies that use body scanning to develop custom dress forms.

So what about Bootstrap, Adjustoform or the other 12 mentioned in the survey?
If you own any one of these and it truly replicates your body in every way, you can consider this a custom dress form too. If it doesn't, it's very likely your dress form is acting as a display prop and just taking up valuable space in your sewing room.

Need proof? Watch the video to see the survey results.

For those that don't have a dress form and don't really want one, I'm willing to bet you have three objections to even considering a custom dress form as I define it. I hear you saying this: "It's too expensive", "my weight fluctuates too much" and "I don't have space in my sewing room"

In the video I share my perspective on each of these and give you some alternative ways to think about the value of having a custom dress form if you're someone who sews for yourself a lot, wants to fit your body precisely, and is willing to learn how to use a custom dress form effectively.

I hope you enjoy the content.

Resources Mentioned in this Video:

Explore The Art of Balance

Master Garment Fitting with Fitting Essentials

Download the Perfect Fit Guide

Discover Beatrice Forms

As a Beatrice Forms partner, I am pleased to offer you $50 off your body scanning service when you purchase through this link. This means In-House Patterns Inc. may earn a commission if you purchase through this link at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products that I love and use myself.