Dritz Sew You Adjustable Dress Form, Medium

I'm a professional seamstress, so I needed something very very adjustable that spins and pins. I used to work in a shop that had a Matilda from the turn of the century. She was a size 12, her height was adjustable but not her size, and you could pin to your heart's content and never worry that you would break her. Admittedly that Matilda had ugly fabric on her, but we used to have fun dressing her up with new slip covers. Ever since I left the shop I have been dreaming about buying a Matilda (or something similar), but they are very expensive and I just can't wait any longer. So I shopped around quite a bit and decided on this one. It's very nearly perfect. She spins, (I would argue that she does not pin), she's lightweight (Matilda was NOT), she's a lovey shade of emerald, and her feet do not scratch my wood floors.Pros:Very adjustable, cranked in she's roughly a size 2-4, cranked out she's close to an 18. Her height is also adjustable. Yesterday I dropped her all the way down, and beaded the bodice on a wedding gown while sitting comfortably in a chair. Then I cranked her all the way up and trimmed a tulle hem while sitting in the same chair.Lightweight, I can easily pick her up and set her on the table so I can work on a complicated hem without having to sit or lay on the floor, which is awesome because I have bad knees and do not get up off the floor quickly or gracefully.She was very affordable, enough so that I'm thinking about buying a large model too. The other ones I've been looking at would have cost me $400 each and I would have needed one in each size to cover my client base. Where would I put all that and how would I PAY for it?Expanding neck, which Matilda did not have at all.She spins and spins easily (which is critical for me as I can run hems through the sewing machine while the weight of the dress is held up and not falling off the sewing table).Cons:She's mostly plastic, which might not hold up long term especially with my workload (yesterday she had 3 different wedding gowns on her, today will be worse). I get that the torso has to be plastic, but I wish the feet and adjustment gears were metal.The skirt marker isn't long enough for wedding gowns and/or full skirts.She's rather flat chested (although I suppose it's easier to add than subtract).She's really isn't pin-able. I'm going to make a couple of padded sleeves to pull down over her, so the gaping holes don't offend my (larger than a size 2) brides and I can pin fabric to her. But how hard would it be to add some padding in the manufacturing process and charge me an extra $10-20 for that? Not too hard I bet.She has dials all over, I think she would be vastly improved if she had fewer dials that operated multiple openings with a readable dimension on the dial. So if I has a customer that measured 38, 25, 39, I could adjust one dial for each dimension and be done.I also wish that there was a way to adjust the height to a specific measurement. I can adjust the height yes, but I can't adjust it to exactly 5'-2". I have to guess at it, then measure and adjust, over and over until it's just so.I wish she had wheels, because I move her around all the time, and I have to be careful not to drag her because the torso pulls off the pole rather easily. I'm thinking about buying a scooter and fixing her base to it. But again, how hard would it be to add the wheels to the manufacturing process? Not too hard I bet.

I was hesitant to buy this dress form as I was concerned that my budget was too little to buy anything of quality. For reference, I have previously owned two Singer dress forms in a similar adjustable style. I have found this form to be sturdy and easier to adjust than those forms. To be fair, both of my previous forms are several years old. I gave them away to family members during a lull in my sewing.My next concern was that it would look weird in my apartment. I don't have a lot of space and after owning two bright blue ones, I didn't want to add an eye sore. This green color sits perfectly in my room (I have a lot of dark wood furniture) and looks like it belongs. My partner loves to hang their jacket on it when they come over!In terms of practicality, beyond a good degree of sturdiness, I have found it really easy to pin fabric or attach loose pins to bare sections of the form. However, The foam pin cushion at the top is not useful for easy access as every time that I try to pull a pin out, the entire foam section lifts along with it. This could be a quick fix but I am not to fussed for right now. Pinning loose pins to the form is working well enough for me.Below is a quick, condensed overview.This is perfect for someone who:- sews occasionally, maybe working on 1-4 projects a month.- sews light-medium weight garments. Everyday garments. Nothing too heavy.- is on a budget but needs a form to help with draping.Pros:- Easy to assemble.- Not an eyesore.- Sturdier than older adjustable forms (in my opinion).Cons:- Faint smell of plastic and chemicals when you open the box (it goes away but is off-putting).- Not the neatest care and construction on the inside. I question it's long term durability after a few years.- A little bit challenging to adjust at first but if you read the instructions and are patient, it gets easier quickly.- Foam cushion = uselessBottom line: if you have excess money to spare, maybe look for a form of better quality. However, this does the job perfectly fine!

My latest ADHD hobby goal is to teach myself to sew. I've had the machine for 20 years. It was relatively simple to set up. I took a bunch of measurements, padded out the form with a bra that I filled with fiberfill and a cloth mannequin cover. used more fiberfill under the cover in appropriate areas to match my measurements and height. It's lightweight, but I don't have to worry about it being handled roughly. I'm the only one who will touch it. It's definitely not for heavy-duty wear and tear. It took a while to get it dialed into my body, with padding. The cover was far more economical than buying padded forms for the mannequin. I already had the fiberfill.Now I'm ready to attempt my first clothing project. 🤞🏽🤞🏽