Sewing Mannequin

[BadGirl (Premo)]

I was looking to purchase one of those adjustable sewing mannequins. They seem like they could be pretty helpful when it comes to taking in clothes and so forth.

I'm not even close to being a seamstress, but I'd like to be able to make adjustments to my clothes without spending a fortune having someone else do it for me. I've found new ones on line in the $125 neighborhood, and could likely find a used one for far cheaper.

My question: do you find them easy to use for taking in items? Is it a worthwhile expense? Are there any secrets to using them effectively?

Thanks!

[Cowgirl]

Originally Posted by BadGirl

I was looking to purchase one of those adjustable sewing mannequins. They seem like they could be pretty helpful when it comes to taking in clothes and so forth.

I'm not even close to being a seamstress, but I'd like to be able to make adjustments to my clothes without spending a fortune having someone else do it for me. I've found new ones on line in the $125 neighborhood, and could likely find a used one for far cheaper.

My question: do you find them easy to use for taking in items? Is it a worthwhile expense? Are there any secrets to using them effectively?

Thanks!

My mom got one when she made my wedding dress. The only issue is that it wasn't fully adjustable. You could change the bust and hip measurements, but not really the waist. It worked fairly well, she just had to make some final adjustments when I actually put it on.

Do you get the Joann Fabrics sales flyers in the mail? They usually send out 40% off coupons, so you may be able to use one to get a good deal.

[mAlice]

I've wanted to do this, but haven't gotten around to it.

How to Make a Dress Form | eHow.com

[MissKitty]

Walmart.com about $130 for a new one.
Walmart.com: Singer Medium Size Dress Form: Appliances
Sears was about $100.00 for a new one.
Saw a couple on Joann's site for around $100.00.

[BadGirl (Premo)]

Originally Posted by mAlice

I've wanted to do this, but haven't gotten around to it.

How to Make a Dress Form | eHow.com

I'll do your duct tape if you do mine.


Actually, this might actually be a perfect and CHEAP was to accomplish what I need.

Thanks for the link.

[BadGirl (Premo)]

Originally Posted by MissKitty

Walmart.com about $130 for a new one.
Walmart.com: Singer Medium Size Dress Form: Appliances
Sears was about $100.00 for a new one.
Saw a couple on Joann's site for around $100.00.

Thanks for the links. I'll investigate to see if that is the route that I want to take. I may actually try mAlice's method before shelling out the money for something that I may not use too often. Then there is the storage issue: if I buy a big 'honkin' mannequin, I need a place to store it. If I go the duct tape route, I won't have too much heartburn to just toss the thing out when I'm done with it.

[glutio]

Grab a few rolls of duct tape, some polyfill, some PVC piping, an old t-shirt and a friend.

I did this with a friend but had to leave it behind when I moved up here. It's been so much more useful than the adjustable that I have.

Limit your undergarments and put on the old t-shirt. Have your friend cover you in duct tape. You need probably 2 layers covering from your neck to upper thigh. The difficult part is next, if you're squeamish of scissors up next to you. In the back, have your friend cut up the center of the new duct tape form. The tape is attached to the shirt, so that's what you're cutting. Then you can use more tape to re-attach the cut seam. You can do it on the cut or have a little overlap since the dress form will be a little stiffer than your actual body.

After that, I used foam core boards and cut circles to fill the 4 holes in the form (arms, neck and legs). Using the duct tape, I filled the holes for the neck and arms. Then, I took pieces of PVC piping to make a T shape for the torso and cut a hole in the last foam core circle for the PVC to go through. Stick the T into the torso and use the polyfill to hold the T in place and keep the form's shape. Once the torso is full, slide the bottom piece of the foam core over the bottom of the T until it is in place and duct tape it to keep it there.

Then you can/should cover the whole thing with another layer of duct tape. The fun part is making it any color you want! We used pink for my friend.

You'll also want to use PVC piping to create a base for the form, kind of like an I with a stick coming up from the middle so you can stick the torso into that. I had some Tefflon tape with me to keep the base from shifting due to weight.

It's kind of hard to describe, sorry!

This is the best picture I can find right now.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/216/4...a5bf8fbd_o.jpg

[MissKitty]

Originally Posted by glutio

Grab a few rolls of duct tape, some polyfill, some PVC piping, an old t-shirt and a friend.

I did this with a friend but had to leave it behind when I moved up here. It's been so much more useful than the adjustable that I have.

Limit your undergarments and put on the old t-shirt. Have your friend cover you in duct tape. You need probably 2 layers covering from your neck to upper thigh. The difficult part is next, if you're squeamish of scissors up next to you. In the back, have your friend cut up the center of the new duct tape form. The tape is attached to the shirt, so that's what you're cutting. Then you can use more tape to re-attach the cut seam. You can do it on the cut or have a little overlap since the dress form will be a little stiffer than your actual body.

After that, I used foam core boards and cut circles to fill the 4 holes in the form (arms, neck and legs). Using the duct tape, I filled the holes for the neck and arms. Then, I took pieces of PVC piping to make a T shape for the torso and cut a hole in the last foam core circle for the PVC to go through. Stick the T into the torso and use the polyfill to hold the T in place and keep the form's shape. Once the torso is full, slide the bottom piece of the foam core over the bottom of the T until it is in place and duct tape it to keep it there.

Then you can/should cover the whole thing with another layer of duct tape. The fun part is making it any color you want! We used pink for my friend.

You'll also want to use PVC piping to create a base for the form, kind of like an I with a stick coming up from the middle so you can stick the torso into that. I had some Tefflon tape with me to keep the base from shifting due to weight.

It's kind of hard to describe, sorry!

This is the best picture I can find right now.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/216/4...a5bf8fbd_o.jpg

Day Late, Dollar Short. See post 3 Sewing Mannequin with this link. How to Make a Dress Form | eHow.com