Dress Form Pincushion (In-the-Hoop)

When you download the Dress Form Pincushion design, you'll find 10 files. 5 are embroidery files (labeled a, b, c, d, e), and the other 5 are dieline files, marked with the letters DL. Dielines are used to cut the fabric to the right shape and size.

Open the dieline files with embroidery software and print them.

If you do not have an embroidery software, take a look at our helpful video on using dielines.

We also recommend Wilcom's Hatch software which comes in different levels depending on what you'd like to use the software for. Hatch Organizer works well to view your designs, print dielines and templates, change design colors, and create basic design layouts. (This is an affiliate link. We may earn commission on purchases made with this link.)

First prepare the fabric piece for the front of the dress form. Cut around the first paper dieline (labeled with an "a"), and spray the back with temporary spray adhesive. Smooth it onto the quilter's cotton.

Cut out the shape. Repeat the above steps to prepare the fabric pieces for the side, back and bottom of the dress form (the dielines labeled with "b", "c", "d" and "e").

Hoop a piece of tear-away stabilizer. Madeira E-Zee Tear 1.5 oz. or Floriani Tearaway Medium are good choices. Those brands are more fibrous, less paper-like, and will tear more cleanly.

Attach the hoop to the machine and load the full embroidery file "a" (not the dieline files).

Use a size 11 or 75/11 sharp sewing needle, rather than an embroidery needle. A sharp sewing needle has a smaller, finer point than an embroidery needle, so that will make smaller perforations in the stabilizer.

Embroider the design. The first thing to embroider will be a dieline, or outline stitch. This marks the area on the stabilizer where to place the fabric piece.

Remove the hoop from the machine, but do not unhoop the stabilizer. Spray the back of the fabric piece with a temporary adhesive, and place it right inside the sewn dieline.

Attach the hoop back onto the machine and continue embroidering the design. A tackdown stitch will sew next. This binds the fabric in place for the remainder of the design. Once the fabric is stitched in place, all of the inner elements will sew.

Once the embroidery is finished, unhoop the stabilizer and gently tear it away from the edges. Make sure to remove the tear-away stabilizer from the back of the fabric piece.

Repeat the previous steps to embroider the other pieces of the dress form (b - e). Once they are finished being embroidered, tear away the excess stabilizer.

To assemble the dress form, match up the front and back pieces (piece "a & c", fronts facing each other), and sew the top edges together. This will create the shoulder seam.

Take the side piece (piece "b") and place the center of the shoulder seam over the notch and pin the edges together. Carefully sew around the entire edge.

Next, repeat to attach side piece "d". Then turn the dress form right side out.

Before attaching the bottom piece (piece "e") to the dress form, cut out the center of the eyelet.

Attach the bottom piece to the dress form, leaving a small hole at the bottom (other than the eyelet) open for stuffing.

Fill the dress form with polyester fiberfill through the opening.

Sew the opening closed.

To create the dress form stand, lay the round wooden plaque face up and use a pencil to mark the center.

Use a hand-held drill with a 3/8" drill bit to create a 1/4" to 1/2" deep hole (to place the wooden dowel in). Clear the sawdust, and remove any pencil marks with an eraser.

Cut the wooden dowel to size and place the wooden dowel in the hole. (Use wood glue, super glue or hot glue stick to make this a permanent fixture.)

Use a pencil or end of a paintbrush to create a path through the eyelet at the bottom of the design, for the dowel placement. This will allow the dress form to balance evenly on the stand.

Insert the dowel into the eyelet, and your dress form is complete!