Dress Form Love | Obtaining the Right Fit with a Uniquely You Form

At the end of June when i made a list and checked it twice seeing that i expected myself to make 5 full Victorian era costumes/dresses by Halloween for Steam-con and a a couple of Dickens outfits by Thanksgiving i felt a good dress form was necessary.  I had been eyeing a paticular form for a few months and decided it was time!  I ordered a Uniquely You form and on July 2nd she appeared!  The Uniquely You forms are made up of two main parts: the form body and the "over dress".  The form is what it is...which is not my shape or size.  That's where the over dress comes in to work some magic.  The overdress is fit to "you"!  After getting everything out of the box and set (like 5 minutes) i started into the over dress fitting.  After taking a dinner break i read the instructions, handed the man some pins, and set to it.  After about 6 hours that night of pin---sew---pin---sew we stopped in a pretty close place.  The next morning (yea for holiday long weekends!!!)  I was able to tweak a few things and was very happy with the results in about an hour.

 

After getting the over dress onto the form there is a note in the instructions that since the form is trying so hard to "expand" (silly foam!) that the dress may not be the same size as when on the model.  Well i had already put in a tad bit of ease...i'm not making swim wear here.  After getting her all dressed and taking measurements she was running a 1" or so big through some key areas, mostly in the upper back width.  Off the dress came and three re-do's later she looks and fits pretty darn good!

I have seen a lot of blog posts about these dress forms saying that if you don't have a fitting or seamstress background that these are too much...i completely 100% disagree.  i stood there very patiently while my boyfriend did all of the initial pinning following the directions.  Trust me, he's not a tailor.  He followed the instructions.  They are great instructions.  This is really a two person job: one to stand there and look pretty while the other pins and pins and pins.  I *could* have done this all by myself, but it would have taken for ever as when you bend to put in a pin you are shifting your weight and shape and would have required many more iterations to get the shape correct.  Please do not be intimidated by the "fitting" of the dress form.  No matter how close you get the over dress it will still be hundreds of times closer to YOUR shape then any of the "dial a size" dress forms.

*Fitting the Over Dress Notes*

* Follow the instructions is an understatement.  It notes that if if you are a seamstress, fitting the over dress is different than a regular garment and to follow the instructions, i second that!
* The over dress "was" the correct length for the form, but during the fitting process i removed from length at the back and gave her some extra darts that "shortened" the dress almost 2".
* Keep the same "undergarments" on throughout the *entire fitting process*.  If you change bras this will change the fit as each bra has a specific "cup" shape (especially going from a molded cup to a lace or fabric cup).  This will throw off your fitting and drive you insane.  Once everything is looking good grab those other bras and try them on with the over dress to find a happy medium.
* I opened the lower across front bust dart and added my own lower in the bust area.  This gave the front of the bust a rounder shape.  The additional dart was in the instructions, but removing the upper was not.  I would recommend this for the D Cup + gals to help reduce the pointed front.  (The form could easily fit up to a DDD/F cup based on the foam and extra large seam allowances in the over dress).
* Don't worry about trying to match the side seams front to back.  This nearly drove me crazy as i have no back and it wasn't working.  Instead follow the instructions and pin it where it falls.
* The shoulder seams do not match and the CB neck is too low with an odd shape.  'tis what it 'tis.  I know where the neckline is by looking at the form and will probably in the future add an additional piece of fabric to the back neckline to fill it in or cut out a new over dress with that corrected.  It has not affected the fit as the dress form is nice and flat in the back neck area.
* I shaped the lower back (gave her some rear end), not in the instructions, but helps to see when things are "collapsing" in the back of the garment.  Also makes the zipper a true nightmare to get all the way down while "dressing" her.
* The seams will not match up, you will add darts in crazy places you would never want in a dress...but remember that this is not being worn, this is to fit *your shape*...so pin away.

  

Once she was finshed i tried a few of my old muslins on her and things looks great!  Also i noticed things i would have changed if i could have had a third person perspective...and some changes i will do differently next time.  I have already put her to good use on a new project as well with the "Doll Dress" that i just started...

The Great Blocking of the Lace

It was a dark and stormy night... well actually it was just a bit o' over cast and fantastic weather, but that is *totally* a better opening line for the magnitude of the project i am about to describe.

So i've been holding onto this lace i finished knitting for months now.  I have been dreading trying to "block" the lace.  I at one point even came up with the crazy idea that maybe i didn't need to block the lace.  Luckily i promptly came to my senses and shoved the lace back into a dark deep corner of the "things that need attention" drawer.

By luck i found myself in the near vicinity of a hardware store with a few minutes to kill on Sunday afternoon.  I decided it was time to face my fears and try my luck at this whole lace blocking thing.  I purchased a couple of skinny metal rods that didn't look like they would rust immediately and were relatively long, 4' a piece, as i had about 10 ' total to block.  Lace was soaked in luke warm water for 30 minutes and then lovingly slid onto the blocking rods.  Once everything was on the rods each was laid down on the rug in the living room and the pinning began.  i didn't know i even owned so many pins, wow!  It was relatively easy process, but took a lot longer then i thought it would (30 minutes just to slide everything onto the rods and 40 minutes to pin everything in place).

       

This morning it was like Christmas!  Everything was dry and beautiful!!!  I also lucked out and found some time this morning to sew the lace onto the polonaise.  Pretty!!!

   

Now i need to make some cuffs to balance out all of the other trimmings that are starting to pile up on the polonaise.  I'm thinking to stick with the Harebell Lace pattern and add the upper design as found in Victorian Lace Today.  Two layers of cuffs for each sleeve should not take too long...and now that i have conquered my fear of blocking they shouldn't even have to sit around forever once they're done ; )

Pintucks and Lace Dying Disappointments

First the good ... Pintucks!  Here are the pintucks on the dust ruffle of the petticoat.

  

Painful ... dying lace.  Sad, sad, sad...  The lace just didn't want to go to the "black as midnight, black as pitch, blacker then the foulest witch" that i was hoping for.  In the upper left corner is a swatch of the body fabric so you can see just how uncooperative the lace truly was.  Some day the lace will be pulled out of a box and have something done with it.  For now i want to pt it in the paper shredder, but am going to settle for the fabric storage box.

Stripy Underthings Goodness

Progress has been made on my Edwardian Underthings project.  I have fallen head over heels in love with the Cotton Shadow Stripe Fabric...fabalous!!!  Being home for nearly a week i've been ultra productive and i have a whole nother week and a half before my next trip to NY, pleanty of time to finish up this project.

Even through they are just underthings you *never* know how a pattern is going to fit until you sew it up.  So Saturday i busted out the muslin and cut out the bodice and drawers.  I figured that making a muslin of an open back petticoat was kinda silly.  The bodice was fantastic!  No changes necessary at all.  Very impressive Folk Wear.  Next came the drawers... I got them on, stepped in front of the mirror, and decided that the horror was too much to bear and there was no way i was going to be sewing these are wearing them in public.  I really do not like how period drawers/bloomers usually fit.  I knew that i was going to need to make some adjustments, but this was too much.  Apart from being way too full for me personally they were not balanced, so the legs collapsed and bunched up at the leg opening instead of hanging nearly straight off the hips.  Plan B?  Laughing Moon Saloon Girl Drawers to the rescue!  I made these in a short version for my Victorian Saloon Girl Costume for Steam-Con last year and knew they were fantastic.  I lengthened the pattern, skipped the muslin, and found the ruffles from the Edwardian Underthings fit perfectly on the Laughing Moon pattern, nice.

Current Progress:
* Drawers complete, minus ruffle @ Leg Opening
* Petticoat structure complete, minus ruffle layers @ Hem
* Bodice ... 0% complete

All of the seaming has been done using French Seams.  I haven't sewn French Seams since school...damn do they make things look pretty.  The bodice has been on the back burner while i decide if i have time to crochet some lace inserts this week to accent the top.  THe leaning is towards crocheting the lace because i know how purty it is and the sewing pattern even came with corchet patterns for the different inserts on the garments (super awesome too Folk Wear).

A new skill obtained today was using a "Bias Turner".  Awesome little machine that *super* helped as it kept me being able to feel with my fingers versus the normal burning off off my fingertips in sacrifice to the self bias god.  I needed for the waist casing on the petticoat, and had some left over scraps begging to help out.  I spoke with a friend about these a few months back as she made fantastic bias tape.  "New Mommy - get one ... they're everything we thought they might be and more!!!"

Stitches West: Day Three - Enterlac Learning, 50% off bulk yarns, and a Shawl Pin

My last day at Stitches West had a nice late start with a class at 1:30pm.  I decided since i had such an abbreviated schedule for the day i would drive, nice move.  I left about 12:15 and spent an hour listening to Lolita(read by Jeremy Irons, yea!) and not hitting traffic.  Parking was free, this was also a motivating factor.  I'm used to the $15 convention Center parking of Anime Expo, Comic Con, etc.  There even *was* parking when i got there about 1pm.  I spent the next 20 minutes being run around from building to building with no one able to tell me where my class was, very poor planning Stitches people.

Finally with the class located i picked a seat in the back.  I didn't think Enterlac would be terribly difficult for me to pick up, but i wanted to take a class and this was about it that was open when i registered a few weeks after the classes were announced.  The teacher Margaret ??? walked us through the theory of Enterlac, showed examples, and passed out very clear detailed instructions.  We did it together as a class stopping after each section.  I can now do Enterlac!  Here is my progression...

Step One: Knit Base Triangles


Step Two: Knit Right Side Triangle


Step Three: Knit Rectangles


Step Four: Knit Top Triangles to Finish off piece/swatch

Next was a trek back into the Market place to look for more "Black Ice" Cotton yarn for my Vintage Sweater.  Mission accomplished!  a couple of other things slipped into my bag too ; )  Blanket yarn!  I found a very pretty Black, Blue, and Off White that will make a perfect Snowflake crocheted blanket for my bed.  Also two pounds of a beautiful variegated dark color blend yarn that is screaming to be made into a throw for the living room.  Last stop was back to the Tactile booth to procure some items that had been whispering to me for days while i sat and wrote up others gorgeous purchases.  Some Fiber blends, Yellow Sock Yarn (not for socks), and ... the Shawl Pin.  I love this shawl pin, and now need to knit a shawl for it.  Good motivation!

All in all my first Stitches West experience was fun.  It seemed slow, and it will be interesting to see what the crowds are like at wondercon by comparison.  I'm so used to the crowded Anime Cons with small children popping out of every corner, this was a nice difference.  No classes next year i think, unless it's the Japanese Knitting class.

Steampunk Knit Accessories

One thing came to mind the minute i heard about the Steampunk Convention...little lace gloves!  I found the perfect pattern on Ravelry - Mrs. Lovitt's Mitts.  They knit up super quick and looked perfect with both of my "evening" costumes.  I really enjoyed working with the crochet thread.  Shiny...

After working on sewing costumes for 4 days straight, the day of the con i decided that a shawl would be another essential accessory...and i had plenty of left over fabric scraps from the costumes: Denim, Chiffon, and Crepe Satin.  Thus the Steampunk Shawl plan was put into effect.  Cutting the scraps of fabric into 3/4" wide strips of varying lengths (essentially everything i could get out of what i had in the trash pile) and sewing the strips together.  I used my sewing machine on a medium short zigzag stitch, kind of like a stretched out buttonhole, to mimic a bartack.  It worked great the the pieces really stuck together.  I didn't even have any problems moving to the chiffon.  I started on Friday, and was done by Saturday in time for the concert.  This is definitely one of my favorite hand made items of all time.  The purple and blacks look awesome and i think the bows on the back really help to soften up the look.  More fabric strip knitting to come...

 

Also...pictures of the costumes to follow.  Unfortunately i was totally silly and didn't take any at the con, so modeling will hopefully take place this week before the trip to SoCal.  The busy holiday season is upon us.

A Yolo Experience

Today was spent up near Davis in the mild heat checking out the Yolo Fiber Mill.  Amazing stuff!  There were awesome vendors from all different categories, even a guy selling a couple of bottles of Olive Oil.  Tactile was there...and with my wheel!!!  YEA!!!  Sorry, still dancing around the house with a GIANT SMILE.  YEA!!!  Okie, that over, for now : )  Brooke helped me to assemble my beautiful new child, and then i proceeded to camp out spinning for a while.  Bliss...  I had brought some of the Alpaca i bought in Taos and it's spinning wonderfully.  Super soft and such a pretty blue/gren combo.



There was a guided tour of the Mill learning about the carding, spinning, and plying processes on the super mega giant machines.  So many awesome gear shots.  I'm totally getting excited about Steampunk Halloween (separate post to follow with a costume update).

Also managed to remember that my camera takes those moving pictures things...movies i think ; )  Here is the guy who makes the plying happen desmonstrating how it works and another showing the winding off of a skien of yarn.  It's amazing what technology has produced over the years, and more amazing to think that most of these machines were from the 50's-60's ish.

All great things must end

Last night was the last in a four week series of learning to spin on the wheel. This class has been awesome! Not only did i learn, i also understood it and within the month and gotten to really enjoy what i am producing. Sadness in parting with the wheel that i have been renting...but joy that in October i was become the proud owner of a Matchless by Schacht ... oh they're beautiful. October is forever away, but it's totally good timing as i will be traveling to Russia for two weeks in September along with the Taos Fiber Festival the first week of October. Both of these trips require planning and preparation that is not nearly as much fun as listening to War and Peace and spinning.

Yesterday before class was a dash to wash the haul from this week. I love yarn on the back railing...

Finished skeins...

I ran this one back through to give it a bit more twist. It came out wonderful and is currently the favorite.

In the final class i think i finally got Andean plying. I'm still cutting off my circulation, but not as bad, and i was even able to ply the yarn without it getting caught on itself. YEA!!! Last night there was talk of different kinds of classes to potentially be offered. All of which sound awesome. Some ideas thrown out were:

• A Carding Class (Right of the animal/plant...help?)
  
• A Fleece Class (I bought it...now what do i do?)
• A Natural Dye Class
• A Novelty Spinning Class (Beads, sequins, ribbon, oh my!)

All of the classes sound awesome and i can't wait to for my next class with Brooke and Maia (Tactile Fiber Arts). They are both amazing teachers with awesome patience and mad skillz.

Other News:
1) Massive amount of fiber were purchased last night at the end of class (my credit card hurts). Update once pictures and inventory has been taken.
2) I still have at least 35% left to finish on my mom's socks before her birthday, which means before i leave for russia, which means in less then two weeks. Ahhh!!!