This is so detailed, honest and helpful. I hope you come back to it. It’s always heartbreaking when things don’t work out the way we hope, even after all the care and attention to detail. I had no idea you could get a pattern made for dress forms. So happy to find your channel 🤗💗🌟
I too was excited to find the Bootstrap fashion dress forms. Personalized patterns based on your measurements sounded great. But it didn't turn out as expected. Still, I hope others can learn from my experience and have better results 😊
Hey little cookie, sorry I didn’t get your name. You would need to pull out the stuffing and use a quilting batting I think it’s called. Use that first and cut your shapes of the legs again. That will make the legs a smoother finish.(. don’t pull this stuff apart ) that should give a smoother effect. ….then use your stuffing pieces again on the inside of the legs….hope you can understand what I’m saying.its a great effort…if any of the sections don’t seem correct make the section again,,,,,I know it’s so much work…..otherwise you won’t be happy. You could always use shapewear over the top to add a little more bulk …😊
Thank you for the suggestions! I'm considering redoing the dress form. Using quilt batting seems like a promising idea, though it does require quite a bit of effort. If it helps smooth out the legs, I'll definitely consider it. Additionally, I'm thinking of completely redoing the torso, adjusting the pattern with accurate back width and front shoulder to bust measurements. Maybe I'll revisit this project in a couple of months with a fresh perspective, redo it, and then post a part 2! 😅
@TheLittleChookie If you were to make a new dress form, would you use canvas again? I think I'm going to make mine out of bra cup foam c: But if my legs turn out looking like yours at least it'll add realism to mine lmao
Glad it was of use! I too noticed that there weren't any reviews of the Bootstrap full body form so I wanted to share my experience. Do you think you'll go with Bootstrap or another dress form?
@@TheLittleChookie Yes, I think I will. I’m full figured, I like to refer to myself as lush, and a custom body form for me with arms and legs are in the thousands. So I believe that even though it will be quite a bit of work and a few hundred dollars, it’ll be worth it. I’m going to follow your suggestion and make a mock up first. This is something I have to do with all patterns, even the ones I self draft so, it isn’t a negative to me. I’m hoping to do it this April as I’m extremely busy in March, I will post it to my channel and refer back to yours, if that’s okay with you?
The odd boob problem is a common problem. People usually put one of their bras on the form and stuff the cups. It works well. I've had a dress form for me and my husband for several years and recently added one for my granddaughter so she can sew her own stuff. I only wear dresses because dresses flatter my apple shape best so no legs needed. And the husband gets only shirts made. I'm not going to tackle zip flys. People normally name their dress firms. I thought it was weird but then i found myself referring to mine as Mr and Mrs. Granddaughter is of course princess.
Love the names of your dress forms! Thanks for the tip, I'll try out the bra and stuffing. Though I'm a bit worried that it will merely distribute the problem into other areas.
Excellent video. I’ve been hoping someone would do the full body bootstrap form. I have purchased 2 bootstrap upper body forms (2 years apart) and both had the same issue as yours - way too long from back neck to bust point. My dress form boobs hang way too low 😢. (I’ve noticed this with just about every single one of them I’ve seen in photos and on RUclips also). It’s a lot of work to then realize that the entire project needs to be altered and re-sewn. It’s also very costly and hard to get a smooth finish. I’m currently experimenting and making a bust form (free download I found) with EVA foam instead which is pin-able but also firm and can be filled with expanding foam and then a soft knit cover can be added over top to make it more aesthetic. If it works out I will film it 😊. Thank you for sharing your beautiful job! Sorry it didn’t work out perfectly but it will still be a nice form to display some me-makes in your sewing studio!
@@mckenzielangendorf1437 You Bet! I am linking the tutorial for a form made of cut & sew bra foam and in the description there is a link to the bust form only (I don't know what the language it, maybe german??). ruclips.net/video/ljIqCYn5KoU/видео.html
@@mckenzielangendorf1437 If you search EVA foam mannequin on YT, you will find videos on how to do it. My plan is to make the bust form in EVA foam and then sew a soft cover and fill it with expanding foam. If that works, then I will re-do my Bootstrap mannequin this way (after adjusting the fit a bit)
Glad others are finding the video helpful! It's unfortunate that Bootstrap Fashion hasn't addressed this pattern issue despite it persisting for several years. I just watched the AFI Atelier tutorial you linked and saw the Timelace Studio pattern. I have not seen that before and I love the contour shape of the pattern pieces. I would absolutely be interested in seeing how yours turns out. Now you got me thinking about making a second dress form 😅
I thought the height from the bust to neck was an error on my part! It's interesting you ran into the same issue. (I made the same pattern.) It's so disappointing after so much time spent on the dress form because it truly gets in the way and is very hard to fix.
I have been working on my own form. Torso only, and it has been a real chore. I was considering the bootstrap, but decided against it, because, what I noticed in the countless youtube videos of people making their custom forms was that the shoulders look too high. So I'm assuming that that is the "back to bust" mesurement you mentioned in your video. The other issue is the lumps from the filler. Im worried my form will have this same problem. I do hope you decide to revisit this project, I'm very curious to see how you approach the issues you have with it.
Yes, it appears that the high shoulders in Bootstrap forms is connected to discrepancies in the 'back to bust' measurement. Despite encountering this issue, I've found great encouragement and inspiration from the comments and suggestions provided here. I'm considering giving it another try in a month or two. What pattern are you using for your dress form? Have you considered incorporating a layer of batting to smooth out any lumps? Some other comments have recommended using a layer of batting, although I haven't had the opportunity to test it myself yet. I'm curious to see the results of your approach!
I have two dresses formed that I have made and what I learned to avoid the lumps is to used thick fabric and well as lined the fabric thick interfacing
Thank you so much for this tutorial, I’ve followed step by step. Can you tell me if I need two separate pipes for the top and the legs? Should the fit into each other ?
WOW thatsa LOTTA work! EASIER: take a dress of firm material, thicker cotton or linen, that fits you well, sew the bottom closed just below the crotch level, sew the arm holes closed, sew the neckline almost closed, and stuff it densely with pillow stuffing. then invert turn in the neck edge and sew it closed. place on counter on a small flat piece of wood. place stuffed bodyform base on it. attach a metal rod with holes in it at the back,vertically, secure it to the wood base with L shaped metal slats with predrilled holes, screw it to the wood plate. attach the torso back form to the rod with self stick velcro. voila!
The problem is: if we could find dresses that fit us so well we would not need to make our patterns and use a dress form... in Italian we say "it's a dog that bites his own tail" but I think it is not a way of speaking in english 🙂
Thanks for your thoughts! I did a bootstrap dressform about a month back and encountered a lot of the same issues. While it came out alright, the breasts were too low, and there were other minor issues. Personally I wish I had put the money aside to save up for a really good quality dressform instead of making my own. While I’m glad I got the experience of making one I’m disappointed since I don’t trust it enough to drape or get an accurate enough fit.
I saw the duct tape version and came to an idea. Maybe it makes sense to ductape yourself and cut it in pieces like the patterns you bought suggest. Then sew them and i would fill the whole body with expandable foam which is very quick and easy to fill it up. And if you want to be able to wash the sewn mannequin then you can ducttape yourself twice and the second time you dont cut and fill it direktly with the foam. And after drying you can get rid of the ductape of the hardened foam and then put on tge sewn mannequin on it. I hope it was easy to understand what i meant.
My suggestion to all who want to make this: do not use polyfill - it is too spungy, makes everything lumpy and is difficult to stuff firmly. In the 19th century, dolls of all sizes were made and the filling material was saw dust. Saw dust makes superb shapes: use it for making tailor's hams and - stuffing the dress form. Only the final part is filled with poly fill to stop the saw dust from falling out. Also, one can buy a cheap smaller dress form, fit this inside the sewn dressform as shown here and fill the spaces with saw dust. This way no support underneath, nor the arms, nor the stand.
Good morning, I bought the full body from Bootstrap Fashion and I've done it three times now, I'm desperate...and I have exactly the same problem with the width of the back, it's much smaller on the mannequin than the measurement that I sent. Did you find a solution? thank you in advance for your help.
just wrap medium thick fabric around the dressform where its too small, wrap it snugly until the circumference matches your own body measurements. then pick the extra material securely in place and pull a commercial dressform cover over it. voila! NOW the dressform has YOUR measurements.
Glad you enjoyed! I think it's a good reminder that not every sewing project works. And yes! I already have far too many ideas for my second iteration 😅
Thank you so much for this tutorial, I’ve followed step by step. Can you tell me if I need two separate pipes for the top and the legs? Should the fit into each other ?
Great video with honest results. A rarity these days. Thank you.
You are welcome. I wanted to focus on documenting the process and adding notes I wish I had at the start of this project
This is so detailed, honest and helpful. I hope you come back to it. It’s always heartbreaking when things don’t work out the way we hope, even after all the care and attention to detail. I had no idea you could get a pattern made for dress forms. So happy to find your channel 🤗💗🌟
I too was excited to find the Bootstrap fashion dress forms. Personalized patterns based on your measurements sounded great. But it didn't turn out as expected. Still, I hope others can learn from my experience and have better results 😊
Hey little cookie, sorry I didn’t get your name. You would need to pull out the stuffing and use a quilting batting I think it’s called. Use that first and cut your shapes of the legs again. That will make the legs a smoother finish.(. don’t pull this stuff apart ) that should give a smoother effect. ….then use your stuffing pieces again on the inside of the legs….hope you can understand what I’m saying.its a great effort…if any of the sections don’t seem correct make the section again,,,,,I know it’s so much work…..otherwise you won’t be happy. You could always use shapewear over the top to add a little more bulk …😊
Thank you for the suggestions! I'm considering redoing the dress form. Using quilt batting seems like a promising idea, though it does require quite a bit of effort. If it helps smooth out the legs, I'll definitely consider it. Additionally, I'm thinking of completely redoing the torso, adjusting the pattern with accurate back width and front shoulder to bust measurements.
Maybe I'll revisit this project in a couple of months with a fresh perspective, redo it, and then post a part 2! 😅
@TheLittleChookie If you were to make a new dress form, would you use canvas again? I think I'm going to make mine out of bra cup foam c: But if my legs turn out looking like yours at least it'll add realism to mine lmao
Thank you for your detailed video. I’m in the market for a full body form and this video really helps.
Glad it was of use! I too noticed that there weren't any reviews of the Bootstrap full body form so I wanted to share my experience. Do you think you'll go with Bootstrap or another dress form?
@@TheLittleChookie Yes, I think I will. I’m full figured, I like to refer to myself as lush, and a custom body form for me with arms and legs are in the thousands. So I believe that even though it will be quite a bit of work and a few hundred dollars, it’ll be worth it. I’m going to follow your suggestion and make a mock up first. This is something I have to do with all patterns, even the ones I self draft so, it isn’t a negative to me. I’m hoping to do it this April as I’m extremely busy in March, I will post it to my channel and refer back to yours, if that’s okay with you?
Little Chookie you did a great job even though you are disappointed in the end result. New subscriber over here!😊
Thank you! 🤗
The odd boob problem is a common problem. People usually put one of their bras on the form and stuff the cups. It works well. I've had a dress form for me and my husband for several years and recently added one for my granddaughter so she can sew her own stuff. I only wear dresses because dresses flatter my apple shape best so no legs needed. And the husband gets only shirts made. I'm not going to tackle zip flys. People normally name their dress firms. I thought it was weird but then i found myself referring to mine as Mr and Mrs. Granddaughter is of course princess.
Love the names of your dress forms! Thanks for the tip, I'll try out the bra and stuffing. Though I'm a bit worried that it will merely distribute the problem into other areas.
I liked this, I will try it. Thank you for showing me your video
Excellent video. I’ve been hoping someone would do the full body bootstrap form. I have purchased 2 bootstrap upper body forms (2 years apart) and both had the same issue as yours - way too long from back neck to bust point. My dress form boobs hang way too low 😢. (I’ve noticed this with just about every single one of them I’ve seen in photos and on RUclips also). It’s a lot of work to then realize that the entire project needs to be altered and re-sewn. It’s also very costly and hard to get a smooth finish. I’m currently experimenting and making a bust form (free download I found) with EVA foam instead which is pin-able but also firm and can be filled with expanding foam and then a soft knit cover can be added over top to make it more aesthetic. If it works out I will film it 😊. Thank you for sharing your beautiful job! Sorry it didn’t work out perfectly but it will still be a nice form to display some me-makes in your sewing studio!
Wait that actually sounds promising, would u mind sharing where u found the download?
@@mckenzielangendorf1437 You Bet! I am linking the tutorial for a form made of cut & sew bra foam and in the description there is a link to the bust form only (I don't know what the language it, maybe german??). ruclips.net/video/ljIqCYn5KoU/видео.html
@@mckenzielangendorf1437 If you search EVA foam mannequin on YT, you will find videos on how to do it. My plan is to make the bust form in EVA foam and then sew a soft cover and fill it with expanding foam. If that works, then I will re-do my Bootstrap mannequin this way (after adjusting the fit a bit)
@@djthompson1971 oh my gosh thx sm! I’m so excited 😆
Glad others are finding the video helpful! It's unfortunate that Bootstrap Fashion hasn't addressed this pattern issue despite it persisting for several years.
I just watched the AFI Atelier tutorial you linked and saw the Timelace Studio pattern. I have not seen that before and I love the contour shape of the pattern pieces. I would absolutely be interested in seeing how yours turns out. Now you got me thinking about making a second dress form 😅
You did a fantastic, clean job. I will be following your assembly. Sorry it didn't work as you had planned.
I thought the height from the bust to neck was an error on my part! It's interesting you ran into the same issue. (I made the same pattern.) It's so disappointing after so much time spent on the dress form because it truly gets in the way and is very hard to fix.
I have been working on my own form. Torso only, and it has been a real chore. I was considering the bootstrap, but decided against it, because, what I noticed in the countless youtube videos of people making their custom forms was that the shoulders look too high. So I'm assuming that that is the "back to bust" mesurement you mentioned in your video. The other issue is the lumps from the filler. Im worried my form will have this same problem. I do hope you decide to revisit this project, I'm very curious to see how you approach the issues you have with it.
Yes, it appears that the high shoulders in Bootstrap forms is connected to discrepancies in the 'back to bust' measurement. Despite encountering this issue, I've found great encouragement and inspiration from the comments and suggestions provided here. I'm considering giving it another try in a month or two.
What pattern are you using for your dress form? Have you considered incorporating a layer of batting to smooth out any lumps? Some other comments have recommended using a layer of batting, although I haven't had the opportunity to test it myself yet. I'm curious to see the results of your approach!
I have two dresses formed that I have made and what I learned to avoid the lumps is to used thick fabric and well as lined the fabric thick interfacing
I love the spreadsheet! Subscribed.
Ahahaha, I do love my numbers and charts 😅
Thank you so much for this tutorial, I’ve followed step by step. Can you tell me if I need two separate pipes for the top and the legs? Should the fit into each other ?
WOW thatsa LOTTA work! EASIER: take a dress of firm material, thicker cotton or linen, that fits you well, sew the bottom closed just below the crotch level, sew the arm holes closed, sew the neckline almost closed, and stuff it densely with pillow stuffing. then invert turn in the neck edge and sew it closed. place on counter on a small flat piece of wood. place stuffed bodyform base on it. attach a metal rod with holes in it at the back,vertically, secure it to the wood base with L shaped metal slats with predrilled holes, screw it to the wood plate. attach the torso back form to the rod with self stick velcro. voila!
The problem is: if we could find dresses that fit us so well we would not need to make our patterns and use a dress form... in Italian we say "it's a dog that bites his own tail" but I think it is not a way of speaking in english 🙂
Thanks for your thoughts! I did a bootstrap dressform about a month back and encountered a lot of the same issues. While it came out alright, the breasts were too low, and there were other minor issues. Personally I wish I had put the money aside to save up for a really good quality dressform instead of making my own. While I’m glad I got the experience of making one I’m disappointed since I don’t trust it enough to drape or get an accurate enough fit.
Thanks for posting.
Hope it was helpful!
Very honest video....Thank you for sharing
You are welcome! I'm trying to provide information I would have found helpful
I find this very beneficial!! thank you for sharing
I saw the duct tape version and came to an idea. Maybe it makes sense to ductape yourself and cut it in pieces like the patterns you bought suggest. Then sew them and i would fill the whole body with expandable foam which is very quick and easy to fill it up. And if you want to be able to wash the sewn mannequin then you can ducttape yourself twice and the second time you dont cut and fill it direktly with the foam. And after drying you can get rid of the ductape of the hardened foam and then put on tge sewn mannequin on it. I hope it was easy to understand what i meant.
My suggestion to all who want to make this: do not use polyfill - it is too spungy, makes everything lumpy and is difficult to stuff firmly. In the 19th century, dolls of all sizes were made and the filling material was saw dust. Saw dust makes superb shapes: use it for making tailor's hams and - stuffing the dress form. Only the final part is filled with poly fill to stop the saw dust from falling out. Also, one can buy a cheap smaller dress form, fit this inside the sewn dressform as shown here and fill the spaces with saw dust. This way no support underneath, nor the arms, nor the stand.
Good morning, I bought the full body from Bootstrap Fashion and I've done it three times now, I'm desperate...and I have exactly the same problem with the width of the back, it's much smaller on the mannequin than the measurement that I sent. Did you find a solution? thank you in advance for your help.
just wrap medium thick fabric around the dressform where its too small, wrap it snugly until the circumference matches your own body measurements. then pick the extra material securely in place and pull a commercial dressform cover over it. voila! NOW the dressform has YOUR measurements.
That was great. Thanks for posting :) Sorry it didn't exactly work. Le sigh.... but hopefully it proved a useful experience for the updated version
Glad you enjoyed! I think it's a good reminder that not every sewing project works. And yes! I already have far too many ideas for my second iteration 😅
Useful, thank you!
Glad it was helpful 🥰
Hi dear please I want to know more how can I get to you
"Promo sm" 🌟
Thank you so much for this tutorial, I’ve followed step by step. Can you tell me if I need two separate pipes for the top and the legs? Should the fit into each other ?