I am glad you are sharing this, because a lot of women start sewing exactly BECAUSE they are not the shape that off the shelf garmets are made for! But what a success, if you can really start making things that enhance you instead of just covering youself up. So the dess form itself does not need to be nice. The clothes you make with it should. So brace youself for the impact and then smile when you make the first garmets that fit you!
Yes, I have had several people have an issue with this. It is so hard to be confronted by an exact or close replica is undeniable. I spent 30 years over 250 lbs. and I am now 170 but it really messes with your emotions. Dress her in your favorite corset and dress to get the naked image away. It’s hard, and you are beautiful and your right it’s human and real and valid sending love and comfort
I have yet to sew up my Bootstrap dressform pattern (was definitely going to double check what measurements I submitted - almost 2 years ago - compared to my body now before I start, though I don't think I've changed much) but I am already mentally preparing for the dread at seeing it the first time. I had made a duct tape body form about 15years ago and that surprised me at first, and honestly made me sad, but the more I sat with it and looked at it, and hung clothes on it, the more I realized it WAS ME! And I didn't look bad at all! Same sequence of events when I got a personalized croquis done up for sketching. It took time to accept it and then appreciate it. It's a hard thing to undo a lifetime of negative self-talk. Little by little I am getting there.
This video felt like you were talking about me. When I made my own dress form the way Morgan Donner did, I bawled my eyes out after it was finished. I was ashamed of myself. Up until age 30 I was always the tall girl with the teeny tiny waist. Then autoimmune disease hit and in 10 years later I have gained almost 100 lbs, but never thought of myself as having a negative body image until staring at my body “double”. Thank you for sharing this and proving we are not alone. Much love to you! You are so beautiful and you create some absolutely stunning work that is so unique and gorgeous. I can’t wait to see what comes next.
Dearest wonderful human. This is the first video of yours that I have watched, and it broke me. I suffer from debilitating health conditions that cause my body to work against anything I do. My body is something I have genuinely hated for most of my life. Which in turn means that I have never felt confident and have severe anxiety towards how I look. Now that I am older, I tend to just ignore how I look and try not to look in a mirror. I'm just starting my custom body form project and the first time I saw the mock up of the pattern, I ended up so unbelievably upset. Your video gave me some hope that maybe I'm not alone. Maybe my body isn't repulsive. Thank you for having this chat and putting it out to the world. You are loved and cherished and you deserve the best things in your life. 🌻🌻🌻
I've now had my form for about year. It's gotten better. I've come to the conclusion that the dress form and my body are just tools to get things done. I hope your form helps you do the same ♥️ you got this
I think you have great wardrobe choices, from veiwing the photos that you took of yourself. I think you look sharp, and have good taste in clothes, and I'm a bit envious of that.
Thank you for being so open and vulnerable ❤ I often feel like I almost look pregnant. It's comforting to know I'm not alone, even though I also wish that no one had to deal with this and feel bad for being comforted by others feeling the same...
Body image issues are about 3/4 of the reason I haven't gotten around to a custom dress form. :/ Chronic fatigue here too, I feel you. A friend had bloating issues and it was food related, wheat, soy, dairy would mess her up!
It is completely human to feel uncomfortable when looking at a dress form that is your exact copy. When I finally got mine padded out it was difficult for a about a week. And you are so right about asking a woman about pregnancy. When I was in college I had a pretty difficult year where I took 19 hours one semester and I was working 32 hours a week and so I had gained some weight and one of my customers thought they were close enough to ask if I was pregnant. I still remember vividly how upset that made me. A few weeks later another asked me if I was an athlete because my legs were so 'buff'. I had a really healthy body image but I'm also a realist and I had been planning on doing less the next semester and working on my diet as well I just didn't currently have the time. Unfortunately I went through a couple of weeks where I extremely hard on my self and over analyzed every meal and how much I needed it. 2 months later I started showing signs of blood sugar issues and oddly I finally was able to regain a healthy attitude about what and how often I should be eating. Sadly when I did become pregnant I was 5 months before people realized not because I am overweight but because my daughter just didn't gain weight properly and ended up being born at 3.5 pounds despite me gaining 40 pounds because I was eating 3 extra meals a day to try and get her to gain to a healthy weight. There were no risk factors for her problems and we don't know what caused them. I look back and the irony is crazy no one even knew I was pregnant unless I had told them until 5 months. I know I am an anomaly but the fact is heath conditions are far more common than we realize and acknowledging someone's weight gain out loud will only hurt them so thank you for saying it.
I’ve had a negative body image for a long time. I have a pattern for one, but made myself stop before making it. So, yeah. I think it’s better for me that I don’t make it right now. You’re a beautiful woman. Try not to let it get to you. You’re not struggling alone. Thanks for sharing!!! Love you!!!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings on this subject. Your words helped me get through this dress form process a bit easier. Hope you are doing well!
I made one for my daughter and it was a huge mistake. She has an adorable hourglass figure, but all she could see was a mushy middle. Part of the problem with this type of dress form is that it reduces us to just a small part of our body and it may or may not be our best part. It doesn't include arms, legs, and neck.. all of the things that help show the length of your body and not just the width. Even if it's an accurate representation of your size, it's not an accurate representation of you proportions as a whole, if that makes sense. Try to keep in mind how many fabulously figured women you know who are your size and know that their dress forms also seem imperfect. Hopefully you'll be reminded to see yourself as others see you.. not just as a torso, but from smiling eyes, long limbs, and luscious curves, all the way down to the floor.
This! I've done two dressforms for me 10+ years and kg:s ago. It was not pleasant. The duct tape one smelled so bad she had to stand on the balcony (over the street) for half a year. Which felt like I was there naked every time I looked out of the window 😆 But those previous ones both had shoulders. I'm now starting my Bootstrap dressform and feel a bit antsy about it. Even though those 10+ years have helped me to enjoy being me more. Bloats and all.
I can very much relate. I invited one of my sweet sister-in-law for a duck tape dressform date. I understood that she is a lot smaller than me but visualization of the difference between the two shapes was devastating. She already understands my body image issues and tried to encourage me how well my form turned out but I stayed shocked. I needed a form for draping a gown so I just started to cover it with layers and felt better.. I even put a wig on top which freaked my family out cause they felt I was standing there as they entered the room... Lol scarecrow for my sewing room. Then I got a dressform for Xmas and was kind of hurt like my actual replica wasn't good enough?! Not only that. The factory made form wasn't even the right size. Talking about slap in the face. Later I decided I am going to work on my health and strive to one day fit the commercial form. I was doing a program and felt like I lost some inches around my waist, felt cuter like you did that day. I thought oh I should measure the form to see how many inches do I need to lose to fit that. I was shocked cause on the highest setting it was exactly my measurements. that was the moment I realized I made a total hunchback and deformed shaped form just by somewhat unevenly stuffing. I am grateful for the day i discovered I wasn't as huge as I stuffed "my form self". Since then even when I feel very negatively I remind myself I am probably just too hard on myself and it will be alright as long as I do my best to stay the healthiest I can be at that moment,. do my best, acknowledge my efforts and accept things that I can't change and never compare myself to others. It's a hard road but so worth it. Much love to you all, thank you for your vulnerability so I can ponder about it myself.
Who you are is what has drawn me to you as a creator. I love your work and you have taught me so much. You have made me feel comfortable making costumes even though I’m not thin I feel feel lovely in my clothes. Thank you for this.
Relatable. I am built like the Venus of Willendorf. Admittedly, the cutest of all the venuses, BUT STILL! Everything else is pure and straight forward CAMOUFLAGE! And yeah, let's call it what it is, it makes you feel ugly. And everyday, when I take a shower and I am just in my underwear, I feel ugly and the fact that I have a mirror that faces the shower door does not help. So, everyday, I do my hair and put on my eyes and get dressed and the camouflage is complete, and people say "You're so pretty." and I always reply, with a little laugh, "Psh, yeah, but not in this body." And I go back to sewing.
I think part of the issue while stuffing the form is with the perspective. Since the form is stuffed from the bottom, and we usually view our bodies from the top down, the changed angle magnifies the area closest to the eye, and makes the farther areas look even smaller by comparison.
About a week after I finished the first stage of my dress form overhaul, I stopped working on it because body image gremlins took over my brain. They really can mess a person up! I kept adding padding and then I’d go have tea or stitch something else because ALL the feels! This has become an amazing tool to work with, but dang. I’m SO grateful for you sharing your vulnerability and experience about this too!!! It needs to be shared so that we have community about this. We come in different shapes and sizes and have value! You’re an amazing artist and I’m so glad you’re creating and sharing.
I am really fat and I found out this year I have PCOS so naturally I looked into how to manage it and started on the keto diet, then I ran into the carnivore diet and my bloating was like gone in like 2-3 days of doing carnivore, which is insane, and the most insane thing is it's actually lasting. I used to have better days and worse days with bloating (and other uncomfortable symptoms) but this really blew my mind. Just wanted to put this info out there because I have been strugling with bloating most of my life and this really helped so maybe someone will benefit from it. I hope you have a great day!
@@Mamado88I did it for 30 days, had to stop because I was getting so dehydrated it was ridiculous, I had constant headaches due to it even though I never got them in the past and I drank enough water. I think it worked best out of all the diets I ever tried in regards to fat loss, especially the edema just vanished essentially in those 30 days. But I wouldn't say it is sustainable for me tbh, both logistically and physically, it was hard to eat enough like not much more than 1200cal a day. If I could manage to eat more and stay hydrated I might be able to do it for a couple more months but definitely not long term I don't think. Also what I did notice after this diet is I became a lot more susceptible to getting sick, like my digestive system gave me a lot of issues still like chronic loose stools (Still have them months after)
What an incredible and thoughtful video to make. I feel like I’ve always just rode the roller coaster of my body weight and it’s fluctuations due to health concerns. I too have really adapted to look at a garment and know if it will suit my size and shape, but have been caught off guard at times and almost felt a disappointment at not feeling like I understand and know my own body. I’ve been watching all these tutorials to make a dress form and was intrigued by your video, I am so grateful to you for reminding me that when/if I make it that I will need to allow time to be patient with myself and also accept that I may not want to continue. I feel like I have a similar body shape to you and can now remember that mine may not look like the ones in all of the other tutorials. I think that the form not having arms also visually would emphasise a shape that has a smaller bust and larger hips. This video was so personal and kind, thank you for sharing such a vulnerable and emotional experience and I hope doing so has helped you in even a tiny way. The mirror selfies you showed really did highlight your understanding of what suits and flatters your body.
I deal with many of the same health issues, and have always struggled with body positivity. You are right, let's talk, and affirm, and change perceptions as much as possible!
Please learn to love urself. I struggled with this for years. I had a priest say once that we are to love others as we love ourselves but we cannot properly love others if we don’t love ourselves. I had to teach myself to talk to myself the way i would talk to my friends. I hope this comment helps you and just know that will be praying for you and everyone else that struggles with this because I have been there and done that and I hate to see people struggle with this problem. 😢❤
So, I really don't know your content much yet, but this video was fantastic. You're right, this needs to be talked about, and you're awesome for doing it. I get that bloating issue, too (like, 5" between breakfast and lunch) and am having to rethink my entire style and wardrobe to have clothes that don't hurt. I'm also so glad that your mom was supportive. I'm just starting to let go of the negative issues mine taught me. Cheers, from a 30-something who is thoroughly impressed by you right now.
I have the same issues with fatigue, bloating, and muscle and joint pain. Also, I need a lot of sleep. I recently gained 2 pounds while fasting. The doctors don't have any answers for me. I'm beginning to try to accept it, but it's not easy. No matter what I do, I can't improve. I am a size 24, 5'6" tall with a D cup and narrow shoulders and 55" hips. It's really ugly to me. I'm trying, like you, to increase here and decrease there and pivot here and there, etc. I used to feel thin, believe it or not, but I really see myself as a am now and it's depressing. I ordered a basic sloper type pattern and am going to try to alter the pieces to my measurements and make a dress form from that. I've been buying beautiful fabric to make things and am going to start dressing up even though I look this way. How long do I have to wait to be perfect so I deserve to wear beautiful things? Exercise is hard because of the fatigue, but I'm just going to do it and I've decided that for myself, if I die from overdoing it, so be it. I'm tired of this illness, whatever it is, controlling my life while my lab tests always come back normal. It was wonderful to see your video and learn that there are a lot of people like me. Thanks so much!
This is a big part of why i have not done the bootstrap dress form. When i padded out my adjustable i did it in stages and it was easier to deal with that way. the all at once nature of the bootstrap stuffing step scares me, but only because i have worked so hard to be accepting of my body as a good functional shell for my consciousness and i dont want to damage that.
Congratulations on your first YT "Play" button. Well done! I've been putting off doing a Bootstrap. Partially, because we're rearranging our small one-bedroom apartment to fit everything we have already. Partially, because the body dysmorphia that it will likely inspire. Oh Mah Gawd - is that what I really look like... why is my belly That large... I was a teenager in the 80's. And I was wee. But even then, body image was a thing. To the point that there were, like, 9 or 10 of my graduating class from high school who were diagnosed and in treatment for anorexia/bulimia. Since then, I've gained weight and dress sizes. Somehow I don't think that's a coincidence. Anywho... I'm rambling. Take care, Kiddo. Happy Canada Day. And enjoy the 4th (you lucky ones who get fireworks...). - Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown
Agreed, I'm also a product of the 80s, and if you weren't rail thin, you were fat. I have exercise induced asthma, but back then was told that I was just fat and lazy and I needed to run more. At my smallest, I was a size 8, and that was still HUGE compared to my classmates. Now, six kids and Diastasis Recti later -- my options for having a figure are surgery, a corset or other firm wear, and/or hold in your stomach. I'm sewing around this problem.
@@michellecornum5856 This is Exactly what got me into sewing. I got yelled at by my anorexic friends for eating raisins. Because "they're fattening". Have you seen the Claymation commercials fer fuuu. 'Eff the flippin' poor quality clothing that we get offered up and are somehow suppose to be grateful for even finding something that's not a complete disaster. I'm rolling this back to try to learn what my Port Arthur and Fort William Grannies and Great Grannies just somehow Knew - how to make themselves look great. The few pieces I've been able to make for myself feel like armor when I walk down the street. Finally. Something fitted to the body I'm actually in. My Maternal Great Granny? She's the Edwardian. In the 30's she could find an ad for a coat in the evening newspaper (they also got the morning paper - for those of you post analog humans...). If she liked that coat. She could take that ad as the basis. And we're probably talking a line drawing... if she's lucky... She'd use the very newspaper to freehand draw her own coat. Flat pattern. Poof. I believe that is what Kathy Hay is talking about when she says tailors speak of "rock of eye". I think that sort of thing only lives at places like the Dior ateliers. I want that level of knowledge back in the family. And I want to look fabulous while I get there... Geeesh, I'm rably tonight. Apologies. Happy Canada Day. Moment of silence for the Native and Inuit Children who went through the "school" system. Please google.
I’ve been trying to think what to write. But nothing expresses my gratitude and admiration for your bravery properly. I thought I was weird for worrying that I might struggle with this sort of dress form. Thank you for helping me work though my thinkings. You’re a star x
💖 I wake up every morning and look in the mirror and say I love myself no matter what size I AM! You're beautiful no matter how you may feel. Keep your head up! 💖
I made one as well, and it messed with my head too. Not while sewing, actually, but when taking the measurements. It was weird, but not really unexpected. I’ve worked on my body image for so long I kinda know when it will be triggered. It sounds like your mother was supportive, though, and that is a good thing! (I don’t want to say I’m jealous, but I am) Mine would’ve told me to take it as a sign she was right all along and I need to loose weight.
Thank you for your video about this. I knew going into making a dress form from duct tape that it was going to trigger my body dysmorphia and I still plugged ahead. I got the form off myself and am struggling now with looking at it and finishing it. I am glad I’m not the only one with these thoughts. ❤
Just coming across this video now as I'm considering getting this pattern - THANK YOU for acknowledging this. I had a very similar reaction last year when I was learning flat patterning and made my first sloper set using my own measurements. I was so sure I'd messed something up because my pattern pieces didn't look anything like the "standard" slopers. Then when my mockups actually ended up fitting well, it...somehow made me feel worse? It really is hard to put into words. Ultimately, having a good base to make things that actually fit my body has been super helpful, but...yeah. ALL the feels. ❤
I see my body weird too... but oN my body. I got a custom croquis from mybodymodel and was like... wait it looks smaller?? but friends confirmed it was my shape. So I struggle with proportions ON my body which is interesting. But I will say I am a bit scared to make a bootstrap form... I want one but I'm scared of facing it in 3D - will it be the same as with my 2D croquis? Or will it unleash a lot.
Thank you for being so open about this. I too suffer from the ever changing waist line. I have PCOS which causes severe bloating through out the day among a whole other host of awful things. When I pay close attention to my diet I am able to control it for the most part but when I get depressed (another side effect) it's really hard to go through the mental and physical tasks to make your self special food. And to be honest when I look pregnant it does break my heart because I am infertile and it's just unfair.
I am about to purchase this dress form path and also have struggled with body image in the past. I often see myself as much larger than I am. I am grateful for this video because I didn't account for this process to potentially be triggering. I'm definitely going in this direction as I save up for a 3D printed dress form and this also is a cheap way to make customized forms for clients while working on their projects but now I am prepared in case stuff comes up and even able to discuss with clients as I use sewing as mental health support for myself and others. Thank you for your vulnerability!
As someone who doesn't normally struggle with body image, I felt the need to talk about this SO strongly. Because if it can get me, it will get others. And people should be prepared. I hope everything goes well for you! Now that I've lived with it for a year, it's definitely become a useful tool.
Thank you for your courage and your honesty. Every woman today has body image issues. It is good to realize it is not "just me." Sending love and good vibes! :)
Thank you so much for sharing this. It helps me to see someone else talk about struggling with their body shape. I have gender dysphoria, so I can relate a lot to this. I think it's why I've procrastinated for so long on getting my own tailored dress form.
Yup. I've been looking at Bootstrap patterns as the most viable/affordable way to get a dress form that works for me, and I've been hesitating because I really don't want to look at myself "in the raw" like that. Thank you for posting; it's very validating that someone as lovely as you are has these same thoughts.
I had such a hard time when I made my duck tape form. I knew I would, thankfully, so I made it MONTHS before I needed it to make my foam armor. It gave me the chance to breakdown, set it aside, and build up to being okay looking at it. My partner helped me make it and when I stuffed it, checked a bunch of measurements to verify that, yes, that is what shape and size my body is, I asked him how he could bear to even look at me because I could barely bring myself to. In the years since, I've mostly been able to move from hatred to indifference to occasional joy because I started comparing my naked duck tape form to other people I find beautiful and it's made me able to think "I like my body form" because it looks like they do. And it's hasn't been too hard to take that extra step to "I like my body". You are one of those people. I still have bad days, but I don't completely avoid the mirror anymore. I know it's okay to struggle and I know we've got this
Thank you for sharing! I have many of the same symptoms as you described and I am on a healing journey which has meant weight gain for me at this time. My bloated belly is regularly mistaken for a pregnancy belly and I am inquired of and congratulated often. It is so helpful to know other people struggle with similar issues. We are not alone ❤️
I can understand the feelings you had in this process. But, that is exactly why I wanted to make one for myself. I'm not happy with how my body looks and RTW clothing has NEVER fit me properly. On the other hand, I don't want to hide in my clothes, either. After I retired, I decided to conquer that negative image and fear of how I looked. I'm still in the process, but I think it's going to look like me, for better or worse. But, my goal is to learn to sew for myself, first and then for any shape of body. When something really fits and is comfortable to wear, it's an amazing feeling!
Thank you for sharing. It's not an easy thing to do. I understand how you feel as that's why I hesitate to make myself clothing because I have a fear that I will have spent all the time on something beautiful and it won't look that way on me. Forms without a head and arms and legs are completely off in proportion and look messed up in our minds. I send you hugs.
Ugh. I recently got back in to sewing. I had to draft new pattern blocks. All of my 20 year old self’s measurements were scribbled in my pattern book. 15 years ago but it’s a weird feeling and it’s so just in your face when sewing and pattern drafting in general. My husband is like “you look good” and it’s like I’m not saying I’m ugly, but I’m also not that 20 year old kid who was scribbling in that pattern book anymore. He wasn’t healthy, and he was really hangry. Like all the time. Thanks for sharing and opening the conversation. It’s important.
I had similar dysmorphia trying to pad up my dressform. I kept adding and adding and measuring and having to add more. I didn't finish for other reasons (got distracted by other projects) but I'm sure some part was mental resistance. Having an apparent stomach should not be such a big deal, but society tells us it is, and we internalize it. I also can relate on health stuff. Hope you get to a great place in that and in image. I think your clothes look fantastic. Maybe this isn't the right way to say this, but you're human with a human body shape and your size and tummy are not bad things. (And neither are mine.) I really enjoy your videos. Thanks for sharing! 💜💜💜
I Just got my dress form and padded her up. I’m sure that most ppl might not want to admit that’s you. … facts are the human form is amazing… we can focus on the things that we don’t like.. but you we are amazing. I learned to measure the length side to side, not just the whole waist it would give you a true measurement on the dress form.
Thank you so much for that video! I struggled with my image when I was thinner, and also now that I'm bigger. I think the main issue I have is the difference between how people see me and the way I see myself. When I was thinner people always said I could be a model or some stupid s**t like that, when all I saw was a very thin lady who could skip a meal or have a late meal because it would make me feeble and angry. Then I put on some weight, and after a period of adjustment and throwing away all of my clothes which was really hard, and figuring out what fit me, there were the commentaries again. Like my mother, who also struggles with her own body image, asking if I felt bad about my body. Not HOW I felt, but IF I felt bad, as if it was a necessary thing to feel. I try my best to not really care about my body, and for me the solution is having a clothes that I don't have to think about. Clothes that, on a good or bad day, in the morning or at the end of a very bloated day, don't bother me and don't make me feel self conscious. And that is a journey! And I have to say, you help so much with that. You radiate such confidence it is amazing to witness! But if people could stop commenting on other people's bodies, especially to say mean things (or seemingly good intended but ultimately harmful) that would be great! Sorry for the rambling, I love your videos, give a smooch to Jo for me (or whatever he likes most) M.
I was at a wedding and the bartender didnt want to give me a dri k because he said i looked pregnant 😢 yea i was already struggling to accept i gained alot of weight. It went through so much to find a dress to wear to the wedding because nothing in my closet fit me any more and when i went to the store it was just so hard to cone to terms how much weight i gained and then that bartender said that to me in front of a bunch of people and yea i was modified. If you dont know 100% someone is pregnant dont assume they are
I totally sympathise with this. I am happy and confident with my body how it is but I know if I had to make a copy of it, pfft. It would upset me. Ignorance is bliss when it comes to the ins and outs of how my body looks.
I've never tried to make a dress form (played with the thought, but for now I don't have enough free time to get into sewing projects anyway so that's all shelved for the next 2-ish years at least) but I had a similar gut-punch moment the first time I entered my measurements and my weight into a health tracking app and it called me obese (rude). At least with the app it's easier to not let it get to me since it's just an automatically calculated result, I'm not sure how I would have reacted if I had to face a replica of my body rendered in 3D... I guess that's a bullet I'll have to bite a few years down the line, but at least now I have a heads-up.
Mine form was way off when I got it. After I took a ton of more detailed measurements and did a ton of re-drafting and re-sewing, I got my form just right, and I felt great about it! But strange, my husband got weird body dysmorphia about MY body looking at it. Is that a thing? He lives with my actual body all the time, and whatever, but seeing it in stuffed canvas, he had all kinds of freak out about it. WTH. Good thing I can make my actual body look it’s best with well fitting clothes now. I started dressing my dress form so my husband would feel more comfortable. Barely surviving Covid, I’m just glad to have a living, breathing body. All the lumps and folds and stuff, whatever. I’d like to get my mass down for my health, but I don’t care so much about the look, I’m no model, it’s good enough.
I think this is one of the (many) reasons I haven't purchased the bootstrap pattern yet. I'm sorry the form threw you for a loop. I think this is probably why most of the dressforms (particularly bootstrap) in other youtube backgrounds are dressed. Make yours super-fancy! 💕
Thank you for your video. I want to start sewing my own clothes because the "off the rack" clothes never fit right and I generally don't like most of the styles anyway. I am considering making a bootstrap dressform and I am worried about the mental part. I have hated my body nearly my entire life. The sewing my own clothes is part of accepting this is the body I have so dress it in things I actually like versus what I can get to fit. I think I will need to think about the dressform a bit longer.
Wow, you articulate your feels perfectly. I'm a bloater, too. And steroids for my illness helped me pack on an extra 20 lbs. I was ambivalent about getting a Bootstrap dress form pattern. Now I'm sure I won't, for now. My Valium prescription for panic attacks can only take so so far, lol. God Bless you. You are beautiful.
It's definitely an experience and I wanted people to know what they were getting into. Has my form been helpful? Yes but only as far as a standard form is helpful. If anything this has pushed me more towards flat pattern drafting over draping because I get better results that way.
I just had fibroid surgery after years of being asked if i was pregnant. It was rough as an infertile person, so you hit that nail on the head. Body issues are rough.
I thought that too (poor body image) - for the LONGEST TIME with my prior dress forms. Now I look at it NOT as a size or shape - but it is a tool to help fit my clothes. We are all from the creator and we are masterpieces because we are a piece of the Master. Thank you for pointing out this is a tool and not to think or look anything into it. In fact, it’s a good idea to dress her up! ❤️
I'm so worried about this. I have lipedema and loose skin from losing a lot of weight. I've always had a tiny waist and very large hips, my mom used to tell me how deformed I looked. I'm afraid of facing the reality of how my body looks.
That's the thing though, it's not how your body looks, it's how the dress form looks. I have things that look great on me, but terrible on my form. Also, shame on your mother! Your body is useful and helps you enjoy life. Just because it doesn't fit her idea of beauty doesn't mean you're deformed. You're beautiful. Good luck with this adventure if you choose it
I dont like seeing photos of myself, I always look overweight by alot more than i think I am. My husband once told me, I have a different image in my head of my body shape than what I see in photos. He said, ""you look in the mirror and you literally see what you want to see, but then get mad at photos. photos are reality. You dress to cover your flaws" I do too. If im trying on a dress adn it shows lumps and bumps Im not going to buy it. I ve just purchased a dress from and upgrading it one size to be me. I said hmm, the dress form must be 17 years old, look at the flat tummy, her upper bust is same as mine without padding, ohhh, I dont have a bra on. Yep dress form again is 17 years old. And the waist. Who has a waist that small for a size 16 australian. I'd like to see just one.
I have NEVER been "thin"...like the lowest my 5'4" body ever was is 185lb....and I looked pretty good. After 40 years of life smacking me upside the head I gained and lost 125 pounds and took a lot of crap for it. Well, I'm down to 195 and a size 20, but I'm 77 years old and don't give a crap what anybody thinks...I HAVE SURVIVED THIS LONG! Nothing else matters and I am perfect as I am! So. there!
I made a less sophisticated dress form by making a mold of my body with duct tape, then stuffed it. My first attempt was a failure because I was very subtly sucking in my gut, which not only defeated the purpose, but made it dangerously difficult to breathe with unforgiving duct tape. My second attempt resulted in a very accurate representation of my body, and didn't realize how personal it felt until my son brought some friends over while I was sewing and I immediately covered it with my working fabric. I have confused feelings about this thing that I'm not even sure how to explain them.
I'm just now finding out about the Bootstrap dress form, and as I'm going to be moving into a new house with a dedicated sewing room (!), I thought I'd like to make a form that is my actual double. Went to their website, but realized that their stomach "pooch" options don't look like me at all. My waist actually dips in, but I carry a "spare tire" above my waist. I don't have that smooth curve like they show, so I know the form wouldn't actually be my double. I suppose I could make one without a stomach pooch and then pad it, but what a pain.
I have been afraid of this exact thing and I know that my form is going to upset me when I'm done I just started making it. I really want the form because I have really been into pattern-making lately and I am just not a paper pattern making person. I was always very slender my entire life then I had three children and I'm 47 years old now and my body now is just not the body I have had for most of my life I'm going to try to make my form and just embrace it that is part of the reason I am making new clothing for myself trying to love somebody I've got right now
Planning on getting one (dont know if i should pick the male or female version. For context i am masc nonbinary) but im scared of how dysphoric it will probably make me. If i wear baggy clothes im pretty box shaped, but in reality i actually have a pear shape and the difference between my waist and my hips is the bane of my existence.
Go with whatever shape is closest to your body, it'll help you get the right fit. But also, this dress form is a tool, it's not you. It's a pillow shaped like what pillows think humans are shaped like. It's not you. You may need to sit with it for a few days, put it in your favorite Tshirt, cover it in a sheet, or stick it in a corner until it becomes furniture. But it doesn't matter how close the measurements are, this form will not be you, things will hang a little differently on your body. So always try things on before you decide you hate them
I did my bootstrap a few years ago. It was like a potato. 😂 I named her Gloria. Rarely used her as a dressform, just as decor in my room. Eventually I binned her. Never again.
When I made my Bootstrap dress form, I had trouble getting the stuffing right. Or maybe my body did look that strange and weird without clothes. It was not necessarily a positive experience. I am also really tiny. But like a chihuahua, I don’t realize my own size. It was alarming to see this puny figure I didn’t see myself to be.
i think the replica is not actually a real or fair replica at all after all stuffing is soooo different from the human body it has a tendency to lumpiness and also always pushes things into the wrong shape it's like the difference between a stuffed toy doll and a wired and structured toy doll the stuffed one is always gonna look lumpy and frumpy compared to the real thing, so stuff that,(excuse the pun) and focus on how beautiful you actually are because whilst I know looking at yourself you can just see all your tiny so-called imperfections but trust me looking from the outside all I see is a beautiful young lady with a wonderful sense of style! when I look at myself in the mirror all I can see is my acne, but when I go round to my friend's house she tells me that it's not that bad. most of us (excepting the mean people) have a tendency to look at others as more beautiful than they themselves think they are. you are a lovely young lady and thank you for sharing how you feel with us.
This was exactly what I was thinking. Stuffing is a far from realistic filling. Even if you take a measurement around your waist and make a form with the same measurement, you're not getting your structure and actual shape, just the same circumference. My friend made a dress form and it's technically her size, but it's not a realistic copy of her. The form is good at getting correct sizes and posture in a few areas, but it isn't going to be a copy of you.
"I bloat a lot." Hoping not to come across as insensitive, or offensive: but some people have simply not considered 'it could be them as well'. Have you considered you might have a food intolerance or allergy? Bloating is a very common symptom with several food intolerances, and allergies. Think lactose, gluten or yeasts for example. If you think its worthwhile, definitely read about the most common ones, or speak with your GP about it. I hope I haven't ruined your day by brining it up, but this is the sort of stuff one usually kicks themself about for not considering it years earlier. Edit: I know it won't do much, but please give those mean voices telling you stuff you don't want to hear a kick in the shins if you're able, you're beautiful, and that deserves to be said.
There's a lot more to my bloating issues than just cutting out reactive foods. As with most health issues a resolution is not just one answer but multiple. There's a reason why I didn't go into my specific health issues, the primary being I didn't want advice from people other than my Dr. But thank you for your concern.
@@scrappypatterns in that case both my utmost apologies for still being someone that slings unasked for advice at you, and I hope whatever you're ailing from can become manageable with the right tools. Once again sorry for sticking my nose where it doesn't belong, and I hope you have a nice weekend ❤️
We are our own worst critics. Looking at your dress form, I do not see a "pregnant belly" I do see an hour glass figure. Because of the media we have been made to feel like if we are not a size 0 something must be wrong with us. Quite the opposite is true. Many of the size 0 models struggle with body dysmorphia as much as plus sized women do. Many of them have very unhealthy eating disorders. The bottom line is bodies are not "good" or "bad" they just are. I also struggle with the shape of my body, and as an older women, it has changed a great deal through the years. It is the temple that houses my soul. It shows the scars of an abusive relationship that I was in at one time, the scars of childbirth, and the scars of health issues and aging. It shows that those are things I have survived thus far. All in all, my body, your body, all bodies are a monument to the lives we have lived. We don't look at a flower and think "that flower is ugly because it's bigger than some of the others" It is what it is. We are what we are. Our bodies are not good or bad, they just are.
I have endometriosis and fibromyalgia. There are times where I am so bloated that my belly is hard and looks pregnant. I hate it and feel so uncomfortable about it. Especially if people ask if I am pregnant. I don't want kids, but there is a part of me that knows that if I did I would be dealing with fertility issues. I'm sending major love your way. Not being happy with how you look sucks, and having it shoved in your face in such a way with a pattern that doesn't take into account all of your body must have been a horrible experience. Major hugs, because
I'm actually nervous about exactly this It's hard enough taking measurements. Thank you for talking about this. PS: I have a great to me body but ... I'm a cis woman in our modern time.
Great video ! I was recommended to this video by "Seemstressed". I also have body dismorphia. New to sewing (due to being locked down for Covid!) & I thought of getting a bootstrap, but I hesitated. I think I recognized even writing my sizes down would be triggering ! And yet, making clothes that fit me well, is the end goal. Sigh. Thanks for this video. SO Honest. SO relatable! New subscriber ! If any readers want some light hearted sewing "shenanigans", check out "Seemstressed". But, be warned, she is SO fast when she actually patterns/sews, that if you're new at it, you won't get a slow "step by step", but you will have fun ! ;)
I know you didn't ask for help/advice. But getting a block pattern might help with fitting your clothes. There's a few websites that sell basic blocks for custom measurements. The Closet Historian also has a lot of tutorials about altering basic pattern blocks to get the shape/fit you want. The upside about a block pattern is that once it's made it's just tracing. And taking your measurements in the opposite measurements system than you're used to (metric vs Imperial) is a goo way to measure without really knowing your measurement.
I'm so sorry that you were affected like this, your beautiful and curvy and heke yes cute,please don't let a pile of fabric and foam spoil you, hey I've gained 2 1\2 stone around by belly and yep I bloat if I look at bread but I'm still me,don't lose you, sending prayers and snuggles,💖
I just recently got a new dressform thats my exact body double, in order to better help with fitting issues. It was my dream mannequin and when i got it i was so excited, then all my motivation went and i got sad. Watching this video made me realise why. (And some other things). Having trouble with body issues is completely human. Ive had my new mannequin for like 2 weeks now, and when i look at her i try and remember all the things i do like about myself, and even though its slow.... it has been helping. You're not alone 🫂💜
omg i can soooo relate to your experience. I wish we could be friends because i have no one in my life who can understand the severe fatigue, hypothyroid disease and crazy bloating! Do you have SIBO? that is what I have along with two metabolic diseases one of which requires taking corticosteroids. So I feel your pain. I struggle so hard to feel decent about myself. I mean not that i want to feel that I look beautiful but just that i am acceptable as a human. I don't even feel loveable and i don't love myself. mostly i just hate myself even though i can't control any of what has happened to me nor to my body. And ya, the pregnancy thing. So damn tired of people asking me that when no, i just have severe health problems that make me look that way and should I never be pregnant because of them! Hang in there!
The only diagnosis I have is IBS. I haven't looked into it all for about a decade because it was fairly consistent until the pandemic. So, maybe? I honestly think I had a really bad flare up and things have been "minimal" for about 6 months now. But yeah, about this time last year I could expect 4-6 inch differences in my wait between any given days.
@@scrappypatterns so sorry you're going through that. Not to be pushy but if you every do want to look into it, there is some research out there saying that something like 84 percent of IBS is sibo. IBS was my first diagnosis. The trick is finding a doctor that knows about it and has experience treating it as it's a bugger to treat and many mess it up if they haven't taken special training or have a lot of experience! good luck and i hope you're feeling well ! :)
You are so brave for making a video about this! I had the same thing happen when I made my Bootstrap dress form. It’s just weird seeing your body shape in a generalized way without any of the muscle definition or the grace of your actual body. I made mine and I think I was hoping it would look smaller than it did. Those struggles aside, I’m still glad I made mine. It’s made it easier to sew clothes that fit me, which means they flatter my real body better. So while painful at first, I hope you’re able to stick with it and hopefully see the same positive results in the end. Lots of love to all fellow sewists! 💕 If you want to see the video I made for mine I’ll link it here but wish I’d had the courage to broach this subject in mine: ruclips.net/video/uU1nioI4wF8/видео.html
I understand being confronted by this. I was actually looking for a video to finish my dress form in a nicer fabric so I could display my women’s clothing. My dress form is a completely accurate replicate of my body before I transitioned to a man. I was voluptuous and if I saw a woman of thah shape would probably find it very sexy but as myself it was quite odd to see that. I see my wedding photos and remember being thah and whatnot but it’s…very confronting to see a life size replica of your body. My breasts are much smaller, my fat different, my FACE different, my voice even as a person transitioning at almost 30. I would imagine someone with regular body dysmorphia would find that very strange. As a woman I already was very aware of my body, I felt it was very pretty, sexy but like I was playing dress up. Like I was playing a part. Not like I WAS a woman. Like a cross dresser fetishizing, fantasizing and putting on a pedestal the IDEA of a being a woman. I lived as one for 25 years was treated and often still am treated by some who saw my early transition I have some insight but I can never truly know what that confrontation is like. I will say even as a trans man my desire to have breasts as a pre teenager was strong not for my own desire because as a ND person I was not only aware of the pressure of a normal woman and comments EVERHONE has about a woman’s body but even documenting some of the comments and saying “ I wish I would grow giant tits. Today even my doctor wouldn’t stop commenting on it” then when I did they made me uncomfortable and everyone commented, tried to touch them without my permission and etc. Now in a state where I do pass people who think I am a cis man have never made statements about my body, shape, or anything as critical as I had endured as a woman and as a man I would be considered quite a dumpy little dude especially for someone half Vietnamese 😂. It’s just like a twilight zone episode I’m still trying to get used to. TLDR: you’re not crazy, there are so many pressures on you and your body by society. That being said your body is beautiful, a tool to maintain and assist your goals, a companion to your lifes experiences and a vessel for your spirit. Keep it well as you keep your mind well, that includes loving it and what function it has. I think working as an oncology nurse and seeing how much can be taken really helped me recenter my feelings on thah (plus my Dad didn’t fuck around with magazines, was a graphic designer and basically explained photoshop/celebrities to me at an early age, the capitalist idea of sex selling and the trend of what sexual appeal itself WAS even has and does over time and to not worry about it. People like all animals are programmed to be born, fuck, and die 😅 so don’t worry too much about that part. Thanks dad 👍 😂 .)
I am struggling with the fact that I am pregnant and I am gaining weight while pregnant. I am struggling with the gaining even tho I’m supposed to be gaining because I am actually pregnant and growing a human and I still am having trouble with it. I look great. I’m not having body image issues. It’s the number on a freaking scale
Secondly you are not the first sewtuber I’ve seen who did the bootstrap and it wasn’t their body reflecting. A computer doesn’t add weight to sections it adds weight in a circle. So don’t beat yourself up for a computer that didn’t scan you and how you wear your body
The person who asked you if you were pregnant is either really young or ignorant (by no means excusing them if anything I am highlighting them) they should absolutely know better and there is no excuse for that. I am so sorry, honestly I have a lot of the same body issues you do and it is weird trying to find clothes and there are definitely days my grandmother brings up my weight which is fuller due to water weight or bloating.
I've never actually been asked. But I have always been very aware of my social surroundings. And at the time I made this video I was married and part of a very traditional and conservative religion. And people love to gossip while pretending their own noses are clean.
I am just seeing this video. Have you heard of Endo bloat? This is real. See a fertility specialist that also deals with Endometriosis. My niece has this happen to her. If you can pinpoint when the bloat with happen (time of month) an Anti-inflammatory diet of fruits and veggies, no red meat; dairy or wheat helped her.
I am glad you are sharing this, because a lot of women start sewing exactly BECAUSE they are not the shape that off the shelf garmets are made for! But what a success, if you can really start making things that enhance you instead of just covering youself up. So the dess form itself does not need to be nice. The clothes you make with it should. So brace youself for the impact and then smile when you make the first garmets that fit you!
Yes, I have had several people have an issue with this. It is so hard to be confronted by an exact or close replica is undeniable. I spent 30 years over 250 lbs. and I am now 170 but it really messes with your emotions. Dress her in your favorite corset and dress to get the naked image away. It’s hard, and you are beautiful and your right it’s human and real and valid sending love and comfort
I have yet to sew up my Bootstrap dressform pattern (was definitely going to double check what measurements I submitted - almost 2 years ago - compared to my body now before I start, though I don't think I've changed much) but I am already mentally preparing for the dread at seeing it the first time.
I had made a duct tape body form about 15years ago and that surprised me at first, and honestly made me sad, but the more I sat with it and looked at it, and hung clothes on it, the more I realized it WAS ME! And I didn't look bad at all! Same sequence of events when I got a personalized croquis done up for sketching. It took time to accept it and then appreciate it.
It's a hard thing to undo a lifetime of negative self-talk. Little by little I am getting there.
This video felt like you were talking about me. When I made my own dress form the way Morgan Donner did, I bawled my eyes out after it was finished. I was ashamed of myself. Up until age 30 I was always the tall girl with the teeny tiny waist. Then autoimmune disease hit and in 10 years later I have gained almost 100 lbs, but never thought of myself as having a negative body image until staring at my body “double”. Thank you for sharing this and proving we are not alone. Much love to you! You are so beautiful and you create some absolutely stunning work that is so unique and gorgeous. I can’t wait to see what comes next.
Dearest wonderful human.
This is the first video of yours that I have watched, and it broke me.
I suffer from debilitating health conditions that cause my body to work against anything I do.
My body is something I have genuinely hated for most of my life. Which in turn means that I have never felt confident and have severe anxiety towards how I look. Now that I am older, I tend to just ignore how I look and try not to look in a mirror.
I'm just starting my custom body form project and the first time I saw the mock up of the pattern, I ended up so unbelievably upset. Your video gave me some hope that maybe I'm not alone. Maybe my body isn't repulsive. Thank you for having this chat and putting it out to the world. You are loved and cherished and you deserve the best things in your life. 🌻🌻🌻
I've now had my form for about year. It's gotten better. I've come to the conclusion that the dress form and my body are just tools to get things done.
I hope your form helps you do the same ♥️ you got this
I think you have great wardrobe choices, from veiwing the photos that you took of yourself. I think you look sharp, and have good taste in clothes, and I'm a bit envious of that.
Thank you for being so open and vulnerable ❤ I often feel like I almost look pregnant. It's comforting to know I'm not alone, even though I also wish that no one had to deal with this and feel bad for being comforted by others feeling the same...
❤️ So much to say but, just want to send love.
Body image issues are about 3/4 of the reason I haven't gotten around to a custom dress form. :/
Chronic fatigue here too, I feel you. A friend had bloating issues and it was food related, wheat, soy, dairy would mess her up!
It is completely human to feel uncomfortable when looking at a dress form that is your exact copy. When I finally got mine padded out it was difficult for a about a week.
And you are so right about asking a woman about pregnancy. When I was in college I had a pretty difficult year where I took 19 hours one semester and I was working 32 hours a week and so I had gained some weight and one of my customers thought they were close enough to ask if I was pregnant. I still remember vividly how upset that made me. A few weeks later another asked me if I was an athlete because my legs were so 'buff'. I had a really healthy body image but I'm also a realist and I had been planning on doing less the next semester and working on my diet as well I just didn't currently have the time. Unfortunately I went through a couple of weeks where I extremely hard on my self and over analyzed every meal and how much I needed it. 2 months later I started showing signs of blood sugar issues and oddly I finally was able to regain a healthy attitude about what and how often I should be eating. Sadly when I did become pregnant I was 5 months before people realized not because I am overweight but because my daughter just didn't gain weight properly and ended up being born at 3.5 pounds despite me gaining 40 pounds because I was eating 3 extra meals a day to try and get her to gain to a healthy weight. There were no risk factors for her problems and we don't know what caused them. I look back and the irony is crazy no one even knew I was pregnant unless I had told them until 5 months. I know I am an anomaly but the fact is heath conditions are far more common than we realize and acknowledging someone's weight gain out loud will only hurt them so thank you for saying it.
damn, I hope you and your daughter are doing well and that she is healthy now. ♥️
I’ve had a negative body image for a long time.
I have a pattern for one, but made myself stop before making it.
So, yeah. I think it’s better for me that I don’t make it right now.
You’re a beautiful woman.
Try not to let it get to you.
You’re not struggling alone.
Thanks for sharing!!!
Love you!!!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings on this subject. Your words helped me get through this dress form process a bit easier. Hope you are doing well!
Thank you so much for talking about this! I think there are a lot of people like us out there, and talking about this takes a lot of strength!
I made one for my daughter and it was a huge mistake. She has an adorable hourglass figure, but all she could see was a mushy middle.
Part of the problem with this type of dress form is that it reduces us to just a small part of our body and it may or may not be our best part. It doesn't include arms, legs, and neck.. all of the things that help show the length of your body and not just the width. Even if it's an accurate representation of your size, it's not an accurate representation of you proportions as a whole, if that makes sense.
Try to keep in mind how many fabulously figured women you know who are your size and know that their dress forms also seem imperfect. Hopefully you'll be reminded to see yourself as others see you.. not just as a torso, but from smiling eyes, long limbs, and luscious curves, all the way down to the floor.
This is a wonderful perspective thanks for sharing
This! I've done two dressforms for me 10+ years and kg:s ago. It was not pleasant. The duct tape one smelled so bad she had to stand on the balcony (over the street) for half a year. Which felt like I was there naked every time I looked out of the window 😆
But those previous ones both had shoulders. I'm now starting my Bootstrap dressform and feel a bit antsy about it. Even though those 10+ years have helped me to enjoy being me more. Bloats and all.
I can very much relate. I invited one of my sweet sister-in-law for a duck tape dressform date. I understood that she is a lot smaller than me but visualization of the difference between the two shapes was devastating. She already understands my body image issues and tried to encourage me how well my form turned out but I stayed shocked. I needed a form for draping a gown so I just started to cover it with layers and felt better.. I even put a wig on top which freaked my family out cause they felt I was standing there as they entered the room... Lol scarecrow for my sewing room. Then I got a dressform for Xmas and was kind of hurt like my actual replica wasn't good enough?! Not only that. The factory made form wasn't even the right size. Talking about slap in the face. Later I decided I am going to work on my health and strive to one day fit the commercial form. I was doing a program and felt like I lost some inches around my waist, felt cuter like you did that day. I thought oh I should measure the form to see how many inches do I need to lose to fit that. I was shocked cause on the highest setting it was exactly my measurements. that was the moment I realized I made a total hunchback and deformed shaped form just by somewhat unevenly stuffing. I am grateful for the day i discovered I wasn't as huge as I stuffed "my form self". Since then even when I feel very negatively I remind myself I am probably just too hard on myself and it will be alright as long as I do my best to stay the healthiest I can be at that moment,. do my best, acknowledge my efforts and accept things that I can't change and never compare myself to others. It's a hard road but so worth it. Much love to you all, thank you for your vulnerability so I can ponder about it myself.
Who you are is what has drawn me to you as a creator. I love your work and you have taught me so much. You have made me feel comfortable making costumes even though I’m not thin I feel feel lovely in my clothes. Thank you for this.
Relatable. I am built like the Venus of Willendorf. Admittedly, the cutest of all the venuses, BUT STILL! Everything else is pure and straight forward CAMOUFLAGE! And yeah, let's call it what it is, it makes you feel ugly. And everyday, when I take a shower and I am just in my underwear, I feel ugly and the fact that I have a mirror that faces the shower door does not help. So, everyday, I do my hair and put on my eyes and get dressed and the camouflage is complete, and people say "You're so pretty." and I always reply, with a little laugh, "Psh, yeah, but not in this body." And I go back to sewing.
You are incredibly brave to share your feelings and insights with us. Thank you so very much.
I think part of the issue while stuffing the form is with the perspective. Since the form is stuffed from the bottom, and we usually view our bodies from the top down, the changed angle magnifies the area closest to the eye, and makes the farther areas look even smaller by comparison.
About a week after I finished the first stage of my dress form overhaul, I stopped working on it because body image gremlins took over my brain. They really can mess a person up! I kept adding padding and then I’d go have tea or stitch something else because ALL the feels! This has become an amazing tool to work with, but dang. I’m SO grateful for you sharing your vulnerability and experience about this too!!! It needs to be shared so that we have community about this. We come in different shapes and sizes and have value! You’re an amazing artist and I’m so glad you’re creating and sharing.
I am really fat and I found out this year I have PCOS so naturally I looked into how to manage it and started on the keto diet, then I ran into the carnivore diet and my bloating was like gone in like 2-3 days of doing carnivore, which is insane, and the most insane thing is it's actually lasting. I used to have better days and worse days with bloating (and other uncomfortable symptoms) but this really blew my mind. Just wanted to put this info out there because I have been strugling with bloating most of my life and this really helped so maybe someone will benefit from it. I hope you have a great day!
Hey are you still on the carnivore diet and is it going well? I havnt found a diet that works for my PCOS yet
@@Mamado88I did it for 30 days, had to stop because I was getting so dehydrated it was ridiculous, I had constant headaches due to it even though I never got them in the past and I drank enough water. I think it worked best out of all the diets I ever tried in regards to fat loss, especially the edema just vanished essentially in those 30 days. But I wouldn't say it is sustainable for me tbh, both logistically and physically, it was hard to eat enough like not much more than 1200cal a day. If I could manage to eat more and stay hydrated I might be able to do it for a couple more months but definitely not long term I don't think. Also what I did notice after this diet is I became a lot more susceptible to getting sick, like my digestive system gave me a lot of issues still like chronic loose stools (Still have them months after)
What an incredible and thoughtful video to make. I feel like I’ve always just rode the roller coaster of my body weight and it’s fluctuations due to health concerns. I too have really adapted to look at a garment and know if it will suit my size and shape, but have been caught off guard at times and almost felt a disappointment at not feeling like I understand and know my own body.
I’ve been watching all these tutorials to make a dress form and was intrigued by your video, I am so grateful to you for reminding me that when/if I make it that I will need to allow time to be patient with myself and also accept that I may not want to continue. I feel like I have a similar body shape to you and can now remember that mine may not look like the ones in all of the other tutorials.
I think that the form not having arms also visually would emphasise a shape that has a smaller bust and larger hips.
This video was so personal and kind, thank you for sharing such a vulnerable and emotional experience and I hope doing so has helped you in even a tiny way. The mirror selfies you showed really did highlight your understanding of what suits and flatters your body.
Yeah... I'm going to have put off buying this pattern for a little while longer. I am not in a good headspace to handle all this right now.
right? and then i'll stuff it full of my failed mockups and make them go away. lol
I deal with many of the same health issues, and have always struggled with body positivity. You are right, let's talk, and affirm, and change perceptions as much as possible!
Please learn to love urself. I struggled with this for years. I had a priest say once that we are to love others as we love ourselves but we cannot properly love others if we don’t love ourselves. I had to teach myself to talk to myself the way i would talk to my friends. I hope this comment helps you and just know that will be praying for you and everyone else that struggles with this because I have been there and done that and I hate to see people struggle with this problem. 😢❤
So, I really don't know your content much yet, but this video was fantastic. You're right, this needs to be talked about, and you're awesome for doing it. I get that bloating issue, too (like, 5" between breakfast and lunch) and am having to rethink my entire style and wardrobe to have clothes that don't hurt.
I'm also so glad that your mom was supportive. I'm just starting to let go of the negative issues mine taught me.
Cheers, from a 30-something who is thoroughly impressed by you right now.
I have the same issues with fatigue, bloating, and muscle and joint pain. Also, I need a lot of sleep. I recently gained 2 pounds while fasting. The doctors don't have any answers for me. I'm beginning to try to accept it, but it's not easy. No matter what I do, I can't improve. I am a size 24, 5'6" tall with a D cup and narrow shoulders and 55" hips. It's really ugly to me. I'm trying, like you, to increase here and decrease there and pivot here and there, etc. I used to feel thin, believe it or not, but I really see myself as a am now and it's depressing. I ordered a basic sloper type pattern and am going to try to alter the pieces to my measurements and make a dress form from that. I've been buying beautiful fabric to make things and am going to start dressing up even though I look this way. How long do I have to wait to be perfect so I deserve to wear beautiful things? Exercise is hard because of the fatigue, but I'm just going to do it and I've decided that for myself, if I die from overdoing it, so be it. I'm tired of this illness, whatever it is, controlling my life while my lab tests always come back normal. It was wonderful to see your video and learn that there are a lot of people like me. Thanks so much!
This is a big part of why i have not done the bootstrap dress form. When i padded out my adjustable i did it in stages and it was easier to deal with that way. the all at once nature of the bootstrap stuffing step scares me, but only because i have worked so hard to be accepting of my body as a good functional shell for my consciousness and i dont want to damage that.
Congratulations on your first YT "Play" button. Well done!
I've been putting off doing a Bootstrap. Partially, because we're rearranging our small one-bedroom apartment to fit everything we have already. Partially, because the body dysmorphia that it will likely inspire. Oh Mah Gawd - is that what I really look like... why is my belly That large...
I was a teenager in the 80's. And I was wee. But even then, body image was a thing. To the point that there were, like, 9 or 10 of my graduating class from high school who were diagnosed and in treatment for anorexia/bulimia. Since then, I've gained weight and dress sizes. Somehow I don't think that's a coincidence.
Anywho... I'm rambling. Take care, Kiddo. Happy Canada Day. And enjoy the 4th (you lucky ones who get fireworks...).
- Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown
Agreed, I'm also a product of the 80s, and if you weren't rail thin, you were fat. I have exercise induced asthma, but back then was told that I was just fat and lazy and I needed to run more. At my smallest, I was a size 8, and that was still HUGE compared to my classmates. Now, six kids and Diastasis Recti later -- my options for having a figure are surgery, a corset or other firm wear, and/or hold in your stomach. I'm sewing around this problem.
@@michellecornum5856 This is Exactly what got me into sewing.
I got yelled at by my anorexic friends for eating raisins. Because "they're fattening". Have you seen the Claymation commercials fer fuuu.
'Eff the flippin' poor quality clothing that we get offered up and are somehow suppose to be grateful for even finding something that's not a complete disaster.
I'm rolling this back to try to learn what my Port Arthur and Fort William Grannies and Great Grannies just somehow Knew - how to make themselves look great. The few pieces I've been able to make for myself feel like armor when I walk down the street. Finally. Something fitted to the body I'm actually in.
My Maternal Great Granny? She's the Edwardian. In the 30's she could find an ad for a coat in the evening newspaper (they also got the morning paper - for those of you post analog humans...). If she liked that coat. She could take that ad as the basis. And we're probably talking a line drawing... if she's lucky...
She'd use the very newspaper to freehand draw her own coat. Flat pattern. Poof. I believe that is what Kathy Hay is talking about when she says tailors speak of "rock of eye".
I think that sort of thing only lives at places like the Dior ateliers.
I want that level of knowledge back in the family.
And I want to look fabulous while I get there...
Geeesh, I'm rably tonight. Apologies.
Happy Canada Day.
Moment of silence for the Native and Inuit Children who went through the "school" system. Please google.
@@stevezytveld6585 Loved hearing about your granny! Happy Canada Day! And yes, a moment of silence.
I’ve been trying to think what to write.
But nothing expresses my gratitude and admiration for your bravery properly.
I thought I was weird for worrying that I might struggle with this sort of dress form.
Thank you for helping me work though my thinkings.
You’re a star x
We all struggle and it can be triggered my any number of things ❤️
@@scrappypatterns That’s very true, thank you for those wise words ❤️ and for taking the time to reply :)
💖 I wake up every morning and look in the mirror and say I love myself no matter what size I AM!
You're beautiful no matter how you may feel. Keep your head up! 💖
I made one as well, and it messed with my head too. Not while sewing, actually, but when taking the measurements. It was weird, but not really unexpected. I’ve worked on my body image for so long I kinda know when it will be triggered.
It sounds like your mother was supportive, though, and that is a good thing! (I don’t want to say I’m jealous, but I am)
Mine would’ve told me to take it as a sign she was right all along and I need to loose weight.
Thank you for your video about this. I knew going into making a dress form from duct tape that it was going to trigger my body dysmorphia and I still plugged ahead. I got the form off myself and am struggling now with looking at it and finishing it. I am glad I’m not the only one with these thoughts. ❤
Just coming across this video now as I'm considering getting this pattern - THANK YOU for acknowledging this. I had a very similar reaction last year when I was learning flat patterning and made my first sloper set using my own measurements. I was so sure I'd messed something up because my pattern pieces didn't look anything like the "standard" slopers. Then when my mockups actually ended up fitting well, it...somehow made me feel worse? It really is hard to put into words. Ultimately, having a good base to make things that actually fit my body has been super helpful, but...yeah. ALL the feels. ❤
I see my body weird too... but oN my body. I got a custom croquis from mybodymodel and was like... wait it looks smaller?? but friends confirmed it was my shape. So I struggle with proportions ON my body which is interesting. But I will say I am a bit scared to make a bootstrap form... I want one but I'm scared of facing it in 3D - will it be the same as with my 2D croquis? Or will it unleash a lot.
💗💗 thank you for being open and honest.
Thank you for being so open about this. I too suffer from the ever changing waist line. I have PCOS which causes severe bloating through out the day among a whole other host of awful things. When I pay close attention to my diet I am able to control it for the most part but when I get depressed (another side effect) it's really hard to go through the mental and physical tasks to make your self special food. And to be honest when I look pregnant it does break my heart because I am infertile and it's just unfair.
Bodies are hard. And people asking insensitive questions just make it harder. Sending you lots of love ❤️
I am about to purchase this dress form path and also have struggled with body image in the past. I often see myself as much larger than I am. I am grateful for this video because I didn't account for this process to potentially be triggering. I'm definitely going in this direction as I save up for a 3D printed dress form and this also is a cheap way to make customized forms for clients while working on their projects but now I am prepared in case stuff comes up and even able to discuss with clients as I use sewing as mental health support for myself and others. Thank you for your vulnerability!
As someone who doesn't normally struggle with body image, I felt the need to talk about this SO strongly. Because if it can get me, it will get others. And people should be prepared.
I hope everything goes well for you! Now that I've lived with it for a year, it's definitely become a useful tool.
Thank you for your courage and your honesty. Every woman today has body image issues. It is good to realize it is not "just me." Sending love and good vibes! :)
Thank you so much for sharing this. It helps me to see someone else talk about struggling with their body shape. I have gender dysphoria, so I can relate a lot to this. I think it's why I've procrastinated for so long on getting my own tailored dress form.
Yup. I've been looking at Bootstrap patterns as the most viable/affordable way to get a dress form that works for me, and I've been hesitating because I really don't want to look at myself "in the raw" like that. Thank you for posting; it's very validating that someone as lovely as you are has these same thoughts.
They do have standard size options
I had such a hard time when I made my duck tape form. I knew I would, thankfully, so I made it MONTHS before I needed it to make my foam armor. It gave me the chance to breakdown, set it aside, and build up to being okay looking at it. My partner helped me make it and when I stuffed it, checked a bunch of measurements to verify that, yes, that is what shape and size my body is, I asked him how he could bear to even look at me because I could barely bring myself to. In the years since, I've mostly been able to move from hatred to indifference to occasional joy because I started comparing my naked duck tape form to other people I find beautiful and it's made me able to think "I like my body form" because it looks like they do. And it's hasn't been too hard to take that extra step to "I like my body". You are one of those people. I still have bad days, but I don't completely avoid the mirror anymore. I know it's okay to struggle and I know we've got this
Thankyou for sharing your thoughtful words ❤️
I hear you. I made mine earlier this year and never realized how pear shaped I was. I still struggle when I walk in and see her sometimes.
Put her in a cute dress I’m sure she’s beautiful :)
Thank you for sharing! I have many of the same symptoms as you described and I am on a healing journey which has meant weight gain for me at this time. My bloated belly is regularly mistaken for a pregnancy belly and I am inquired of and congratulated often. It is so helpful to know other people struggle with similar issues. We are not alone ❤️
There's always someone who is going through something similar. Which is both sad and comforting
This was a beautiful video, thank you so much for saying this-I’m in the process of making one now and your video really helped.
I can understand the feelings you had in this process. But, that is exactly why I wanted to make one for myself. I'm not happy with how my body looks and RTW clothing has NEVER fit me properly. On the other hand, I don't want to hide in my clothes, either. After I retired, I decided to conquer that negative image and fear of how I looked. I'm still in the process, but I think it's going to look like me, for better or worse. But, my goal is to learn to sew for myself, first and then for any shape of body. When something really fits and is comfortable to wear, it's an amazing feeling!
Thank you for sharing. It's not an easy thing to do. I understand how you feel as that's why I hesitate to make myself clothing because I have a fear that I will have spent all the time on something beautiful and it won't look that way on me. Forms without a head and arms and legs are completely off in proportion and look messed up in our minds. I send you hugs.
Ugh. I recently got back in to sewing. I had to draft new pattern blocks. All of my 20 year old self’s measurements were scribbled in my pattern book. 15 years ago but it’s a weird feeling and it’s so just in your face when sewing and pattern drafting in general.
My husband is like “you look good” and it’s like I’m not saying I’m ugly, but I’m also not that 20 year old kid who was scribbling in that pattern book anymore. He wasn’t healthy, and he was really hangry. Like all the time.
Thanks for sharing and opening the conversation. It’s important.
I had similar dysmorphia trying to pad up my dressform. I kept adding and adding and measuring and having to add more. I didn't finish for other reasons (got distracted by other projects) but I'm sure some part was mental resistance. Having an apparent stomach should not be such a big deal, but society tells us it is, and we internalize it.
I also can relate on health stuff. Hope you get to a great place in that and in image. I think your clothes look fantastic. Maybe this isn't the right way to say this, but you're human with a human body shape and your size and tummy are not bad things. (And neither are mine.) I really enjoy your videos. Thanks for sharing! 💜💜💜
I Just got my dress form and padded her up.
I’m sure that most ppl might not want to admit that’s you. … facts are the human form is amazing… we can focus on the things that we don’t like.. but you we are amazing.
I learned to measure the length side to side, not just the whole waist it would give you a true measurement on the dress form.
Thank you so much for that video!
I struggled with my image when I was thinner, and also now that I'm bigger. I think the main issue I have is the difference between how people see me and the way I see myself. When I was thinner people always said I could be a model or some stupid s**t like that, when all I saw was a very thin lady who could skip a meal or have a late meal because it would make me feeble and angry. Then I put on some weight, and after a period of adjustment and throwing away all of my clothes which was really hard, and figuring out what fit me, there were the commentaries again. Like my mother, who also struggles with her own body image, asking if I felt bad about my body. Not HOW I felt, but IF I felt bad, as if it was a necessary thing to feel.
I try my best to not really care about my body, and for me the solution is having a clothes that I don't have to think about. Clothes that, on a good or bad day, in the morning or at the end of a very bloated day, don't bother me and don't make me feel self conscious. And that is a journey!
And I have to say, you help so much with that. You radiate such confidence it is amazing to witness!
But if people could stop commenting on other people's bodies, especially to say mean things (or seemingly good intended but ultimately harmful) that would be great!
Sorry for the rambling, I love your videos, give a smooch to Jo for me (or whatever he likes most)
M.
I was at a wedding and the bartender didnt want to give me a dri k because he said i looked pregnant 😢 yea i was already struggling to accept i gained alot of weight. It went through so much to find a dress to wear to the wedding because nothing in my closet fit me any more and when i went to the store it was just so hard to cone to terms how much weight i gained and then that bartender said that to me in front of a bunch of people and yea i was modified. If you dont know 100% someone is pregnant dont assume they are
I totally sympathise with this. I am happy and confident with my body how it is but I know if I had to make a copy of it, pfft. It would upset me. Ignorance is bliss when it comes to the ins and outs of how my body looks.
I've never tried to make a dress form (played with the thought, but for now I don't have enough free time to get into sewing projects anyway so that's all shelved for the next 2-ish years at least) but I had a similar gut-punch moment the first time I entered my measurements and my weight into a health tracking app and it called me obese (rude). At least with the app it's easier to not let it get to me since it's just an automatically calculated result, I'm not sure how I would have reacted if I had to face a replica of my body rendered in 3D... I guess that's a bullet I'll have to bite a few years down the line, but at least now I have a heads-up.
Mine form was way off when I got it. After I took a ton of more detailed measurements and did a ton of re-drafting and re-sewing, I got my form just right, and I felt great about it! But strange, my husband got weird body dysmorphia about MY body looking at it. Is that a thing? He lives with my actual body all the time, and whatever, but seeing it in stuffed canvas, he had all kinds of freak out about it. WTH. Good thing I can make my actual body look it’s best with well fitting clothes now. I started dressing my dress form so my husband would feel more comfortable. Barely surviving Covid, I’m just glad to have a living, breathing body. All the lumps and folds and stuff, whatever. I’d like to get my mass down for my health, but I don’t care so much about the look, I’m no model, it’s good enough.
I think this is one of the (many) reasons I haven't purchased the bootstrap pattern yet. I'm sorry the form threw you for a loop. I think this is probably why most of the dressforms (particularly bootstrap) in other youtube backgrounds are dressed. Make yours super-fancy! 💕
I do have a princess dress that I can throw on it 🤣
@@scrappypatterns That you do! 😁
Thank you
Thank you for your video. I want to start sewing my own clothes because the "off the rack" clothes never fit right and I generally don't like most of the styles anyway. I am considering making a bootstrap dressform and I am worried about the mental part. I have hated my body nearly my entire life. The sewing my own clothes is part of accepting this is the body I have so dress it in things I actually like versus what I can get to fit. I think I will need to think about the dressform a bit longer.
Making my own clothes has been an amazing journey of Self Acceptance ❤️ wishing you the best
Thank you so much for your wonderful video ❤ I think it's awesome that you are putting your story out there ❤
As someone with issues with my body and food I had to pass on this dress form. Thank you so much for sharing your experience.
Wow, you articulate your feels perfectly. I'm a bloater, too. And steroids for my illness helped me pack on an extra 20 lbs. I was ambivalent about getting a Bootstrap dress form pattern.
Now I'm sure I won't, for now. My Valium prescription for panic attacks can only take so so far, lol.
God Bless you. You are beautiful.
It's definitely an experience and I wanted people to know what they were getting into. Has my form been helpful?
Yes but only as far as a standard form is helpful. If anything this has pushed me more towards flat pattern drafting over draping because I get better results that way.
Thank you for sharing something so hard. Sending you some love
Sometimes a rough shape is all you need
I just had fibroid surgery after years of being asked if i was pregnant. It was rough as an infertile person, so you hit that nail on the head. Body issues are rough.
Wow, thanks for sharing. I didn't realize what an impact having a body double form could be. I am not ready to face that yet, so the warning helps.
That's why I wanted to make this video ❤️
I thought that too (poor body image) - for the LONGEST TIME with my prior dress forms. Now I look at it NOT as a size or shape - but it is a tool to help fit my clothes. We are all from the creator and we are masterpieces because we are a piece of the Master. Thank you for pointing out this is a tool and not to think or look anything into it. In fact, it’s a good idea to dress her up! ❤️
I'm so worried about this. I have lipedema and loose skin from losing a lot of weight. I've always had a tiny waist and very large hips, my mom used to tell me how deformed I looked. I'm afraid of facing the reality of how my body looks.
That's the thing though, it's not how your body looks, it's how the dress form looks. I have things that look great on me, but terrible on my form.
Also, shame on your mother! Your body is useful and helps you enjoy life. Just because it doesn't fit her idea of beauty doesn't mean you're deformed. You're beautiful.
Good luck with this adventure if you choose it
I dont like seeing photos of myself, I always look overweight by alot more than i think I am.
My husband once told me, I have a different image in my head of my body shape than what I see in photos. He said, ""you look in the mirror and you literally see what you want to see, but then get mad at photos. photos are reality. You dress to cover your flaws" I do too. If im trying on a dress adn it shows lumps and bumps Im not going to buy it. I ve just purchased a dress from and upgrading it one size to be me. I said hmm, the dress form must be 17 years old, look at the flat tummy, her upper bust is same as mine without padding, ohhh, I dont have a bra on. Yep dress form again is 17 years old. And the waist. Who has a waist that small for a size 16 australian. I'd like to see just one.
I have NEVER been "thin"...like the lowest my 5'4" body ever was is 185lb....and I looked pretty good. After 40 years of life smacking me upside the head I gained and lost 125 pounds and took a lot of crap for it. Well, I'm down to 195 and a size 20, but I'm 77 years old and don't give a crap what anybody thinks...I HAVE SURVIVED THIS LONG! Nothing else matters and I am perfect as I am! So. there!
I made a less sophisticated dress form by making a mold of my body with duct tape, then stuffed it. My first attempt was a failure because I was very subtly sucking in my gut, which not only defeated the purpose, but made it dangerously difficult to breathe with unforgiving duct tape. My second attempt resulted in a very accurate representation of my body, and didn't realize how personal it felt until my son brought some friends over while I was sewing and I immediately covered it with my working fabric. I have confused feelings about this thing that I'm not even sure how to explain them.
I'm just now finding out about the Bootstrap dress form, and as I'm going to be moving into a new house with a dedicated sewing room (!), I thought I'd like to make a form that is my actual double. Went to their website, but realized that their stomach "pooch" options don't look like me at all. My waist actually dips in, but I carry a "spare tire" above my waist. I don't have that smooth curve like they show, so I know the form wouldn't actually be my double. I suppose I could make one without a stomach pooch and then pad it, but what a pain.
Up side, you only have to do it once
Thank you, thank you
My low hip, crotch/thigh area measures 59 inches from my 39" waist so I feel you
I have been afraid of this exact thing and I know that my form is going to upset me when I'm done I just started making it. I really want the form because I have really been into pattern-making lately and I am just not a paper pattern making person. I was always very slender my entire life then I had three children and I'm 47 years old now and my body now is just not the body I have had for most of my life I'm going to try to make my form and just embrace it that is part of the reason I am making new clothing for myself trying to love somebody I've got right now
You got this! But also remember, it's like your body, but it's not your body. Things fit and feel differently on you.
Planning on getting one (dont know if i should pick the male or female version. For context i am masc nonbinary) but im scared of how dysphoric it will probably make me. If i wear baggy clothes im pretty box shaped, but in reality i actually have a pear shape and the difference between my waist and my hips is the bane of my existence.
Go with whatever shape is closest to your body, it'll help you get the right fit. But also, this dress form is a tool, it's not you. It's a pillow shaped like what pillows think humans are shaped like. It's not you.
You may need to sit with it for a few days, put it in your favorite Tshirt, cover it in a sheet, or stick it in a corner until it becomes furniture.
But it doesn't matter how close the measurements are, this form will not be you, things will hang a little differently on your body. So always try things on before you decide you hate them
Every human shape is unique. Your body is shaped by your experiences as well as genics and environmental factors.
I did my bootstrap a few years ago. It was like a potato. 😂 I named her Gloria. Rarely used her as a dressform, just as decor in my room. Eventually I binned her. Never again.
I am PHAAT and HAPPY to no longer be starving.
Love that for you ♥️
When I made my Bootstrap dress form, I had trouble getting the stuffing right. Or maybe my body did look that strange and weird without clothes. It was not necessarily a positive experience. I am also really tiny. But like a chihuahua, I don’t realize my own size. It was alarming to see this puny figure I didn’t see myself to be.
i think the replica is not actually a real or fair replica at all after all stuffing is soooo different from the human body it has a tendency to lumpiness and also always pushes things into the wrong shape it's like the difference between a stuffed toy doll and a wired and structured toy doll the stuffed one is always gonna look lumpy and frumpy compared to the real thing, so stuff that,(excuse the pun) and focus on how beautiful you actually are because whilst I know looking at yourself you can just see all your tiny so-called imperfections but trust me looking from the outside all I see is a beautiful young lady with a wonderful sense of style! when I look at myself in the mirror all I can see is my acne, but when I go round to my friend's house she tells me that it's not that bad. most of us (excepting the mean people) have a tendency to look at others as more beautiful than they themselves think they are. you are a lovely young lady and thank you for sharing how you feel with us.
This was exactly what I was thinking. Stuffing is a far from realistic filling. Even if you take a measurement around your waist and make a form with the same measurement, you're not getting your structure and actual shape, just the same circumference. My friend made a dress form and it's technically her size, but it's not a realistic copy of her. The form is good at getting correct sizes and posture in a few areas, but it isn't going to be a copy of you.
Thank you
"I bloat a lot." Hoping not to come across as insensitive, or offensive: but some people have simply not considered 'it could be them as well'.
Have you considered you might have a food intolerance or allergy? Bloating is a very common symptom with several food intolerances, and allergies.
Think lactose, gluten or yeasts for example.
If you think its worthwhile, definitely read about the most common ones, or speak with your GP about it.
I hope I haven't ruined your day by brining it up, but this is the sort of stuff one usually kicks themself about for not considering it years earlier.
Edit: I know it won't do much, but please give those mean voices telling you stuff you don't want to hear a kick in the shins if you're able, you're beautiful, and that deserves to be said.
There's a lot more to my bloating issues than just cutting out reactive foods. As with most health issues a resolution is not just one answer but multiple.
There's a reason why I didn't go into my specific health issues, the primary being I didn't want advice from people other than my Dr. But thank you for your concern.
@@scrappypatterns in that case both my utmost apologies for still being someone that slings unasked for advice at you, and I hope whatever you're ailing from can become manageable with the right tools. Once again sorry for sticking my nose where it doesn't belong, and I hope you have a nice weekend ❤️
We are our own worst critics. Looking at your dress form, I do not see a "pregnant belly" I do see an hour glass figure. Because of the media we have been made to feel like if we are not a size 0 something must be wrong with us. Quite the opposite is true. Many of the size 0 models struggle with body dysmorphia as much as plus sized women do. Many of them have very unhealthy eating disorders. The bottom line is bodies are not "good" or "bad" they just are. I also struggle with the shape of my body, and as an older women, it has changed a great deal through the years. It is the temple that houses my soul. It shows the scars of an abusive relationship that I was in at one time, the scars of childbirth, and the scars of health issues and aging. It shows that those are things I have survived thus far. All in all, my body, your body, all bodies are a monument to the lives we have lived. We don't look at a flower and think "that flower is ugly because it's bigger than some of the others" It is what it is. We are what we are. Our bodies are not good or bad, they just are.
I have endometriosis and fibromyalgia. There are times where I am so bloated that my belly is hard and looks pregnant. I hate it and feel so uncomfortable about it. Especially if people ask if I am pregnant. I don't want kids, but there is a part of me that knows that if I did I would be dealing with fertility issues.
I'm sending major love your way. Not being happy with how you look sucks, and having it shoved in your face in such a way with a pattern that doesn't take into account all of your body must have been a horrible experience.
Major hugs, because
I'm actually nervous about exactly this It's hard enough taking measurements. Thank you for talking about this.
PS: I have a great to me body but ... I'm a cis woman in our modern time.
Great video ! I was recommended to this video by "Seemstressed". I also have body dismorphia. New to sewing (due to being locked down for Covid!) & I thought of getting a bootstrap, but I hesitated. I think I recognized even writing my sizes down would be triggering ! And yet, making clothes that fit me well, is the end goal. Sigh.
Thanks for this video. SO Honest. SO relatable! New subscriber !
If any readers want some light hearted sewing "shenanigans", check out "Seemstressed". But, be warned, she is SO fast when she actually patterns/sews, that if you're new at it, you won't get a slow "step by step", but you will have fun ! ;)
I know you didn't ask for help/advice. But getting a block pattern might help with fitting your clothes. There's a few websites that sell basic blocks for custom measurements. The Closet Historian also has a lot of tutorials about altering basic pattern blocks to get the shape/fit you want.
The upside about a block pattern is that once it's made it's just tracing. And taking your measurements in the opposite measurements system than you're used to (metric vs Imperial) is a goo way to measure without really knowing your measurement.
I'm so sorry that you were affected like this, your beautiful and curvy and heke yes cute,please don't let a pile of fabric and foam spoil you, hey I've gained 2 1\2 stone around by belly and yep I bloat if I look at bread but I'm still me,don't lose you, sending prayers and snuggles,💖
I'm doing better. It was just rough for a minute
I just recently got a new dressform thats my exact body double, in order to better help with fitting issues. It was my dream mannequin and when i got it i was so excited, then all my motivation went and i got sad. Watching this video made me realise why. (And some other things).
Having trouble with body issues is completely human. Ive had my new mannequin for like 2 weeks now, and when i look at her i try and remember all the things i do like about myself, and even though its slow.... it has been helping. You're not alone 🫂💜
I had to put mine in some of my favorite clothes. And years later she's just another tool in my studio. You got this
❤❤❤
omg i can soooo relate to your experience. I wish we could be friends because i have no one in my life who can understand the severe fatigue, hypothyroid disease and crazy bloating! Do you have SIBO? that is what I have along with two metabolic diseases one of which requires taking corticosteroids. So I feel your pain. I struggle so hard to feel decent about myself. I mean not that i want to feel that I look beautiful but just that i am acceptable as a human. I don't even feel loveable and i don't love myself. mostly i just hate myself even though i can't control any of what has happened to me nor to my body. And ya, the pregnancy thing. So damn tired of people asking me that when no, i just have severe health problems that make me look that way and should I never be pregnant because of them! Hang in there!
ps don't answer my question if you don't want to, just thought we might both have the same thing :)
The only diagnosis I have is IBS. I haven't looked into it all for about a decade because it was fairly consistent until the pandemic. So, maybe? I honestly think I had a really bad flare up and things have been "minimal" for about 6 months now.
But yeah, about this time last year I could expect 4-6 inch differences in my wait between any given days.
@@scrappypatterns so sorry you're going through that. Not to be pushy but if you every do want to look into it, there is some research out there saying that something like 84 percent of IBS is sibo. IBS was my first diagnosis. The trick is finding a doctor that knows about it and has experience treating it as it's a bugger to treat and many mess it up if they haven't taken special training or have a lot of experience! good luck and i hope you're feeling well ! :)
@@mellie4174 oh, I know a lot of my triggers foods and intolerances. Stretch waistbands and looser fit clothes handle the rest.
You are so brave for making a video about this! I had the same thing happen when I made my Bootstrap dress form. It’s just weird seeing your body shape in a generalized way without any of the muscle definition or the grace of your actual body. I made mine and I think I was hoping it would look smaller than it did.
Those struggles aside, I’m still glad I made mine. It’s made it easier to sew clothes that fit me, which means they flatter my real body better. So while painful at first, I hope you’re able to stick with it and hopefully see the same positive results in the end.
Lots of love to all fellow sewists! 💕
If you want to see the video I made for mine I’ll link it here but wish I’d had the courage to broach this subject in mine: ruclips.net/video/uU1nioI4wF8/видео.html
❤️
I understand being confronted by this. I was actually looking for a video to finish my dress form in a nicer fabric so I could display my women’s clothing. My dress form is a completely accurate replicate of my body before I transitioned to a man. I was voluptuous and if I saw a woman of thah shape would probably find it very sexy but as myself it was quite odd to see that. I see my wedding photos and remember being thah and whatnot but it’s…very confronting to see a life size replica of your body. My breasts are much smaller, my fat different, my FACE different, my voice even as a person transitioning at almost 30. I would imagine someone with regular body dysmorphia would find that very strange. As a woman I already was very aware of my body, I felt it was very pretty, sexy but like I was playing dress up. Like I was playing a part. Not like I WAS a woman. Like a cross dresser fetishizing, fantasizing and putting on a pedestal the IDEA of a being a woman. I lived as one for 25 years was treated and often still am treated by some who saw my early transition I have some insight but I can never truly know what that confrontation is like.
I will say even as a trans man my desire to have breasts as a pre teenager was strong not for my own desire because as a ND person I was not only aware of the pressure of a normal woman and comments EVERHONE has about a woman’s body but even documenting some of the comments and saying “ I wish I would grow giant tits. Today even my doctor wouldn’t stop commenting on it” then when I did they made me uncomfortable and everyone commented, tried to touch them without my permission and etc. Now in a state where I do pass people who think I am a cis man have never made statements about my body, shape, or anything as critical as I had endured as a woman and as a man I would be considered quite a dumpy little dude especially for someone half Vietnamese 😂. It’s just like a twilight zone episode I’m still trying to get used to.
TLDR: you’re not crazy, there are so many pressures on you and your body by society. That being said your body is beautiful, a tool to maintain and assist your goals, a companion to your lifes experiences and a vessel for your spirit. Keep it well as you keep your mind well, that includes loving it and what function it has. I think working as an oncology nurse and seeing how much can be taken really helped me recenter my feelings on thah (plus my Dad didn’t fuck around with magazines, was a graphic designer and basically explained photoshop/celebrities to me at an early age, the capitalist idea of sex selling and the trend of what sexual appeal itself WAS even has and does over time and to not worry about it. People like all animals are programmed to be born, fuck, and die 😅 so don’t worry too much about that part. Thanks dad 👍 😂 .)
Your dress form looks so pretty🙂. Call your dressform Hilda (Pin-up plus size cartoon character).
Her name is Claire. But Hilda might be a name for a future one
🌸💞
I am struggling with the fact that I am pregnant and I am gaining weight while pregnant. I am struggling with the gaining even tho I’m supposed to be gaining because I am actually pregnant and growing a human and I still am having trouble with it. I look great. I’m not having body image issues. It’s the number on a freaking scale
Secondly you are not the first sewtuber I’ve seen who did the bootstrap and it wasn’t their body reflecting. A computer doesn’t add weight to sections it adds weight in a circle. So don’t beat yourself up for a computer that didn’t scan you and how you wear your body
Your body is doing an amazing thing! I hope your brain worms will leave you be.
And thankyou for that perspective ❤️
Bloating can be down to women’s issues, or a food/ lactose intolerance, if you’ve not been checked it’s worth a visit to your doctor. 🙂
Yes too both. And I've been very aware of my health issues for over a decade now. ❤️
The person who asked you if you were pregnant is either really young or ignorant (by no means excusing them if anything I am highlighting them) they should absolutely know better and there is no excuse for that. I am so sorry, honestly I have a lot of the same body issues you do and it is weird trying to find clothes and there are definitely days my grandmother brings up my weight which is fuller due to water weight or bloating.
I've never actually been asked. But I have always been very aware of my social surroundings. And at the time I made this video I was married and part of a very traditional and conservative religion. And people love to gossip while pretending their own noses are clean.
I am just seeing this video.
Have you heard of Endo bloat? This is real. See a fertility specialist that also deals with Endometriosis. My niece has this happen to her. If you can pinpoint when the bloat with happen (time of month) an Anti-inflammatory diet of fruits and veggies, no red meat; dairy or wheat helped her.