Duct tape dressform

Matt helped me build my very own dressform out of duct tape! I had seen tutorials online (e.g. threads) and decided to give it a try. Here are some pictures of the process.

To mount the dressform, I bought some lumber and Matt built a stand. I think he did an amazingly professional job.

Vogue 2788 - Version 1.1

I finally got around to adding the zipper ot Vogue 2788 and trying it on with a petticoat underneath and realised that it was rather wide in the waist and hips which gave it that slight maternity-dress look. So, I took in the side-seams 2cm on each side. Below is a video showing the result. I think the skirt could be even a little less full, especially around the hips - so might work on that a little more.

The main area that needs a lot of work on this dress is the bodice at the neck and back. The shoulders are too wide (you can see one side a dart has been basted to take away some of the width) and the back too wide. I'm also not sure about having the back so low - my shoulder blades look ridiculous! Plus it'll be cold.

Note that because the petticoat starts well below the end of the bodice, you can see a colour contrast where there is no lining and no petticoat. Next version will have an integrated lining/petticoat to solve that problem.

Simplcity 5440

I finally finished and photographed Simplicity 5440, thanks to Jonathan who is visiting this weekend on his way home to Sydney.

I'm not sure I like the shape - it seems a bit too 80s. The puffy sleeve is certainly not me (though that is relatively easy to fix). However, in general, I don't know about the long bodice.

The one thing that is great is the shoulder/neck line. I might use this to adapt the Vogue pattern to fit my shoulders better.