For businesses involved in dressmaking, couture or alterations, a good dressmaker's dummy is an essential piece of kit for designing, modelling, sizing and altering clothes. But with so many different types on the market, how do you choose the right one? Our handy guide will help.
Picking the right dummy
To pick the right dummy model for your business, it helps to know what your needs are. Those who sow for one customer, or a particular standard size, may be happy to use a standard dress form with a single set of sizes. Those who need to use a dressmaker's dummy for a range of clients will prefer to have an adjustable model, which allows adjustment for height as well as girth. Most good models will be adjustable for the dress form and have a minimum of eight sections.
Most professionals will also need an adjustable dressmakers dummy that is sturdy and easy to adjust. Twelve adjustable sections are the most common for those sewing exacting garments. A deluxe trouser form is also very useful for those making trousers.
Popular models
The K&L, available from Morplan, is the industry's best-selling standard model. Its dimensions are modelled on the female form, according to the UK's sizing definition and the dummy is made with a polyester body, reinforced with long lasting glass. The highest standards of production have been applied to ensure accuracy when pattern cutting and the dummy can be adjusted using the tubular steel base.