Clone Yourself A Fitting Assistant - Threads
At the bust and underarm, cut the T-shirt sleeves if needed to allow the tape to follow the figure, and use shorter pieces arranged radially over the bust. Protect the neck area with plastic wrap, then wrap to form edges at the neckline and armholes similar to those you'd want on a fitted bodice.
Cut off the form and T-shirt layer at center back with your other hand between scissors and body to avoid cutting undergarments (or the wrappee!). Then close the form with additional tape, stuff it with poly batting, and place it on a stand (read on for stand ideas). Joyce's finished form has a polished look, similar to an industrial dress form.
Start with your "victim" wearing well-fitted undergarments of her usual type under a long T-shirt, which needn't be too tight. Begin by wrapping the tape horizontally at the bottom, mid-thigh, ideally with a tape-cutting helper (use old scissors, as the tape gets gummy; a size-10 figure requires 1 to 1-1/2 60-yd. rolls of tape). Wrap snugly, but not so tight as to rearrange or compress the body. At the waist, wrap a little more loosely on the first layer, allowing folds to form as you follow the contour, if necessary.
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| Three layers of duct tape make the form. Wrapping horizontally, start at the thighs and work up. | Wrap snugly around the thighs and hips, a little looser at the waist. |
At the bust and underarm, cut the T-shirt sleeves if needed to allow the tape to follow the figure, and use shorter pieces arranged radially over the bust. Protect the neck area with plastic wrap, then wrap to form edges at the neckline and armholes similar to those you'd want on a fitted bodice.
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| In the bust area, use shorter tape and change direction. Short pieces of tape capture the contours of the bust better. Arrange them so they radiate out from the center of the bust area. | Protect the neck area with plastic wrap; wrap to form edges at the neckline and armholes similar to those you'd want on a fitted bodice. |
When the first layer is complete, wrap twice more, first vertically, then again horizontally, further compressing the waistline to fit each layer more closely, and smoothing over wrinkles this causes with more tape.
When finished, have the "wrappee" bend slightly to reveal her waistline, and mark it (and any other points you want identified) with marker or later with colored tape.
When finished, have the "wrappee" bend slightly to reveal her waistline, and mark it (and any other points you want identified) with marker or later with colored tape.
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| Mark the waist. Bending slightly will reveal your wrappee's natural waist. Mark all around with a permanent marker. | Cut carefully up the back. Keep your hand between the tee shirt and the wrappee's body to avoid cutting undergarments or flesh. |
Cut off the form and T-shirt layer at center back with your other hand between scissors and body to avoid cutting undergarments (or the wrappee!). Then close the form with additional tape, stuff it with poly batting, and place it on a stand (read on for stand ideas). Joyce's finished form has a polished look, similar to an industrial dress form.
I attempted to try this method of making a dress form of my body in order to make my clothes more tailored.I feel like I'm wearing trash bag most days, which is o.k at work, but not when going places.Nothing I buy lately is true to a size,and the boobly area is never in the right place.Also because of my height I want to cover my butt.
This was a very interesting process.I decided to do it while hubby was at church yesterday.He already thinks I'm a nutcase, and me wrapping myself in duct tape would only further his suspicion!I would suggest to anyone doing this to have a person on hand to get you released out of this thing before you pass out! For some reason it restricts your breathing and makes you overheat REALLY fast! Also cutting yourself out of it posses a challenge, as the duct tape makes your scissors gum up and render itself useless. Thank God I had 4 of them on hand !
Anyway, glad that step is over,and seeing yourself cast as a body double is a whole other traumatic experience.I think I should set her right next to the refrigerator!!As I was doodling it up in the garage giving it a somewhat "face-lift", I realized I was sheltering her, so no one would see what I perceived as my "nakedness".WOW !, Am I gonna need therapy after this craft project !
Probably more than anyone wants to know, hugh.? I'll maybe post pics when she's done.....maybe.
~DeeDee aka Suzy Homefaker
UPDATE:
O.K. ....I decided to take a picture and post it. Here She Is....
I covered the duct tape with a torn up grocery bag and some Modge Podge, glitter and decoupaged some rose napkins onto some areas .Her stand is actually an old light I had placed out in the trash, but decided to retrieve it. I like the chippy paint look.The weighted bottom of the lamp works perfectly to make her sturdy.
I LOVE HER.