Dressform WIP

Last week, I ordered a Dritz dressform and a Fabulous Fit foam package. I've attempted a few times to size her up properly, and each time there is the smallest improvement. This is her in her current glory:

She's wearing one of my tightest fitting dresses to test out her shape. So far, I am not satisfied, but it's getting better.
I picked out the Dritz My Double Deluxe Petite, because at 5'1", I thought it would be helpful to have the shorter back-to-neck measurement. That doesn't seem to have mattered, since you can place the Fabulous Fit pads basically anywhere and change it. It is nice that her neck is smaller, though.

I purposely bought a dressform that was too small, as this seemed ideal to add on the Fabulous Fit padding... but I think she is a little too narrow.

The Dritz dressform has several hard-to-turn dials which expand her measurements. They're OK, but not really feasible if you were trying to change her size on a regular basis.

Here's the front of the Fabulous Fit box. I have yet to say, "She looks just like me!"

The back of the box, and the instructions inside, make this all seem so easy! I was not expecting this to be as much of a struggle as it has been. The box itself has information on sizing (I'm guessing those are US dress sizes, not actual garment industry/pattern sizing), but this information isn't available on the Amazon listing.

In the box is a bag of foam shapes, some instructions, and two covers. The covers are designed for the Fabulous Fit dressforms, and are much longer than the Dritz form.

The words, "IDENTIFY YOUR PADS" never fail to crack me up. I think it's the all-caps.

Apart from the very, very, VERY shitty construction and materials, I've found that the Dritz form is extremely square. She has a dial on each side–that is, front, back, left side, right side–and it really shows, because she just gets boxier as you expand her.

I don't have corners!

She still needs a lot of work done–that makes it sound like she's getting plastic surgery, but really, when I'm going in there and moving the foam pads around, it's not far off!

I definitely DO NOT recommend the Dritz dressform.

The Fabulous Fit system, though, is pretty awesome*. We'll see how well it holds up over time, but on a better dressform, I think it can perform extremely well.
(*This is an affiliate link; I receive 4% of any associated purchase as credit.)

Considering how much work it has been to set up this dressform looking accurate, though, I think honestly I would just recommend doing the duct-tape version, as it's faster, cheaper, and probably more accurate. If you're like me and have felt that the duct-tape dressform would look unattractive, you could probably just use Mod Podge and cover it in an attractive fabric.

I'm not super happy with this adventure, but oh well! Life is full of lessons. I'll get her looking JUST LIKE ME eventually!