Display Forms

Such a Sweet Shelley

~ Michelle ~ 2 Comments

After the beginner class I taught last month, there was enough demand for another class. So I scheduled a Shelley class.

Jeanette (Bra Making Academy) had left her Shelley bra set at the store, and I could use it on the display to show just how pretty the Shelley pattern is. 

Although this is a really adorable set, I wanted to put my own mark on things, so to speak, so sewed up the cutest little Shelley.

I went through my stash and found just enough lace to go with some platinum duoplex and adorable pink findings kit. This was a quick sew, or at least it felt that way for me. I’m used to sewing a larger size.

Using the form’s measurements (which I got over the phone!) I made up a 2.75 BCD with a 26″ band. I have to say I didn’t do too badly on the size. I think I could go up one cup size to get an even better fit, but this is pretty close.

Here’s the full display at the store. She’s wearing a lovely new Shelley bra, with the most adorable little Veronica panties 

Isn’t that the cutest? Just one more photo. I love this lace I used for this demo Shelley.   It makes me think of Spring. I’m ready for Spring. How about you?

I’ll be honest with you. I haven’t even looked at my pants pattern this week. I will re-look at it though. I’m determined! 

Happy creating!

New Displays

~ Michelle

This is just a short sweet little post.

I recently saw an ad for some displays on sale, and they were a great price. A consignment store was closing and these were going far below cost.After making a few pairs of pants and never having a decent way to display them, I thought these legs were perfect.

When I went to pick up the legs, the seller also had these lovely displays for sale and out for me to view.The hanging display went into my car right away. It’s lovely.

However, I did realize it wouldn’t work as well as I wanted for displaying something from the back.Here are my new capri pants on the display, and the back view is just not at all what I was wanting.  But the front and side views are nice. It’s a good thing the legs are free standing and can be turned around.

Right after I brought this home, a friend called asking to borrow my displays for an event she was having. It was nice to see my new display put to use right away.That’s Catherine there too. Both displays were on hand for my friend to showcase her knitting crafts.

Legs

It was time to try out my new legs display and see just how pants would work on it.

The first thing I noticed were the legs are freakishly long. They come up to my husband’s torso! And my husband is over six feet tall.Despite being so long, my capris look much better on this display than any display I’ve tried yet.

Here’s the side view. She’s awfully skinny, so I had to pin the pants on her.

And the back.Yes, this display is definitely much better than anything I’ve had to show pants before. I’m glad to add her to my small collection.

Just a note. Things have been difficult at home, so for the time being I’m going to aim for posting every other week.

Happy creating!

Another Abbie Chemise – Libelle Round 4 Pre-Order

~ Michelle

Testing panels and material for the Libelle Sewing‘s Round 4 Pre-Order has been fun for me. Two pair of panties, and I still had more material.

There’s also a Warehouse Sale going on too.

The Pre-Order closes on March 24th.

 Remember the photo I shared with my pup and the material with the grey and tan pup?I had a whole meter of that mint material. This material is cotton Lycra, and has really good recovery. I decided another House Morrighan Abbie Chemise was the perfect for it.

My Abbie

My first Abbie, I made to fit loosely. I wanted it that way. But I also wanted to find out just how this pattern fit when it fit more closely, as it’s intended. So this Abbie is more snug. It’s not tight, but it’s not loose either.

Here’s my Abbie on Catherine. I had to pull Catherine out again because my white display isn’t long enough for a slip.Oh, all that puppy cuteness! They are adorable. And polka dots too.

Here’s the side view:And the view from the back.Here’s a close up of the lace trim I used to finish the hem. It matches perfectly, and it’s available at Libelle Sewing too. They have lots of colors too.I really love lace trim like this for finishing panties – both the waist and the legs. It was perfect to finish this chemise as well.

I had just enough of this material and lace trim left over to cut out a pair of  House Morrighan Clover Boybriefs for Em.

Em’s Clovers

Em had requested another pair of Clovers. She said they were so comfortable. She got her request. And they are adorable too.For Em’s last Clovers, I finished them with bands, but I had this lovely lace trim, and couldn’t resist using it on these. It’s such a delicate finish.

Here’s the side view.The Clover Boybriefs do give coverage, but are just a touch cheeky at the same time.

And here’s the back view. Oh, these are so cute!

Take a look at Libelle’s Round 4 Pre-Order, and all the other lingerie goodies they’re offering in their Warehouse Sale.

Happy creating!

Still Working on a Solution

~ Michelle

My active wear make for the April Bra-makers Challenge is coming along nicely, but I’m still thinking of a solution for displaying my make.

Catherine

Displaying my muslin on Catherine wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either. I’m still working on a better solution.No, this definitely is not great.

Attempts

I finished sewing my waistband on my pants, and wanted to see them on the display. I wandered around the house looking for ideas. I wanted a better way to display my pants.

I tried two rolls of examination table paper. This is the paper I use for drafting. Nope. They didn’t have enough weight on their own to support the mannequin. I couldn’t even balance her against the cabinet with these. Next, I spotted a box of canning jars. Hmm. Just maybe if I taped them all together.This idea wasn’t completely bad. They had more stability than the paper rolls. They didn’t have the weight to support the mannequin though.

Next

The jars led me to my next idea – cans. I just happen to have an almost-full case of canned tomatoes. I could use one more can for each of the legs to be the correct length though.The cans work!

I had one more undiscovered problem at this point. The depth hollowed out in the bottom of each leg isn’t an equal depth.  This made me realize why she couldn’t balance on anything.

So, although the cans had enough weight and should have been stable enough, she was still unbalanced sitting on them. A pair of socks at the top on the left column of cans worked perfectly.

Trial Display

I decided to put the pants on her to see, even though they’re not finished.This is much better. A little more playing with the display set up for photos, and hemming of course, and these will be all ready for me to submit for my challenge.

Happy creating!

A New Display Form or Two

~ Michelle ~ 4 Comments

My display form family is growing! I was recently asked if I wanted a couple of display forms. I didn’t have to think for even a minute.

My Display Form

My first display form is exactly like one I was using when I first started to blog. It wasn’t mine however. It was one in the boutique where I was working. It worked so well, my husband bought me one just like it. My oldest DS dubbed her Catherine. He said she looked like a Catherine. She’s been Catherine ever since. You can see I use her a lot, and she is still much-loved. But she doesn’t work the best for displaying bras because we’re not the same size. And because she doesn’t have any legs at all, she really doesn’t work for panties. However, she’s been all I had for a few years, and I made do with her.

So, back to the question, do I want a couple of displays? Wait. Here’s the best part… in my size. In my size? YES!

First New Display Forms

This was the photo I was sent. Ooh, does the pretty bra come with it? Wouldn’t that be fun?

These came from Kimberly of Kimtimates when she was doing a bit of a destash. Two displays… in my size! I’m thrilled to get them.

 Here’s a recent make of mine on the new display. That’s a good fit. No foam cups to fill out the cups. No bead-forms stuffed into the cups. It’s great! Thank you, Kimberly!I’ll share more on this bra soon.

And Yet Another Display Form

It wasn’t very long after I got these two, that a friend of mine posted a few photos. She’d picked up these display forms for her business.Right away I was asking her questions. Where did she get them, how much did they cost? Drop by her Facebook page: Farmer Dell and see what’s she’s selling. She makes some lovely knit items from the sheep she raises.

She’d picked these up at Sears when it was closing. When I asked about other displays, she posted these photos.I knew I had to go see for myself. I’ve really wanted a better way to display panties.

By time I got to the store, there weren’t as many as shown here. And it was an odd experience to see a whole floor with only display forms. There was one room of toddler forms, most of them without heads. The clerk working there said that room was a highlight for people to take a selfie. I didn’t feel any urge to do that. It was kind of creepy.

He also told me he often came into work and found the displays in “compromising” positions. I didn’t see anything inappropriate, but I did find a great display while I was there. You’ve probably seen it a few times in recent posts.

The Negotiations

  After picking out the display I liked best, I asked her price. He said $100. I didn’t say anything. Then he said everything was half price. So $50. I’m not entirely sure why he didn’t just say $50 to start.

I did realize $50 was a good price, but all the displays that were left had scratches on them, and we’d had a discussion about them all having scratches. The one I picked out has scratches on her too. I know me too well, and I’m going to want to find the right paint to fix her up, and not leave her scratched up. So, I still didn’t say anything.

Then he said, how about $35. I said that would be great.

Here she is decked out in my Craftsy t-shirt, a fun jacket, and a tie that needs mending.I’m happy to have a display for panties. Here are my self-drafted Hipster panties. Even though we’re not the same size, these look pretty great on her.Panties just never looked this good pinned onto the front of Catherine.

Here’s my most recent bra on her with the same panties. I’m still in the same situation of having to fill the cups, but I only needed the foam cups here. This display has a little more going on than Catherine.I’m thrilled to get all of these new displays!

Happy creating!