Review: Adjustoform Sew Simple 8 Part Adjustable Dress Form
Some of the links below are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that, at zero cost to you, I will earn an affiliate commission if you click through the link and finalize a purchase.
Adjustable mannequins aren’t always necessary when making clothing but they really can help especially if you struggle with the overall fit and flare of a garment.
It is helpful to use of a dress form when making clothes, especially when making for other people as you can use it as a guide for fitting and shape. While this doesn’t require the mannequin to be an adjustable one, I always find it can help massively.
Adjustable mannequins are few and far between but it doesn’t always mean there isn’t any worth buying on the market. On my hunt for the best adjustable mannequins, I came across the Celine Deluxe Dressmakers Dummy and I was blown away.
My Review
The Adjustoform Sew Simple Adjustable Dress Form was one of my favourite mannequins I had the pleasure of using and reviewing. What I found worked well with the mannequin was the overall stability of the main form itself.
It is made from a lightweight fibre plastic material covered with thin soft foam and topped with a soft nylon outer layer. These three materials combined created a great base to work on when pinning and handling the fabric.
What I found useful was the nylon fabric had a texture to it which helped grasp the fibres of most fabrics so you didn’t feel like the fabric was slipping off the dress form instantly.
I appreciated this as I often find my biggest annoyance with mannequins is that fabric can all too easily feel like it isn’t supported.
The Adjustoform mannequin is very easy to put together and even came with an instruction sheet. The body form itself was already together so all you needed to do was assemble the base and stand.
The mannequin is made up of an 8-part system to allow you to adjust the bust, waist and hips along with the neck, torso length and also height of the mannequin.
Much like the Celine Deluxe Mannequin and the Sewing Online Adjustable Mannequin, the Adjustoform has a 12-cog system to adjust the sizing on the bust, waist and hips.
These cogs are placed with 3 on each side, front and back. The cogs are easy to handle and move even one-handed which can be a blessing when you are busy holding onto fabric or pins.
I also really liked that the measurements on the cogs were clear and easy to read so you could easily see what size you were on and you didn’t have to keep reaching for the tape measure to double-check.
The neck also has a push-down button that opens up the neck perfect for constructing blouses and shirts. This also allowed the body to open up to create a more realistic shape overall.
There was also a small pad ontop that was a soft foam material sunk into the top of the neck in which you can use as a pin cushion while you are working. While it isn’t made of the best materials and you may find better elsewhere it was a handy feature to have.
What I found that let the mannequin down was the stand and base were a little flimsy. The base is made up of 4 pieces of plastic that slot into a round barrel to create a supportive base.
While the concept is good unfortunately the plastic bars were a little on the flimsy side and felt unstable.
While the base may work fine on a flat surface such as wooden flooring or laminate, it may be a little more unstable on the carpet, especially thicker carpet.
I found the hemming tool to be extremely useful though the measurements on the bottom half of the stand are a little confusing as these wouldn’t be accurate once the dummy is moved higher or lower.
However, if you are looking to create the same level hem each time on a project you can use the lines and numbers as a guide to creating that accuracy.
I would however still use a tape measure to make sure the length of the hem is what you wish it to be before cutting/hemming.
