Burda Style For people who sew

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28 Comments

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  Sep 1, 2009, 05.27 PMby fashion0320

  yea I made my dress form ou of duct tape and mines don’t look nothing like that it looks f’ed up because I did it by myself but it still works the same
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  Jul 23, 2009, 10.39 AMby sweetscraps

  I love this idea. I am definitely gonna try it, also want to use Tinkerbelle’s suggestions, too. Thank you.
  <a href=http://sweetscrapsdesign.blogspot.com/
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  Jul 20, 2009, 04.50 AMby TamTam13

  I made this a couple of years ago w/my mother-in-law. We had a blast making it, just remember to go to the bathroom first & don’t drink too much while your the person inside the tape. I put a plastic trash bag on before taping so that I could get out of it easier. I like the sounds of reversing the sticky side of the tape better, as mine came out sloppy. I’ve been trying to figure out how to “stuff” this mannequin & stand it & have gotton some great ideas from everyone on this site. I’m looking forward now, to stuffing this. Thanks everyone, for your ideas & input.
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  Jul 17, 2009, 12.09 PMby Duffledilly

  Yay! I’ve been looking for a secondhand form for months (I definitely can’t afford a new one) but with no success. Thank you for this cheap practical idea for fun afternoon with husband (OK – so he’s not convinced, but I’m working on it!) – and the reverse 1st layer idea, and the stretch jersey idea – what a great network this is!
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  Jul 15, 2009, 02.56 AMby HeatherTweed

  Hi Mirela
  This looks fab!
  I had just begun to think about measuring myself up to make a form.
  This negates the need for so many measurements and darts and should be pretty accurate!
  The duct tape should be longer lasting than clear tape as clear can tend to lose it’s stick over time & become brittle.
  Thank you!
  Cheers
  Heather
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  Jul 14, 2009, 06.24 PMby DebbieY01

  Has anyone tried this on their own? I have no-one to help me make one but worry I might end up in a big mess, lol.
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  Feb 23, 2009, 05.29 PMby SewLikeAlice

  Duct tape is truly one of the greatest inventions and so is this project! thanks so much!
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  Feb 2, 2009, 10.47 PMby effervescence

  I was actually thinking of asking my dear Mother to send my dummie what a waste!!!lol Thanks
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  Jan 12, 2009, 02.27 PMby siouxsister

  this is a great diy project im going to use yhe ones i make for dispays at our sales and shows. the idea with the spray foam is a good idea as well. my imput would be to first make s wooded base with a pipe, dowl or 2×2 in the midddle then make the form and fill it with foam.you can them mount it on the base and now you have a free standing display ect. thank you for the info
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  Nov 25, 2008, 05.38 PMby secrezee

  Thank you for sharing. I can’t wait to make a coupl of these with my friend Blossom. ;)
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  Nov 23, 2008, 07.03 AMby helenamarie

  Wow you made yours real neat! Mine turned out wonky but I measured and we’re the same size so that’ll work ;-)
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  Nov 12, 2008, 12.47 PMby omoligho

  this is a great project for those who can not afford a dress form (like most of us who sew in africa). Thank you, thank you.
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  Nov 3, 2008, 08.31 PMby rubberduckie

  Thank you so much for posting this!Dress forms are so expensive. I can’t wait to try it. :)
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  Aug 20, 2008, 01.35 PMby merileeaj

  My dress form, named “MaryLou”

  I just did this myself not too long ago! Instead of duct tape, I used brown paper packing tape that has glue on one side. Once it dries, it’s very sturdy and hard. Just what I needed!
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  Aug 12, 2008, 05.13 AMby mh3650

  I made this on the weekend – my boyfriend helped – he thought it was quite funny. I did however have a problem with the bust (i’m a Australian size 10E ) and when I put the stuffing in I found it difficult to get the middle of the bust to stay indented where it should be.
  I ended up solving this by running a thread through the back of the model and out through the middle of the bust, made a 3" stitch through the sternum and then back though the back of the model, I could then easily tighten the string to make the indent in the middle of the bust deeper, and adjusted it to my size.
  I am really happy with the final result and can’t wait to use it : )
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  May 15, 2008, 03.40 PMby leoniestars

  This is the first “How to” I attempted, and it’s brilliant! I went and bought four 15meter rolls of cloth tape from the hardware store $3 each, and that was enough to do 3 layers from neck to waist. Mirela is very right about it taking 3 hours to do, so be prepared! Do get the person that is helping you to read the instructions also as it can be very frustrating trying to explain it to them when you are all wrapped up in tape. I now have my own dress form, and I couldn’t be happier, Thankyou!
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  May 4, 2008, 02.00 PMby Mizzie

  Super idea! My husband and I will have a blast doing this I’m sure!
  Thanks!
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  Apr 28, 2008, 04.54 PMby admin

  I’d like to try this technique with an old pair of leggings,
  to make a lower-body form for fitting pants! (from just above the
  waist, to a handspan above the knee). Maybe then, the cosmic
  mystery of creating pants that fit properly will reveal itself to me!
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  Feb 23, 2008, 09.12 PMby alikila

  Thanks so much for posting this information- I have been thinking about a dress form and this sounds like it would be a perfect diy version…
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  Feb 21, 2008, 08.32 AMby gunstreetgirl

  thanks for this one! i’ve been looking for sth like this for long!
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  Feb 13, 2008, 04.07 PMby mica-noelle

  how cool is this idea! and it looks really easy (and funny) to do!
  Plus, the price of a roll of duct tape compared to a mannequin is much much cheaper!
  thankyou :)
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  Jan 31, 2008, 06.23 AMby Thaniasam

  What a great idea. I’m going to try that out and follow Tinkerbelle’s sugestion. Looks kinda tricky though.. but I’m sure it will work out. Thanx
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  Jan 26, 2008, 11.55 AMby taylorose

  oh thanks!! that is a great idea! i have been wanting to get a dress form for sooooo long, and they were super epencive!!! great idea!!!=)
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  Jan 7, 2008, 03.50 PMby maryj101602

  this is awesome cant wait to try it!!!!
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  Nov 22, 2007, 07.14 PMby atmomma

  I recently used this how to to make my own dress form and thank you. While mine isnt as pretty as this one it definantly serves its purpose. I ended up making one for my daughter as well, but instead of duct tape I used clear packing tape. It is a little cheaper and after the form is done and cut off the body you can peel the shirt off the tape and “decorate” your form with scraps of fabric. I even filled hers with scraps that I was never going to use. I think in total I spent $2.00 us.
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  May 18, 2007, 11.09 AMby Mirela

  Dress it up with a stretch jersey tube, to look more finished in case you want to use it as a display.
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  Apr 9, 2007, 10.38 AMby needles-pins

  Great idea & one I will pass onto the art dept at school – they always want mannequins (shop window or tailors) for final display & the kids don’t seem to realise how expensive they are.
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  Feb 5, 2007, 10.32 AMby Tinkerbelle

  Great Idea, I would suggest that the first layer of tape may be best done with the sticky side out which will help you get out of it with some dignity and maybe even your T shirt intact as well as having all the sticky on the inside making the form stronger.
  A can of builder expandable foam sprayed inside would add durability and strength without adding much weight as well as being ideal for pinning.