Duct-tape dress form

I've been wanting to make a dress form for ages, ever since reading a couple tutorials from people who had made their own forms, rather than shelling out $400+ for a store-bought, adjustable one. So this morning I set too it, or rather, Mike did as there was no way I could wrap myself neck-to-ass in duct tape.

All up, it took about 2 hrs and turned out really well. The measurements are spot on, after a bit of padding to compensate for the fair amount of squashing that the duct tape did to my boobs. (Me: Mike, does this seem right to you? Mike: *cup, cup* Add a bit more to the left one.)

The process is pretty basic. Put on an old t-shirt and cover hips with a tube a fabric (in my case an old tank top with the straps cut off). Wrap carefully in strips of duct tape, with the tape-er being careful to stay as close to the body as possible (e.g. minimal squishing - I am rather squishy after all - and no stretching across bits). The tape-ee's job is to stand as still and posture-perfect as possible. Tricky.

Once covered in 2-3 layers of tape, cut up the centre back, remove, tape back together and stuff. In my case I also had to bulk up the afore-mentioned squished boobs.

I've added a coat-hanger into the shoulders for now, which should let me use it for skirts, dresses, pants without needing a stand. It will definitely be used this week for the tweed version of my Peggy Olson dress.