Dress Form Back Length

[Alexandra Johanna]

Hello Ladies,

I'm hoping someone here with more expertise can answer a concern I have regarding dress forms. I've been wanting one for years, and I'm thinking about getting one for Christmas. I did a search here and found some threads which lead to more threads on a sewing forum, lots of reading there! I've been reading for two days, LOL. So here is my unanswered question... How important should neck to back length figure into my selection, and how difficult is that to adjust for on a non-adjustable dress form?

My situation is thus... I am sewing garb for myself and my almost 15 year old daughter.  Our circumferential differences can be overcome with padding, but the tricky part I have is our height differences. She is barely 5 feet tall with a back length of 14", but I am 5'9" with a back length closer to 18".

Should I just resign myself to needing two completely separate dress forms, or is there any possibility I could find something smaller and pad it somehow to shorten up the back length? Maybe by padding the hips up in a similar fashion one would use to pad the shoulders to adjust for a lower bosom? Most of the non-adjustable forms I am looking at only list an overall measurement for the dummy, and not a neck to back length, so I'm also left wondering if my back length will be too long to use one of these anyway.

Thanks!

[Alexandra Johanna]

This is the dress form I was considering for non-adjustable - http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mannequin-Manikin-Dress-Form-F6-8W-BS-04-1-Black-Cover-/260578089185?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cabaa18e1

This is the Dritz model that would work for her measurements due to the back adjustment starting at 14" - http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dritz-My-Double-Deluxe-Dressform-Small-Mannequin-/370568800685?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item56479f29ad

I also checked out the Uniquely You, but for the price and her age, I'm thinking I either need cheap/built up with padding or more expensive and adjustable, because she undoubtedly grow as soon as I get it assembled. LOL.  If I go with a cheap/build up with padding model for her use only, I will probably get a Uniquely You for myself in the spring.

[isabelladangelo]

My Mom and I have a similar issue.  I'm 5' 8" and Mom's 5' 3"...maybe.  ;-) 

What I ended up doing is having a dress form for me and making a duct tape double for her.   Honestly, the duct tape double has been so much better than the dress form, I'm considering getting my Mom to help me make one for me...and getting rid of the dress form I have!

So, I suppose, save your money.  Save a couple of the cardboard rolls from the center of any fabric bolts.  Go to the dollar store to get the duct tape or Home Depot.   Get a t-shirt that is a bit tight but long on you (the $2 ones for men at Micheal's work well).  Get someone to wrap you in duct tape and carefully cut down the back of the shirt so you can tape it back over and stuff the thing for a decent dress dummy.  I like the old cardboard rolls to make a pole for the dress dummy.   

[Lady Kathleen of Olmsted]

I have 2 Dress Form dummies.

A Vintage one, circa 1960's,  that I can adjust for longer waisted clients and one that fits me...16" from back of the neck to the Natural Waist. Knowing Back length is important in making sure that clothing fits properly.

Most people who are long waisted tend to be short legged. And those long legged tend to be short waisted. I find that to be true when I alter clothing or measure a person to have garb Custom Made. Most of my Tall clients tend to be shorted waisted.

[Alexandra Johanna]

I've considered the duct tape forms before, but I'm wondering how easy they are to pin too?

Of course if I go with the duct tape form, I could consider getting that great brother serger deal instead. So many things to consider! LOL

[Kate XXXXXX]

Unless you have an 8 part adjustable dress form, you can't lengthen the waist.

[LadyStitch]

The most I have been able to length a  fixed torso dress dummy way about an inch.  I had to padd up the shoulders to get it to work, and it still wasn't perfect. It worked so i had body to work on but it wasn't completely ideal.

[Magpie Flynn]

I use a duct tape dummy and it's pretty easy to pin to. I stuffed mine with crumpled up old newspapers, which makes it a little lumpy and odd in places, but it works well enough

[Alexandra Johanna]

Thank you, Ladies! I guess we'll try the duct tape route and go from there. I have a ton of plastic grocery bags I've been hoarding as possible stuffing since I noticed how nice and firmly they fill out the storage tube sack they used to be stored in until they overflowed.

[isabelladangelo]

I know this is a little late, but I cut open an old pillow and used that for stuffing.  It worked really well and I only used a little bit of scraps I had left over from various projects.   (The small scraps are great!)

[Rowan MacD]

  I've been following this thread and decided to try this. 
   I already have 4-5 fabric tubes from Joanne's, an old T-shirt and tons of duct tape.  I also have an old telescope with a very sturdy screw in tripod that can stand about 5' fully extended.  I figure that would make a good base. 
   Some questions before I start:
   Is it best to wear a supportive bra for this, or no?  The finished dress form will be true to what ever contours are there when it's taped.  Which is best for the Margo Anderson Elizabethan bodice? 
   Thanks in advance,
Rowen
   

[gem]

   Is it best to wear a supportive bra for this, or no?  The finished dress form will be true to what ever contours are there when it's taped.  Which is best for the Margo Anderson Elizabethan bodice? 
 

That is an excellent question! Anyone who's done it weigh in?

I have a shop display form padded out with the Fabulous Fit Fitting System (a series of contoured foam pads that slip beneath a snugly-fitted jersey cover), and when I was padding it out, I padded it to my shape wearing a decent bra. So far I haven't had any issues fitting corsets or kirtles, etc on it... plus it makes it usable for any mundane clothing, as well.

But the duct tape can be wrapped in such a way that it's supportive, as well, so that might make a difference. Hmmm.

[Rowan MacD]

But the duct tape can be wrapped in such a way that it's supportive, as well, so that might make a difference. Hmmm.

That's an excellent point, gem.  Perhaps I should tape me up in the shape that the corset will be forming me.  Perhaps even make it while wearing the corset I will be using under the finished dress?  The corset will be flattening me out quite a bit, since I'm not naturally small chested.

[gem]

The corset will add inches to your measurements, which will make the dress form unusable for any future undergarments you wish to make. So I wouldn't do that. If you stuff it with something squishable (instead of something rigid like expanding foam), that should allow you to make it to your natural measurements and then fit all your clothes/garb on it. I'd probably go with one of my "fair bras," or a lightly-supportive but not bulky bra that will at least keep your assets more or less in place, and then wrap to create as natural a silhouette as possible.

But keep in mind that I have never done this! So this is all just speculating!

[isabelladangelo]

Wear your favorite sports bra.  :-)

The dummy will be squishable so the stays/bodice factor doesn't matter. 

[Rowan MacD]

  I have one in mind.  Now gotta get hubby on board with the idea.  I'm hoping the tripod idea pans out.

[lady serena]

Here are a few websites I found on making a duct tape dummy.


http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/3630/duct-tape-dress-form-1/page/all

http://www.littlepinkmonster.com/2009/08/30/duct-tape-dress-form-tutorial/

http://diyfashion.about.com/od/diyfashiontoolkit/ss/Duct_Tape_Dummy_6.htm

Hope this will be of help.

[Cilean]

Hi

Why not make some out of Paper Tape? It really works well and it is able to deal with pins, and is very inexpensive!

Cilean

[isabelladangelo]

Paper tape rips way too easily and it might be able to deal with a few pins, but not a whole bunch.  Duct tape - the silver kind, is only a few dollars.  Like $5 for the amount you'd need.  I've even seen duct tape at the dollar store so I doubt price is an issue for a more stable tape.  Also a little bit of water (like if you just washed something and it didn't dry the whole way or if you are going to spray something) is fine with duct tape.  Paper tape, not so much.