How to Create Your Own Dress Form

Last Updated: May 6, 2021

A dress form, or a "dressmaker's dummy," is a very useful tool for anyone who enjoys sewing. They can be rather expensive, particularly the ones that you customise yourself. However, it's fairly inexpensive to make your own, unique dress form that is the same shape as you and won't gum up your pins.

Steps

1
Strip to your undergarments, wearing a bra that you normally wear.
2
Put on an old t-shirt that won't be missed, since it will become part of the dress form.

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3
Begin wetting some of the packing tape.
4
Start wrapping the tape with your friend's assistance, making an X over your chest and continue wrapping horizontally, preserving the shape of breasts for female shapes, until you have a few layers of tape.
5
Remain still while the shell around you dries, usually about an hour, perhaps watching some TV or something so you don't get too bored.
6
Cut the shell beginning at the bottom of the middle of the back, cutting upwards all the way to the neck.
7
Remove the shell carefully, bending it no more than necessary, to avoid damaging it.
8
Seal the cut in the back with packing tape.
9
Set the shell in a place where it won't be disturbed while it dries completely.
10
Hang your dress form securely, so it will not fall.
11
Use two poles, one small enough to fit inside your dress form the long way yet doesn't extend through the neck hole, to make a lowercase T, with the crossbar at approximately your shoulder level when it's standing up, and tape the poles together.
12
Place pole securely into a Christmas tree stand so it stands upright.
13
Place your dress form over the top of the pole, resting on the crossbar of the T.

Community Q&A

Question

Can I make a mini one?

Community Answer

Yes. Use it to scale. Make a measurement of what you want to make your dress for, then use those dimensions.
Question

Do I have to use packing tape and what does wetting it do exactly?

T. Chinsen

Top Answerer

The packaging tape used in the article is a paper strip with a water soluble glue. When the glue is moistened, it will stick to a cardboard box which is why it is called packaging tape. You can substitute duct tape to make the dress form. There is no need to wait for the tape to dry but it does require strong scissors to cut it apart if you make layers of the tape.
Question

How to cut a fitted dress?

Gwenllian

Community Answer

Buy or draw then print a pattern and use that to get precise template pieces. All patterns are different. If you are confident with sewing, then you can use the top of one pattern and a skirt of another one to create a new look.

Warnings

Be careful that your friend doesn't accidentally cut you, or your undergarments!, instead of the dress form shell.

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 20 Not Helpful 5
Uline carries a really great packing tape that can be used to do this, and you don't have to wait for it to dry. You will also want to use a plastic garbage bag instead of a t-shirt (the bigger the better). You will also want to cut across one shoulder and down the back to the left of center, and stuff the form with cotton batting.

⧼thumbs_response⧽
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Make sure your tape is the kind with the envelope glue, and isn't covered with plastic. Sometimes it won't say on the package, and the kind that's already sticky and plastic covered really doesn't work nearly as well.

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Things You'll Need

Paper packing tape, the kind with envelope glue that needs to be dampened. It can be found in a paper supply store alongside packing materials.
Water.
Sponge (optional, but it will help in wetting)
A long t-shirt that you don't particularly care for, one that reaches to about mid-thigh.
A close friend to help you.
Scissors.
Pins.
Something to hang the dress form with
A couple of free hours