DIY Dressform Cover – The Reveal

This is the moment we’ve all been waiting for….Maud’s new custom cover is fitted and stuffed.

This has been such an adventure. Both because this was the sewing of something completely alien to me, which stretched (pun intended) my sewing skill set, but also in terms of body confidence and acceptance. I think I need to ponder on that a bit more and revisit it in a separate post.

But for today I’m going to talk about the final stage – stuffing Maud’s cover to look like me.

I can’t say it was particularly difficult – certainly not as difficult as I’d feared. More time consuming and a bit faffy. It certainly took a good couple of hours or so, but I broke it down into sections, because you do get a bit ‘shape blind’ and need to step away and come back with a pair of fresh eyes.

A good example is those shoulder pads. They were swapped out for the final fit because they’re too high compared to mine.

It also helped having Dave with me, because, even though I’ll never admit it to the kids, I don’t have eyes in the back of my head. So padding shoulders and derriere was so much easier with his help.

The trickest bit was the embonpoint. Getting the shape and lift right was quite difficult and I’ve settled for ‘good enough’.

So this is Maud now.

Not bad, I’d say. And certainly good enough to do the first fittings in tissue and muslin so that I can see backs and shoulders really clearly.

So, what are my final thoughts:

First up the positive stuff:

• This is a relatively inexpensive way to make a standard dressform better replicate your own body shape.
• This is a great way to upcycle a cheap second hand dressform.
• It’s not as difficult as you think it is. Really….it’s not.
• A second pair of eyes is a godsend. They don’t need to sew…they just need to be able to compare shapes.
• Unlike a custom form, this can easily be adjusted if you lose or gain weight or otherwise change shape.

And the stuff I’d like to change next time around:

• The website and pattern do have some minor glitches that I’ve alerted Yuliya to. But these aren’t a dealbreaker for me.
• I over fitted the shoulders so the seamline on Maud isn’t the where the seamline on the garment needs to be. User error and nothing a line of thin tape can’t fix.
• I really wish I’d cut a seam down the centre front and centre back. I was banging my head repeatedly on the sewing table when I realised that one. To be fair to me, the pattern was ‘cut on fold’.
• The recommended fabric on the pattern instructions says to use a stretch fabric such as ponte. This is great as you can pull it over your head and try on easily for fitting. However, next time I’ll use a firm woven and put an open ended zip in the back. This will give some resistance when stuffing I think and might make that process a bit simpler.
• It’s still wasn’t cheap. I used a Fabulous Fit pack of pads, some interlining and £15 of shoulder pads, plus the face fabric. I reckon I spent about £100. But….even if we factor in what Dave paid for Maud, we’re still looking at about a quarter of the price of a custom form.

So, I suppose the $63 million dollar question is would I recommend this pattern and this project.

With the caveats mentioned in my previous posts here and here, the answer is a resounding yes. Being aware of the pitfalls means you can avoid them, which should make this whole process even easier

And now I’m really looking forward to my first project using Maud, which is the Blackwood Cardigan….the new pattern. The pattern is printed and the fabric is in the wash! I’m excited to be sewing for the first time in ages!

Perhaps that’s the real magic of Maud!