This is the second installment in my No Rules Draping series. Part 1 detailed ways to get a dress form to duplicate your figure. Now that you have a dress form that resembles your body, you can try draping. While draping an evening gown from scratch is always a possibility, it is not the first and definitely not the only way to use your dress form. In this segment, I’ll share some of the simple ways I use my dress form every time I sew.

Most of us have at least a few one-of-a-kind fabric treasures in our stashes. They may include the 1/2-yard piece of the really expensive cashmere that will someday be a collar on a garment, or a silk-screened panel that will become the back of a kimono jacket, or the heirloom lace inherited from your grandma’s stash. Or maybe it’s the darling tea towel you picked…