For my other Hobby- My New Dress Dummy

I have wanted a dress dummy for years.  I used to have a duct tape dummy, but I was never happy with it.  I looked at the new dress forms available on line and at Joann's but was turned off by so many of the bad reviews.  I needed a sturdy dummy that could stand up to the heavy gowns of the 17th and 18th centuries.
Enter Dorie, my new dress form.

She must be at least 30 or 40 years old.  But she is very sturdy with a nice heavy metal base.  She also has metal adjustments inside that move with wing nuts, much sturdier than the plastic dials I saw on the new forms.  However; 17th and 18th century garments can not be made on her lovely hour glass shape.  So I got to work with some extra fabric, an old shift and an old set of stays.

She is now pretty much my size when I wear my stays.  This will make fitting garments so much easier.  Its a pain in the neck to change into a shift and stays when you are making period garments. Now Dorie will be my body double and I can stay comfortable.