Zaftig Dress Form

i am tired of "sitting on the sidelines" as far as fashion is concerned...i have some curves, some big ones, and am tired of obsessing over vintage fashions but telling myself i am not allowed to wear such cute clothing just because i am too heavy to wear it.  tired tired tired of putting my sewing and design skills "on hold."

so...i found some instructions and videos online to make either a duct tape or packing tape dummy of oneself.  i am in a weird size range where my bone structure is too small for plus size patterns and clothing, but have too much padding in the bust for misses' sizes. i know how to drape and alter paper patterns to accommodate for a larger cup size, but a dress form of my figure makes it more convenient to whip something up quicker!

 for extra credit in my draping class i took at Wayne State, a group of girls and i made plaster molds and then foam dress forms...but i have long since outgrown that form.  and i kept telling myself, wait wait until i lose a few pounds, well, a few more...and i am tired of waiting.  now that i have a little extra time in my day i really want to start making clothing again.  the whole Michigan uniform:  tee-shirt, jeans, and UGG boots  is not me.

i get really frustrated with store-bought clothing not fitting right...ever.  and even the patterns sold at Joann's stores are made for a woman with a B cup size bust...something i looooonnnnng outgrew.  i sometimes lose patience with the cost of materials, but have found a website that often runs $1.95/yd deals for leftover designer fabrics!  incredible!  Fabric.com

hopefully today i am off to the hardware store to buy a few rolls of duct tape, or maybe off to an office supply store to buy packing tape.  i will photodocument the process so that other full figure fashionistas can have a reference for making a dress form.  too many of the videos i found on Youtube waste time on filming the people shopping for materials and a lot of the girls don't have boobs as big as mine...i really want to figure out a way to get an accurate fit...

because dressing up is not about what size you are...it's about clothing that fits and flatters.  i am so tired of tented blouses and dresses that make you look like a balloon...pants that fit in the hips but not the waist, dresses that have a waistline that is way too high on the body for me and my busty figure.

 wish me luck!