How to Make a Dress Form Mannequin From Duct Tape

A great tool for altering clothes is to use a dress form mannequin. However, a store bought dress form mannequin can be pretty expensive, especially when it is custom made for your measurements. To avoid the expense, you can make your own dress form mannequin from duct tape. Here are the instructions for making a dress form mannequin that is your exact size.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Roll of duct tape
• Old T-shirt
• Scissors
• Newspapers

1. Choose an old T-shirt that fits reasonably well and is at least hip length.This is the base of your mannequin and will be destroyed in the process of making the mannequin. Place the T-shirt on the model. If you are the model, then you will need the help of a friend because it is not possible to make a mannequin dress form on your own body.

2. 
    

   Start below the bust and wrap the body with a long strip of duct tape. This will press the shirt to the body. Do not worry about the shirt gathering. This is natural as you shape the tape to the body. Also make an X across the chest to begin to capture the shape of the bust.

3. 
    

   Continue wrapping the tape around the stomach. his need to conform to the shape of the body without being so tight that they cannot breathe. Pull on the bottom of the shirt as you wrap the tape to make sure it stays long enough to wrap down to the hip area.

4. 
    

   Cut small strips of duct tape and use them to form the bust. For a large bust, you will begin by making a star burst shape and then filling in the holes. For a small bust, you would just allow the pieces to fan out as they conform to the bust.

5. 
    

   Wrap a piece of duct tape around the base of each arm. Then lay pieces across the width of the back. Make two layers of duct tape across the upper back.

6. Continue placing tape all the way down to the end of the T-shirt and the rest of the body being sure to leave no T-shirt showing. Aim for two layers of tape over the entire torso.

7. 
    

   Very carefully, cut the shirt and tape up the back. To make space for the scissors and you hands have the model force their shoulders back as far as they will go. Here is a photo of the cut mannequin form.

8. 
    

   Place a hanger in the dress for and fill the dress form mannequin with balled up newspaper or other recycled paper and then tape it shut down the back. Also loosely tape the neck and arms closed as well. From the bottom of the form, begin forcing the newspaper up into the neck and arm area adding more tape as you go to get the proper shape. Make sure you push paper into the bust area so that it does not flatten out. Then force as much paper as you can get into the dress form mannequin and tape the bottom closed.

Tips & Warnings

• Use your dress form mannequin to design your own clothing and to alter and fit items without trying them on.
• Have the model place her hands on her hips to give you room to work without having her arms get too tired.
• Make sure your model can breathe as you wrap the tape around their body.

[didar205]

on 11/9/2009 or you can buy an inexpensive dress form at www.displayimporter.com/Fashion-Forms/

[ilovetosew]

on 8/2/2009 Ingenious idea! Thanks so much!

[smidgen]

on 1/1/2009 I would of NEVER thought of this! WOW 5 stars!!