Make your own DIY sewing mannequin from duct tape: 10 Easy Steps

Some people love making their own, unique dresses and clothes. If you’re one of those crafty people, then you should have a DIY sewing mannequin that is the size and shape of your body! And this is how you can make one…

Use duct tape! Believe it or not, in the right hands, duct tape is enough to create a masterpiece or solve some of the most common housekeeping challenges. You’ll have no trouble finding this staple in your house or at the grocery store, too.

This DIY dress form can be of great help when making your own clothes, particularly during hemming and fitting.

And if you have friends or family that you plan on making clothes for, you can make their own duct tape dress form so that you have a better look at how the dress is going as you finish it!

Though it’s not an easy project to make, we’re confident that it will make your dress-making projects even more enjoyable and easier! You just need a patient helper to wrap duct tape around you. :)

Do you know someone who will love this idea?

Materials:

• Old T-Shirt (which you don’t mind being cut up and destroyed)
• Small piece of Discardable Cloth
• 2 rolls of Duct Tape
• Cardboard and Cardboard Tubing
• Stuffing – foam, polyfill or clothes

Tools:

• Sharp Scissors
• Marker

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How to make a sewing mannequin from duct tape

1. Wear an old fitted shirt

Note that this shirt must fit your body shape to form the DIY sewing mannequin. This old shirt will be cut afterwards. Make sure that this is an old shirt and doesn’t need to be worn again. We recommend a turtle neck shirt to protect your skin from the tape, otherwise, you can use a film or a plastic around your chest to the neck (any skin that may be taped).

2. Apply the duct tape

Under the chest, around the body, the first adhesive strip is applied. It should be glued on so that it fits like a second skin and therefore reflects the precise measurements of the body.

3. Define the breast area

Apply the tape crosswise but evenly, still showing the breast area. This is very important for a DIY sewing mannequin to portray a human figure. Start the duct tape below the left breast, pull a strip inside the chest then to the right shoulder, and then do the same to the other side.

4. Cover the upper body with the duct tape

Starting with the chest area, do horizontal and parallel stripes to cover all parts of the upper body. From shoulders on the top, until the waist or hips area below. Apply two to three layers of duct tape to ensure its stability. For the neck part, tape it all around by avoiding the skin part. Add a plastic film around the neck to secure the skin.

5. Mark the waist

Mark the waist around with a pen. Later this can be tailored.

6. Cut the tape

Cut the duct tape at the centre back, including the shirt. The shirt needs to stay stuck with the duct tape, to preserve its shape. Make sure that the scissors’ tip is not sharp, to avoid any injury to the body’s skin. Then gently remove it from the body.

7. Re-attach the DIY sewing mannequin

Re-attach the DIY sewing mannequin by using duct tape.

8. Close all openings

Close all openings with duct tape. This includes the neck and arms openings.

9. Stuff the DIY sewing mannequin

Stuff some filling inside the DIY sewing mannequin, this can be a plastic cushion, thick kinds of cotton, or anything that is compact to allow needles and fabric to easily attach to the bust afterwards.

10. Close the DIY sewing mannequin

Take a piece of cardboard, place the bust on it, and trace and cut the outline of the floor. Make a cross in the middle of the floor to serve as the stand. Attach the stand through the cross into the bust and glue the cardboard to it, and attach the cross if necessary.

Thanks to Burda Style for this idea. You can get step-by-step instructions here…

If you liked this project, you might also like to view the duct tape wallet…