Occupational Hazards of Being a Viking

So in case you're wondering where I've been, well lets just say I've been buried under piles of fabric and trying to get my body adjusted to my new work schedule. I'll be working 10pm to 10am three or four days a week. OH BOY. Oh, and I'm organizing a camping trip with horseback riding through the Appalachian mountains with a girlfriend of mine and our combined kids*. The horseback ride is what my son wants for his birthday.

But enough about that. I've been reorganizing my fabrics and planning projects. Thanks to Charlotte over at Sew Weekly, I've been inspired to built a basic wardrobe based on fabrics on hand and things we need in our daily rotation. More thoughtful planning as it were, but that's a whole blog post on its own.

See, the REAL reason I'm posting this is because of my futile search for a dress form that LOOKS LIKE ME. I made a duct tape form once but then used it for a corset project and once it gets bent out of shape, it doesn't go back to its original size. And duct tape gets sticky. We tried last night with packing tape, but it wasn't the kind that you wet and stick. SO that was no good.

We (me and hubby) have looked into getting me a custom form. Which is expensive, to say the least. I had emailed PGM Dressforms about help finding one that fits. They asked that I send my measurements and they can help me pick out a pre-made one. So I took my measurements and wrote them down and compared them to the chart. And what i saw crazy to me. So much so I made a visual representation for everyone else.

I would also like to point out that my x-shoulder measurements were 17 inches at the age of thirteen. So can you see why I have problems with finding a good dress form? Or find anything off the wrack that is non-knit that fits (or if it does, it looks like a tent). I am totally made for swinging battle axes from the back of a horse. This would explain why, even at under 150 pounds, I still had to wear large sizes and take them in at the waist. Long story short (TOO LATE!), if I want a dress form that is anywhere close to me-shape it will have to be custom made. Either by yours truly or for an absurd amount of money.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some fishing villages to terrorize.

*My friend has one boy age 5, I have an eight year old girl and an almost 10 year old boy. Its just going to be us two adults. No grown men coming with us. So two adults and three kids. Hopefully I won't go insane.