I'm thinking I might get a dressmaker's dummy so I can fit the clothes I sew better when I'm working on them. I can't afford to get one of the made-to-measure kinds, so I'll have to get one of those adjustable ones. Does anyone here have one, and are there any particular brands I should look out for?

You can make one for less than $20!!! Check out http://www.taunton.com/threads/pages/t00002.asp
or check out old issues of Threads at the library. They have articles with instructions on making several types including the poured foam kind (although this is expensive and a lot of work--a paper tape or paper mache one is cheaper and quicker).
I had a Fabulous Fit the kind with pads and foam that you can add to make it fit your figure)and I've also used adjustables. I personally don't like adjustables because they have all those gaps where you can't pin (usually along places like the center front where you need to put pins!!). I think you could duplicate the Fabulous Fit dummy by buying a used adjustable or regular dummy at a garage sale, sew a cover out of a lycra/cotton mix and then buy batting or foam to put under your cover--that way you could pin all over the dummy and you could add a little stuffing where necessary. Here's the link to Fabulous Fit so you can copy their idea:>http://www.fabulousfit.com
They also have great fitting and sizing info.

If you do buy an adjustable, make sure the lengths (back neck waist and cf most importantly) are adjustable--with some dummies, you can only adjust the width.

Making your own dummy is the surest way to ensure accurate fit--even after sanding and stuffing, my "fabulous fit" never exactly duplicated my form.

--Ariell

You can also make your own by putting on a long t-shirt and having a friend wrap you in duct tape, then cut it off you. Then you simply tape it back together and stuff it, and voila! you have the perfect form!

i made a duct tape dressofrm just last week =)
it works great and you can poke it an stuff. it's kind of scary tho.. to have a replicate of your body. an VEYR unflattering. but ahhhh well =) it's cheap! cost me.. lesser. about 25bux cdn! =) 3rolls of duct tape was 15bux. 3 one pound bags of stuffing for 4bux each. about 27-30bux =) compared to 300bux for the adjustable ones... so yup. im happy. you should try it

Thanks everyone!
I'm going to make the duct tape one. Can't beat a $25 dummy!
Emily

will you take pix? =) mines just doesnt have a stand now. =/
got any ideas anyone? i put a hange thro the neck. so i could hang it. but i;ve got nowhere to hang it!

My aunt's dummy wouldn't extend to accomodate the girth of my gargantuan bosom, so we adjusted the rest of it, put one of my bras on it, and stuffed it to fit. It looked really dumb, but it works in a pinch of you have a mannequin that's too small. You could just get a smaller dummy and put your undies on it to stuff to match. I like the duct tape idea, though. How many thicknesses of duct tape do you need?

mithridatechild, How 'bout putting one of those plant hangers in the ceiling and hanging a chain or rope from it to the height you want? Then you could hook the hanger to the chain. I thought I might do that if I ever get around to making one. I like this dummy making idea.

I've been wanting to make a duct-tape dress form for ages, I have nobody to tape me up. My sister said she'd do it but it's hard to find time with her two little boys. I have a weird figure, I don't think I could find a dress form with boobs small enough even if it was adjustable.

ooh good idea about the plant hangers ^^ i think i'll be doing that. not too expensive either i hope!
i did about 3 layers of duct tape.
your going to hafto wrap snug tho, not too tight, but when you get out of it by cutting it up the back, and then around to stuffing it reaaaly good, then it gets a bit bigger because you stuffed it so much. an you hafto stuff it well or it'll start to sag =P