3/1/2019 - The Shop Company, Dress Form Review

In the past five years that I've been sewing I've used a variety of dress forms: from duct-tape DIYs to delicate vintage forms found at antique stores. Some great, some not, but almost all of them were too big for my measurements. I eventually gave up finding a form with a bust smaller than 34" and would have to decide between dresses fitting me or the form.

Then The Shop Company offered to send me one of their professional dress forms and I could not be more pleased! Their forms range from size 0 - 24 depending on the style. This is the first time I've seen my measurements offered and I could cry, but I won't because this is a brand new dress form that I hope to keep clean from my tears for longer than a week. We'll see how that goes.

(PS: If you can't find your measurements, TSC offers The Ultimate Fitting System, pads designed to fit on your form to match your measurements).

I decided on removable arms instead of collapsible shoulders since I make a lot of disconnected sleeves and armlets for my dresses. These are very easy to take off and put back on and while not flexible, they are pin-able, stable, and match the dress form unlike many arm attachments offered by others (lookin' at you, weird wooden arms). 

I have been sewing on Singer Heavy Duty (4452) for about four months now. It has been wonderful in creating both delicate dresses, leather-like costumes, and odd ensembles such as plastic wrapper gowns. It's yet to complain about some of the unconventional material I've run through it: foam, latex-coated fabric, papier-mâché sheets, plastic, and so much more, and it does it all very quickly! 

With the Heavy Duty 4452 you get:

• A whopping 1,100 stitches per minute. That's much faster than a standard machine.
• Automatic needle threader (hello, yes!)
• Top drop-in bobbin. This is my first machine with this feature and it is so convenient!
  
• A selection of 32 built-In stitches. That's 6 basic stitches, 7 stretch, 18 decorative, & a 1-step buttonhole (compared to the 4-step on the 4411 model).
• The ability to sew through more heavyweight fabrics and pieces (ex: denim, velcro, vinyl), and this doesn't exclude delicate fabrics like satin silk. Change the needle and you're still good to go!
  
• Three needle position options.
• Accessories including the even feed/walking foot for bulky fabric, zipper foot, buttonhole foot, the non-stick foot for "tacky" fabrics (vinyl, leather), the clearance pate (sewing over seams), and a pack of Heavy Duty #16 needles.
• Dust cover.

Tips when using this machine:

• Start off with easy projects to get adjusted. The foot pedal is sensitive and the machine itself is pretty powerful! You don't have to go as fast as it's capable, but it may take a bit of finesse to find the right speed.
• Stick to plastic bobbins (15J).
  
• Get a universal carry case if you plan to take this anywhere. While it's not as easy to carry-and-go as something like the SINGER Simple, it is still fairly easy to travel with. 
•  Do not sew more layers of fabric than can fit under the pressure foot.

Overall, this machine is quick without shaking the table, does the threading for you, and can handle some of the tougher fabrics out there. It may take getting use to the pedal sensitivity and motor, but I recommend it for anyone looking for a machine for heavy duty tasks. It'd be a solid choice for either beginners or advanced crafters who prefer mechanical machines.