Dress Form System, Black, Large

I purchased a cheap-o dress form (http://www.joann.com/decorative-burlap-dress form--silver-polka-dot-print/14207997.html) during an epic sale at Joann. She has the typical flat ass of a standardized dress form, but I figured when pairing her with this system I'd spend less and have a more customized form than buying a finicky adjustable form.Hysteria* is a perfectly postured and perky-----35 / 28 / 35.5-----I am a-----32E/DD / 29 / 41-----with, as a good friend once told me, the "ass of a sista". (Two-dimensionally, my hips are only 1" wider than my shoulders; it's all in the boot.) Apologies for the tangent, but I am reminded of a line from the dearly missed show, Coupling, "Having a bottom is living with the enemy. Not only do they spend their lives slowly inflating, they flirt with men while we're looking the other way." Truer words, my friends.Note: For a better visual understanding of [my] bust as "E/DD" sounds porn-star-huge, I am 31.75 underbust, 36.75 bust, 35 overbust.If you're adding 4" to calculate bra size, STOP!! Volume-wise, my "fun bags" would theoretically sit well in a 36C. Of course, the band would ride up from looseness, my straps would repeatedly slip off my shoulders (sans "help" from the fiance), and the underwire would be too wide. And, in case it helps (which is doubtful due to the seemingly random nature of women's sizing), I usually wear an eight in both dresses and pants--though the cut of a brand's pants can make any size ill-fitting on me.The medium worked perfectly. The burlap of the original form actually worked quite well as it kept the foam from slipping when wrestling with the cover (not as bad as some said; the only difficult part was getting over the shoulders) and held the fleece batting by itself! I ended up using all 17 pieces save for two fillers (the kit contains one stomach pad, pairs of shoulder, side back, bust, side hip, upper hip, back hip, & thigh pads, and four filler pads contoured similarly as removable push-up bra pads). Despite using both the upper hip & back hip/buttock along with two filler pads in my coccyx-injury-buffer, the side back as my shoulder blades, and the thigh pads *way* low on the sides of my hips, I used the pads where originally intended. I also added a few flat strips of batting here and there to better define pudge and to pad out to my measurements (most notably in the belly and the front of the ribs).Hysteria is not exactly me (my shoulder blades are slightly less protruding, my bust should be a little wider--probably fixable, and my hips jut in at the front a bit more between belly and thigh--not fixable as I'd be cutting into the fiberglass of the form), but I highly doubt she could be any closer without spending $500++ for a custom form. I only noticed any wonkiness, some of which I've easily fixed already, when hanging my WiP wedding dress (almost done!), which I know fits me *perfectly*--ALWAYS make a muslin/mock-up first! ...then rip the seams apart, re-sew, rip, sew, rip, sew, rinse, repeat.It has been noted before, but I'll repeat: the two-paneled side-seam cover is the first layer when placing the pieces. The princess-lined cover (with a mildly finer knit and turtleneck) goes on top once done adjusting. I did need to stretch the knit to adjust where the princess seams fell, mostly for future use (e.g. bust point, etc.), but that was no biggie.I was hoping the included instructions offered hints or clues using both my and my form's measurements, but I didn't need one in the end. The "chart" many have referred to is just a form for entering my own measurements (i.e. neck, shoulder, over/full(/oddly no under) bust, various vertical points, waist, mid hip, hip, etc.). I would have otherwise included a photo of this magical and helpful chart.Although easily changeable and adjustable, I wouldn't recommend it for frequent changes (i.e. professionals with many clients) as it does take some time to place, measure, eyeball, adjust, rinse, repeat. For an individual who has gained or lost some weight over a year or two, no worries.*Although I originally intended my dress form to remain unnamed, I felt I should name her as I keep referring to her as "her". Amused by another naming her form "Sharona" (i.e. this is "my Sharona" LOL), my form's name rushed to mind when I thought about funny song puns. She after all is named after one of my favorite Muse songs.

I've been thinking about building my own dress form (duct tape method) for some time. My measurements are such that no ready-made dress form would be an accurate reflection of me -- to get a bust large enough, the waist would be too large. Plus I have read the reviews that the inexpensive forms by Singer and Dritz are poorly made, and I wasn't about to drop $500 on an professional dress form to support my little hobby, only to have it not match my curves anyway.I came across this product last week and immediately ordered it, thinking that perhaps I could build out an existing form that I have for display - it's one of those heavy-duty cloth-covered forms that look really good in a retail store but aren't adjustable. I got it for free several years ago when a store went out of business, but it's a size 8 and, alas, I am not.I ordered the Large size system. None of the pads are marked, so when the instructions refer to specific pads, you are left to guess which is which, but it's fairly easy to work out after some trial and error. I deviated from the instructions in that I took all the measurements that the instructions recommended on both myself AND my existing mannequin. I think this is an important step, whether you're starting from something that's close to your size or, like me, something that's pretty far off.I also took an under-bust measurement. This is not included in the list but it is a critical fit area for me and, I suspect, other large-busted women with smaller waist, ribcage and shoulder sizes.I'm glad I did both sets of measurements because I was able to see that I very nearly matched the mannequin in the under-bust, over-bust and shoulder areas, but I had a longer waistline and a slightly lower bust point. And of course my waist and hips were larger, and my bust was significantly larger. There weren't enough pads in the kit to make up such a large difference in measurement, but other reviews had stated this and I knew it going in.I started by using strips of fleece to pad out the ribcage-to-waist portion of the mannequin until my underbust and midpoint between there and my waist were exact. It didn't take much. Then I built up the upper bust area until it matched. Once those two areas were good, I started from the top down per the instructions, placing pads on top on the fleece. The pads were really great to create the curves of my body - this would have been very difficult if not impossible to do with fleece or batting. As a very busty person, I had to add additional padding under the bust pads, even after using both sets of filler pads that were included in the kit. In retrospect, I should have used fleece to fill out that area so I could have used the filler pads elsewhere.I gradually worked my way through the first steps of the process, measuring and measuring, padding and padding, as I went. Once the first cover was in place and I had checked all measurements again, I added a good-fitting bra and filled in the cups until the bust measurement were correct. I smoothed other areas that needed it using bits of fleece, then added the second cover.Some reviews wonder why there are two covers. I like having two. The first holds everything in place and you can reach under and shift curves to your liking. The second helps to smooth everything out, and it has princess seams, unlike the first, so it creates additional contours.I'm very happy with the final result. It took me about 2 hours to do the job, but the result is worth it. I can pin into the form and it really is a good replica of my curvy hourglass figure. The plus side is that, as I lose or (God forbid) gain weight, I can readjust the contours of the mannequin simply by removing the covers and repositioning the pads. It might take me another couple of hours, but I won't have to pay for a new mannequin.All in all, I'm very glad I bought this product. It was a huge savings over buying a professional dress form, and was a much better result than a duct-tape form. There was a lot of trial and error, and you need to know where you have fit issues and be sure to take good measurements in those areas. Compare your measurements to your existing dress form before you start, and you should get a much better result faster than if you just start slapping on pads. If you're expecting to just put them on and be done with it, you'll be disappointed. But if you want an easy way to customize a dress form (or the only way to get something that matches your unique curves, as in my case) then I really think you'll be happy with it.

Wish there had been 2 sets of bust forms !!! All the other foam pieces are interchangeable but the one set of bust foams is limiting .

Good product. Does the job. Pricey. Arrived quickly.

Makes adding size to my model , very easy