Learn. How to Make a Duct Tape Dress Form.

As you can tell from the dress form, I've got my fair share of bosom.  Finding clothes that fit me on the rack is almost impossible.  What fits on top never fits on bottom.  Just one of those burdens I bear.  But, I realize I'm not alone.  We all have our little body quirks that make it difficult to fit into clothes. 

I'm making a sweater for myself and I thought it would be a good idea to make a dress form so I can "try it on" as I go.  I've had a tutorial bookmarked for a while now but there was also one in the book, Custom Knits.  I showed my husband the pictures, he got some duct tape and scissors, and I was taped up for an afternoon.

You'll want to put on a t-shirt that you don't mind cutting up and never using again.   In hindsight, I wish I would have selected a shirt that had longer sleeves and came down lower over my hips.  It wasn't totally critical because it is really the upper part of my body I have a hard time fitting. 

Get someone to help you.  Someone that you don't mind feeling you up.  It can get a little cosy.  My husband did a great job wrapping me up.  As you can see, he started around the waist and moved up.  Once you get to the curvy bits, you have to build up your duct tape layers to make it work.  All in all, we used a whole giant roll of duct tape and did three layers.

Once you are finished, have your partner cut you out of it by making one straight cut up the center of your back. 

These next few steps were the most difficult, in my opinion.  You'll need to tape the back together and stuff it.  I taped over the arm openings and added a hanger to the top before closing it up.  You'll want to have some stuffing in there already to help you fill it out.  I used A LOT of old newspaper for mine. 

Stuff it as tight as you can.  You'll want to make sure to fill up all the crevices and spaces so it is as much like your body as possible.  Once it is stuffed as much as possible, cut a piece of cardboard to fit into the bottom and tape that into place. 

Your dress form is now ready for a name!  You can also cover it with something more attractive than duct tape, or just dress it up!  Mine is now being used to hold some of my aprons. 

If you make your own dress form, I'd love to see the pictures!  You can share them at our flickr group.