How to Make a Duct Tape Body Form

Custom tailoring a piece of clothing for someone is a lot easier if the person is often on hand to try on the article as the project progresses. That is often inconvenient or impossible however, so the next best thing is a body double. You can do this without spending a hundred dollars or more on a dress form, simply by wrapping the person in duct tape. Making a form of your body makes sewing for yourself easier, too.

Things You'll Need

• Old nightgown
• Duct tape
• Scissors
• Polyester fiberfill
• Tape measure
• Hanger
• Ceiling hook
• String

Instructions

1. Wrap duct tape around the person whose body is being copied while she is wearing the nightgown and undergarments. Begin below the hips, and wrap horizontally, working up and over the bust. Do not wrap so tightly that you distort the person's true shape. Place strips of tape vertically over the shoulders, from the arms to the neck.

2. Carefully slit the duct tape up the back, through the nightgown. Remove from the wearer. Trim away nightgown fabric that is not covered with duct tape.

3. Tape up the back of the form, being careful to only touch edges, and not overlap them. Place a hanger inside the form, and then place more tape around the neck opening and the hanger.

4. Stuff the form from the bottom, checking periodically to ensure that the finished size matches the actual person's measurements. Place strips of tape across the bottom of the newly made form to hold stuffing inside.

5. Insert a hook into the ceiling. Tie one end of the string to the hanger. Loop the string through the hook, and pull the string to lift the form, until the shoulder height is the same as the person's. Tie the string to secure the form.

Tips & Warnings

• If you will be sewing only a shirt or blouse, the form will not have to be suspended. It can simply be set on a table.