Dress Form Choices

I've been on the hunt for a dress form and I bought one that I feel will be a good match.  Hopefully, it will arrive next week.  I'm hoping to use it in sewing and also displaying vintage clothing to photograph so I can sell things I'm not getting use from.

I am in the process of working on sewing my first dress.  I'll be sharing this journey with all you lovely readers.  I started out thinking I would do a vintage pattern first why not take the big plunge?   But quickly changed my tune when I looked at the directions lol.   I've decided to start with a current patten based upon a vintage style.  I decided this would be the easiest course of action.  

When you are first starting a dress pattern, there are always a few supplies you miss on the first go around to the fabric store to collect basic supplies so I am off to the fabric store today to pick up a tracing wheel, pinking sheers, and transfer paper.  The tracing wheel and transfer paper will be important so that I can lay down the darts to the fabric.  I've also been watching a few YouTube tutorials.  This helps out alot as I am more of a visual person than trying to figure out from a book and instructions.  I'll share more on this process in a future post.  I'll also blog about the fabric selections.  This is a fun adventure.

I think I am just about ready to cut out the pattern but I'll need a little more time to experiment with some stitching techniques before I begin sewing the dress together.  I've never used my zipper foot or button hole foot:)  I am quite lucky as I have an excellent sewing machine from my quilting days but the 1/4 inch philosophy is out the window and now I must be aware of different seam allowances lol.   Looking forward to it though!

Back to a dress form selection....

Source: Graphics Fairy

There are a wide array of dress forms on the market with Wolf being on top.   I thought I'd share some of the dress forms I looked at and which one I decided on.

I would have loved a vintage dress form in good condition but these are hard to come by plus it is a bit of an unknown as to what you will receive, if you are purchasing over the internet.  I think it's great if you happen upon one in person and can really check it out.

In my search for a dress form,  I looked at some expensive models and some cheap models and I went middle of the road.   I wanted a dress form I could pin too and would be sturdy.

I looked at Wolf, which of course was way more than I wanted to pay but it is the cream of the crop.  This is a good investment if sewing is really a big hobby to you or you are wanting to make a career of it.

$800-$1000 low end range.   It's really difficult to find vintage Wolf dress forms so an affordable Wolf dress form was not in the cards.

One thing to remember when selecting a dress form is that if the dress form is not exactly your size you can pad it so it is best to go down a size when the measurements don't quite line up.

Source: Wolf Website

I noticed on Gertie's blog that she used these dress forms below.   I wasn't sure if  I wanted to go this route in price as it is a lot of money to lay out for your first dress form.  What I did like is that they are made in the good ol'USA.  This would have been over $700 with shipping but I'm sure worth it if sewing becomes a big hobby.

Fabulous Fit Dress Form

I also thought of the local Joann's and what they had to offer, which is the cheapest dress form route I would go (especially with a coupon)
Around $150.  You can probably get it even cheaper off of ebay but it's difficult to return so I would think this would be the best option for an adjustable form.  Amazon is also a great option but again difficult to return.  You can get a dress form on Amazon for $85 new in the same type of adjustable format.


Dritz

Source:  Joann Fabrics

I read the reviews on the adjustable form and I decided not to take this route as I heard they can be flimsy and "you get what you pay for" type of reviews.   I wanted my first dress form to be a good quality form that I wouldn't be frustrated with.  Also, I think I prefer a permeasured form rather than adjusting.  So after much debate, I ended up with this dress form...

$230

Source Amazon

I feel this is a nice mid-range choice.   The reviews also won me over.  This form was ranked very highly in customer satisfaction.   It will also display clothing nicely that I wish to sell.  The best part is that I used my saved up Amazon rewards points and it's free to me.

Do any of you own a dress form?   Are you happy with your dress form?