I’ve fairly recently started sewing and dressmaking and have obtained a dressmaker’s dummy.  Now there’s a baffling object.  It says it offers 2 sizes and quite clearly shows two sets of dimensions possible;  however my one doesn’t seem to have the capability of reaching the larger sizes.  So I have had to work round this by padding out and making the body form more realistic.  It requires a lot of very honest measuring with a firm fabric tape measure of far more than the standard bust, waist and hips.  The widtch of shoulders, height of shoulder to bust, differnce between chest size and bust at the fullest point – that makes the cup size.  Also, under the standard hip area, comes the fullness of the posterier – some folk are more round than others and this definitely needs catering for in dress and trouser making!  I have researched the subject and know that I need a selection of shoulder pads to help bulk out the areas that mother nature has endowed most women more substantially than other – a physical as well as a diplomacy challenge!