Padded dress form torsos are a common sight at pattern companies, factory workrooms and professional design studios, but they're not a trade secret--dress forms are readily available to sewing hobbyists, too. If you add a dress form to your sewing equipment, you'll find you can use it in myriad ways to:

• Test the fit of a pinned-together tissue pattern before cutting the fabric.
  
  
• Check the fit of darts and seams midway through the garment construction and make needed adjustments so the fabric grainlines properly align.
  
  
• Experiment with the placement of applied details, such as patch pockets, appliqués and braid trims.
  
  
• Mark a precise hemline--the dress form will "stand still" as long as necessary, without complaint.
  
  
• Audition a special large print, border design, stripe or plaid by arranging the fabric on the dress form in a close approximation of the intended pattern style.
  
  
• Mock up fabric collage art garments in actual size and three dimensions. Then step back and judge the figure flattery quotient and design balance from all sides.
  
  
• Create your own fashion originals by freely draping fabric directly on the dress form.
  
  
• Establish the roll line of a tailored collar, then steam-press it to shape on the dress form.
  
  
• Fine-tune the shoulder pad position in a garment.
  
  
• Insert a smooth, pull-free lining by sewing it to the garment in position on the dress form.
  
  
• Remove the distortion accurately in a bias-cut garment by letting it hang over the dress form's shaped surface, rather than hanging flat from a clothes hanger.
  
  

These are just some benefits of dress form ownership, but keep in mind you'll need enough space in your sewing studio to store the dress form (the footprint of a dress form is about 1 1/2 to 2 square feet, and it occupies virtually the same vertical volume as you).

Although dress forms are used in the trade primarily to enforce size standards, at home you'll want a form that can be customized to duplicate your body in shape and contour, as well as measurements. In addition, for the dress form to be truly useful for garment construction, it should have a surface you can pin into and steam-press upon.

Subscribe More Articles Past Issues

Copyright © 1998
PRIMEDIA Inc.
All rights reserved