Make a Model of Yourself for Sewing

 Hello Readers. Sewing is a lot of work. One tool I really like to have is a dress form. A dress form can hold the clothes while you work on them. Most modern dress forms are adjustable and you can easily change the size to match your size. But what if you don't have a fancy modern dress form. Read on for an easy way to make a perfect model of yourself to use in your sewing.

Chickie W.U. and her perfect match.

I gathered all kinds of padding. I used the removable cups from some bras and some soft cotton batting. I also grabbed a few elastic rolled bandages with Velcro edges. Then I used a tape measure to see exactly what my current size was. 

 

I started with the bust and kept adding bra pads until I got a size measurement that was close to my own body. The closer it is, the better it will be for trying clothes on it and seeing if they will fit me well. 

 

When my dress form was all finished it looked a little like a mummy. I wrapped the bandages tight to hold all the different padding in place. The Velcro on the bandages has held on well and my dress form has stayed wrapped with no problems.
 

When I measured and added padding I tried to be ruthlessly honest about where I was bigger than the dress form. That includes the stomach and bum. If the clothes are too small for the dress form than I know they will be too small for me. This is going to help me make accurate sized clothes. This is not the time to pretend that 3 kids has not changed my body. I have a mom tummy. It is what it is. My dress form is a little lumpy (So am I.) but it has worked great for sewing.

 

Here is a bit more about the padding and wrapping. Thanks for reading along, I hope this idea helps in your sewing.

*Year End Note From Chickie- This is so useful! I wish I had done this sooner. I use it all the time when I sew.

 

 

The Tablecloth Curtains

Hello Readers. Sometimes you find a fabric that you just love. That is what happened to my friend K.F. She had curtains from a fabric that was no longer being made. But she really wanted to use them.  

After looking and looking she found a tablecloth on EBay. She asked me to rework the curtains and tablecloth to fit her windows. I did some measuring to be sure of my plan. And then, I measured again.

I took 2 valance curtains like the one below and cut them into 4 pieces. I was so careful about my measuring to make sure the 4 pieces would be equally distributed when they were hung on the windows. That required some division and even some algebra. My high school math teacher was right! I did use it again! 

When I cut the curtains I opened the seams and then made new side hems. I kept the rod pockets in the same place.

Here are the "new" curtains on the windows. The curtains block the morning sun from hitting them in the eyes while they eat their breakfast. 

Check out that gorgeous teapot collection!

For the second window I used the tablecloth. It was a basic rectangular tablecloth. It had a nice scalloped lace edge all around it. I decided to use and show that trim as much as possible.

I folded the curtain in half so it would be 2 layers thick. The first set of curtains were 2 layers thick and it gave them a nice weight. It also keeps the front from fading in the sunlight coming through the windows. I made them the 20" length K.F. requested and that left just enough for a top edge piece to show off a little more of that trim. 

Here is the curtain over the sink. There was a serious problem neither of us had thought of. The fabric hung right against the light. The light is actually resting on the fabric. Can you say fire hazard?!?

I made a house call to fix it. I don't often sew for other people, but when I do I try not to start a fire. 

A little pinning and tucking pulled the fabric up in the middle just enough to prevent any fire danger but block as much of the bright morning sun as possible. 

*****     BONUS TRACK     *****

My vintage dress form was getting a little beat up from all my sewing. I had put a tank top on it for some protection but it didn't cover the lower half. Some of the form was getting damaged. I found this stretchy nylon dress at a clothes swap. It was exactly the thing I needed. It was way to tight for me to wear but it was perfectly tight on my dress form. The tight fit doesn't add any bulk under clothes and the nylon dress lets clothes slide on and off easily. 

That's all for today. Thanks for reading, now go make something fun for yourself.