this is for annie. :) who swears she doesn't need to know this. :) but who is just curious. :)
annie asked how to pad out a dressform to a pregnant shape. the easy way--the way maternity clothing stores do it--is to use a round pillow and put elastic straps to hold it on. this works pretty well, i guess that's why maternity stores do it. to pad out the bust use a bra of the correct or expected size.
the problem is that the resulting body tends to be sort of springy, and real pregnant bodies are, unfortunately, more affected by the pull of gravity, esp. later in the pregnancy. my solution is to make more of a body and to fill it with something that has some weight to it. you can use rice, dry beans, the stuff they sell to weight dolls--make a little bag and put your weight into it, then put that in the bottom of the belly. i make my bodies with halter straps to hold the weight better, and i leave an opening in the pocket that holds the weight so the belly can be filled out as the pregnancy progresses. weight the bra as well, you might as well use a maternity/nursing bra for this purpose.
i will take better pictures of this and come back to add them tomorrow (i was in a hurry today), but this is a maternity/nursing nightgown on a form fitted with the belly and bra i used for myself when pregnant. ordinarily i would put a cover over the padding to make the body more even underneath but these views let you see the halter on the padded body.
so sorry for such a rough post, i have a lot going on these next few days, what with someone turning four years old and all.
