Tomorrow is April Fools’ Day and as the calendar turns, Rae is wondering how time flies by so quickly. This week is quiet on her schedule, so she will be playing with the Ditto Form, which arrived weeks ago and has not even been extended to full height. Here is her report.
In October, while teaching at the ASDP Conference, I had my body scanned by Carol of Ditto Form because I was desperate for a new dress form. My dritz form, Colette, no longer stood up straight on the stand after years of design work draping and Fit for Art’s annual visits to the photographer.
Even though there was no design work happening on this body the last few weeks since she arrived, I decided that it really does reflect my own shape. Plans for our first few adventures have been percolating in my brain since she arrived. When cleaning up the basement studio a few weeks ago, I unearthed several fabrics as excellent first projects—mostly Carpe Diems, maybe with square necks.
Try on Something that Fits Well!
On Monday morning after breakfast, I headed to my Zoom studio to play. First I had to lift up the stand, which is actually an IV pole. I had the directions at the ready. Once I lifted the stand, the form was close to my own height. It will take a bit more work to get the pole and form stable, but that can wait until another day. It was time to get on with things.
Next, I dressed her in a Tabula Rasa Jacket that fits me well to check the form for accuracy and ease. In the past it has been tempting to overfit when working on a dress form, because the form never complains that the garment is too tight. I hope to be mindful of my preferred ease and avoid this habit from the start with my Ditto Form. I rolled up a towel to resemble my full upper arm and after some reflection, the form seemed to fit the bill in the neck, back, shoulders and tummy. She sure looks better when she has clothes on.
Try Draping Some Fabric
After a cup of coffee and some email, I took off the TRJ and draped some stash fabric to consider a spring/summer Carpe Diem top with a square neck. Maybe it will button up the front. These two 1-yard cuts of lovely Japanese sateen are each a different color of the same print, which makes for some fun possibilities matching the print.
The colors are some of my favorites, and they look so nice with a solid green in the stash. This will be a happy project to kick off my spring/summer sewing. As I sat writing this post and gazing on my ditto dressed for spring, I had ideas for sleeve cuffs and hem details.
Then Consider Some Fabric Challenges
After lunch, I removed the lovely cottons and took some precious silk Shibori out of a souvenir box. These colors are great for my fall wardrobe. With a September wedding on the calendar, it might be just the fabric for a new wardrobe addition. Don’t you love it with this necklace I cherish?
The fabric presents a number of challenges, such as its texture and the narrow 11″ width, but there is a good bit of it and the possibilities are many. What should it be: a long Tabula Rasa Jacket or a Carpe Diem Tunic Top or Dress? Leave me a comment if you have a fun idea.
Ponder While Staying Busy with Other Projects
As I think about this project the rest of the week, there are some book projects that need attention on my work table in preparation for our Spark Creativity workshop in France this August. (Still a few spaces remaining, why not join us?) In spite of the allergy/cold symptoms that have me moving slowly, it will be a very creative week.
While compiling this post, I decided this gal, my new Ditto Form, needs a name. What do you think? Any suggestions? If you want your own Ditto Form to play with, contact Carol and be sure to mention you heard about it from me! Then you can have fun playing with the Ditto Form too.
