The question that everyone who sews clothes for themselves asks: how to make a mannequin with your own hands? It is needed during fitting. After all, it is impossible to make corrections yourself, for example, from the back. Therefore, a tailor's mannequin is not a whim, but a necessity.
The sewing mannequin can be soft or hard (this allows you to use pins when trying on).
The support for the structure can be made of wood or metal (based on your own capabilities).
A mannequin made by yourself follows all the features of the body and is indispensable for sewing at home.
First you need to prepare necessary materials, such as:
You definitely need an assistant, you can’t do without him. Wear your usual underwear, it is better to tuck your hair under a cap. Start working in the first half of the day (the process may take a long time) in a well-ventilated area (air access to the body will be limited).
A simple option involves using an unnecessary T-shirt.
The second method is more labor-intensive.
The finished mannequin can be used for sewing blouses, dresses, jackets, and coats. If it happens that the proportions of the figure change, with the help of batting you can easily adjust and continue to use the mannequin.
Everything, as always, started out wrong. There was no idea to make a mannequin, but there was a need to reupholster a time-worn extendable tailoring mannequin. Underneath the upholstery was a thin plastic mold. And then I remembered, twenty years ago, an unrealized desire to make Venetian mask. Everyone didn’t get around to using a mask, but the idea was to try washable sleeves as papier-mâché from toilet paper Came about three years ago, and since then these bushings have been accumulating. And then there’s the search for new opportunities for photographing your work, and uninteresting store-bought mannequins, and the cost of interesting ones... So, let’s go. Let me make a reservation right away: I have never worked with papier-mâché or wire, so, most likely, I violated a bunch of rules for handling these materials. Therefore, I will write about the mistakes that I myself noticed - and you will not repeat them when making your own mannequin.
I greased the plastic forms of the front of the tailoring mannequin with hand cream and placed a layer of pieces of A4 paper on the water.
I made the second layer of bushings like this: I separated the bushings along the “seam”, we got diamond-shaped sheets of cardboard, which we then tore into pieces (at that moment I still didn’t take my idea seriously, I was curious to know if the bushings were suitable for the role of mass for papier -mache, so I didn’t bother with small pieces and glued them in large strips. Later my daughter repeated the experiment, making a mask, and it turned out that it’s easy to glue with small pieces and it’s very simple to immediately work out the details).
Prepared glue: for a glass warm water- 1 tsp. glue for vinyl wallpaper(stirred until dissolved) and 4-5 tbsp. PVA glue.
These roll sleeves are very tricky and tend to dissolve right in your hands, so I tried them on to the selected place on the form, applied them and immediately smeared them with a brush with glue. The paper pulp at this time is very flexible and easy to smooth out. I glued it in one layer with an overlap. The last layer is A4 paper.
I repeated the process on the plastic back mold.
My mistakes: I should have first secured the front halves with paper tape (as I did later with the back halves), then it would have been easier to connect the ready-made papier-mâché forms. But the mannequin became much slimmer at the waist, I tightened it when assembling it :)
And the second mistake: the rolls are quite thick, so it makes sense to glue two layers, but without overlaps - it will be easier later when leveling with putty.
My model dried in about a day and was not deformed at all. It came off the mold very easily. It turned out thin and very durable. The fact that it is crooked is the result of my careless work; I tested the capabilities of the material and did not particularly care about accuracy.
But since everything worked out, I decided to continue making the mannequin in vintage style. I imagined what he might look like if I met him living at some flea market.
Now it's time for the connection. The question of decorating the neck, or rather cutting it off, immediately arose. Some kind of knob was needed... and then I was lucky, my eyes caught on glass jar with Chinese tea. The shape and size were perfect! All that remains is to place the lid of the jar on liquid nails (Moment of installation).
And I simply fastened the parts of the mannequin with thin wire, fortunately my papier-mâché was pierced with a thin awl. Here's what I got. As I already wrote above, I tightened the waist, fastening the parts with an overlap.
Primed in two layers acrylic paint for walls (universal, washable Leroy Merlin), a layer of universal construction acrylic primer (also from Leroy).
As far as I know, it was necessary to treat it with papier-mâché gesso, but I didn’t have it, and there were some leftover materials after the repair. Just in case, I applied a layer of PVA, I was afraid that the wet putty would make my mannequin wet. Dried well.
Next, I leveled the entire structure with ordinary construction acrylic putty. I leveled it without fanaticism, because my mannequin is planned to be vintage and a certain amount of unevenness should not spoil it (I will say right away that in some places it turned out even too evenly, more roughness should have been left).
Depressions on the chest (places for attachment plastic molds) covered it with a layer of one and a half to two centimeters - and nothing, the papier-mâché did not get wet. I dried it for a day, sanded it a little with coarse sandpaper, and primed it with construction acrylic primer.
The result is a stump like this. He looked pathetic and was clearly asking for something below the waist.
But I wasn’t going to retighten the bottom of the tailor’s dummy, and it was no longer interesting to repeat the whole epic with papier-mâché covering the bottom, so I decided to make a “skirt” out of something.
At first the idea of a wire basket came to mind, but I didn’t have anything suitable. So I had to make this basket.
You needed: two coils of wire (one hard - 2 mm, the second soft - 1 mm) from Leroy Merlin, wire cutters, round-nose pliers, pliers and a lampshade for a floor lamp (also from Leroy, there are quite a few big choice lampshades for 120-130 rubles).
I peeled off the lampshade and got two wire rings (one with a mount for the lampshade).
I think that I could do without a lampshade at all and make these rings myself, but, firstly, I did not have wire, the strength of which I would be sure of, and secondly, the mount for the lampshade, resting on the table, recorded for me the desired height“skirts”, which simplified further assembly.
I drew the desired shape on a piece of paper, leaving more space for the butt area. I bent the rings a little. I fixed the shape with three stretchers from the bottom and began to assemble my basket.
First I connected the rings vertical stripes(I tried it on, marked the chosen attachment point with a marker, bit off a piece of wire slightly longer than needed with wire cutters, bent it, keeping the shape of the skirt in mind, bent the ends with pliers and fixed the attachment location with thin wire). I got a frame with 14 vertical wires.
I used pliers to randomly twist the decor - I bent the wire into a spiral randomly and sometimes connected 2-3 elements soft wire
Then, in artistic chaos, I collected all the elements, attaching them to the frame and, sometimes, connecting them together with soft wire. The result is a lampshade basket like this.
My mistake: I should have used a softer copper wire or used brute male strength, because my hands did not like this stage of work at all. True, I tried to attract male power; She bent well, but, alas, did not catch the direction of the bends.
The shape suited me quite well, but the vintage look turned out a little bad. So I brushed the entire structure with texture paste. It dried overnight and gave my basket a rather pitiful look, but it additionally secured the components.
Removing paste burrs with sandpaper turned out to be very inconvenient, and the drill attachment instantly peeled off the paste completely. I was just about to get sad, but just in time I remembered the brush. And she didn’t disappoint! The paste was polished in literally minutes. The sharp ends of the wire were smoothed out and the whole structure turned out to be very smooth and pleasant to the touch. The brass bristles also colored the paste, giving the wire the desired vintage flair.
Next I connected the torso to the basket. I drilled several paired holes around the waist and tied them with thin wire. The structure turned out to be stable, but just in case I walked around liquid nails along the internal contour of the connection.
Decoupage skills would come in handy here, but, alas, this is not my thing. I painted the mannequin with two-part Antique Silver paint (American Accents) and it began to evoke thoughts of jousting tournaments and Joan of Arc.
That is, the mannequin was already quite associated with the flea market, but not at all with my knitted scarves, which I was going to photograph on it.
I decided to add curls to the decor. I drew the outlines of monograms on sheets of paper, put the sheets in files, and smeared the files with hand cream (just in case, so that less sticking would occur). I prepared a mixture for painting: 1 x 1 texture paste and wood putty (I have elastic FOR WOOD). I added water to the consistency of very thick sour cream and, using a pastry bag, squeezed the paste onto the file.
They dried overnight and separated from the file very easily. The result was something between rubber and plastic (if I ever get around to making a mask, it will be simply an indispensable material for decoration). I glued the monograms onto PVA and made a smooth transition to the wire at the junction of the torso and the basket. My Joan of Arc began to resemble a strange cream cake :)
In some places the monograms were scratched, scuffed and chipped (nail, emery, knife). I painted my stucco.
My mistake: I should have glued the monograms before general painting, then I wouldn’t have had to bother with a thin brush later. The belligerence in my mannequin had diminished, but the knitted scarf was still not associated with his neck.
I didn’t have time to get upset - my daughter came and took charge of the process. She collected almost all the paints that were found in the house (including construction, decorative, fabric and glass paints/contours), and with four hands we spent an hour randomly smearing and smacking with semi-dry brushes and sponges. And this is what happened in the end.
If I were a decoupage artist, I would make the effect of old paper; if I knew how to weave with wire, I would make openwork weaving, but, in general, I liked the result. And most importantly - it was very interesting!
I quickly wove another small mannequin in the Provence style.
Many girls who prefer not to buy ready-made clothes, but to sew them to order, sooner or later realize the need for a mannequin. Of course, the easiest way is to buy a ready-made mannequin, but this is not always possible, and sometimes the prices are very steep. How then? That's right, make it yourself! Here is a short photo report on making a mannequin with your own hands at home
I’ll explain for those who don’t understand:
I personally need a mannequin so as not to waste time on trips to try on my dressmaker. The fact is that I don’t buy ready-made clothes for myself and sew everything individually to order. And this is very burdensome in terms of time, considering the degree of my employment. Therefore, by agreement with my dressmaker, we decided that I would provide her with an exact copy of myself, and she would not pull me out of work for fittings and adjustments.
But in addition to its direct purpose, a mannequin can also be a beautiful piece of furniture and even be a convenient device, for example, in a reception area or personal wardrobe.
A mannequin is indispensable in cases where you need to iron something that is impossible to iron on an ironing board, but on a mannequin with the help of a steamer this can be done once or twice.
You can, of course, go and buy a ready-made mannequin, but it has standard sizes and does not repeat the features of your figure. Yes, and it costs 6,500-7,000 rubles, and ours cost about 1,000 rubles. The savings are noticeable.
I convinced my Sun of the necessity and usefulness of this device and we began to create (Roden nervously somersaults in his grave...)
The main goal of my work will be to create an exact copy of my figure. To do this, we first need to take control measures by which we will be guided in the future.
For my work I needed a diligent, creative and cheerful assistant. He's a photographer. This is my Sun.
At the very beginning, we take cling film and carefully, without squeezing the body, wrap it around the body, securing the edges with pieces of tape. You can use large plastic garbage bags by cutting them. What you wrap the figure with is not so important; use whatever is available.
Now you need to cover the entire body covered with film with tape. Glue carefully, without squeezing or pulling away the natural convexities of the figure. It is best to take small pieces of tape from 5 to 20 cm and sequentially stick them on the body with a slight overlap. The more textured the convexity, the smaller pieces need to take it.
In the end we have this look. I took colored tape so that it could be seen better in the photo.
Now that preparatory stage The work is finished, let's proceed to the most interesting and very important event - we will make a plaster cast of the figure. Medical plaster bandages, which are sold in pharmacies, are best suited for this. We begin to apply the soaked bandages from the back to the front, under the chest, across the shoulders, cross to cross.
This is necessary so that wet plaster bandages do not slide down the smooth surface of the tape under their own weight.
Gradually cover the entire surface of the body with bandages to the waist, and then to the hips.
In order for our cast to have the necessary hardness and hold the desired shape well, we applied three layers of plaster bandages. It would be possible to do more, but it is very difficult to physically endure.
Now that the entire torso is packed in a plaster capsule, the most unpleasant and dreary part comes - you need to wait for the plaster to set and harden. At this moment, I, shackled by a plaster shell, understand my defenselessness, and my assistant Suns constantly cackles comparing me to an Egyptian mummy. All I can do is stick my tongue out at him, because I can’t laugh or even take a deep breath. You also need to stand maintaining your natural posture. This, I tell you, is not to crack seeds. But both are in a good mood and Solnts supports me with a glass of strong and hot tea.
Try drinking hot tea through a straw in your spare time. An unforgettable experience.
The plaster cocoon has frozen. Now you need to remove it from the body. But first you need to apply control marks on the sides and shoulders; they will be needed to align the parts during assembly. We also draw a horizontal line below the hips and vertical lines on the sides. We will need these lines later. We use a laser level for this. If someone doesn't have laser level, then I can explain how to do it in another way.
We cut the plaster cast along the sides and shoulders. The sun was cut with a sharp knife. This must be done carefully, slowly, carefully so as not to injure the body or accidentally cut out the appendix.
The two halves of the plaster cast are easily separated from the tape and this is what we got as a result.
Inner surface I cover the cast with a thin layer of putty to smooth out the resulting unevenness.
After drying, I cover the entire surface inside the cast with melted paraffin from a regular candle. It took two candles.
Now you need to fill the inside with foam. To prevent the foam from tightly gripping the plaster mold, we used a paraffin layer.
We fill both halves of the molds with foam gradually layer by layer, waiting time for each layer of foam to harden.
We put a hanger in the back half. We did this for the strength of the structure, because the main load will fall on the mannequin’s shoulders. And the hook will be useful for convenience during further work.
We apply the last layer of foam to both halves of the mold and put everything together, aligning the two parts along the control marks and fastening the resulting mummy with tape. Now it takes time for the foam to solidify inside. I had urgent work and I conscientiously forgot about my mummy for almost a week.
It was very interesting to look at the results of our joint work and my torment. Before the opening began, Solnts sawed off the excess from the bottom along the horizontal mark with an ordinary hacksaw.
Removed the tape. Both halves were well separated from the foamed insides and my cloned figure was revealed to our eyes.
In some places there is paraffin left and we carefully scrape it off with a knife. Using the same laser level, we apply horizontal markings of the shoulders-chest-waist-hips and the middle of the front and back and the side line. This is how we check ourselves to see if there are any distortions. We don't have them.
Having such a mannequin is the dream of every sewing lover. After all, thanks to him you can model clothes like a real designer. Create draperies, check the accuracy of patterns and fit during the sewing process, and you never know what else you will need such a mannequin for!
Burda magazine suggests making such a mannequin as follows.
To work you will need:
Stuffing (you can use any available material),
Scissors with blunt ends,
Metal riser leg (for example, for a microphone or tripod),
Wide electrical tape (scotch tape, packing adhesive tape),
Thick cardboard for the base of the mannequin,
An old T-shirt that reaches your hips
Film for products (for the neck).
What you need to do - look at the images below.
1. Put on a T-shirt (it’s better if it’s tight). The T-shirt will be cut up, so donate an item that is no longer needed to create a mannequin.
2. If your T-shirt does not have a stand-up collar, then protect the skin of your neck with food grade film.
3. Apply adhesive tape directly under the breasts around the entire torso. Stretch the tape properly so that your future mannequin meets your measurements as accurately as possible.
4. To avoid tightening your breasts, apply the tape crosswise over them. Start at the bottom of the left breast and pull the tape diagonally across inside chest to right shoulder. Repeat the same on the right breast.
5. In this way, cover the entire surface of the chest with adhesive tapes.
6. After this, work horizontally. Apply the tapes parallel to each other. Apply 2-3 layers of tape on the front and back, stretching it, to give the mannequin stability.
7. Wrap the cling film around the neck area again, then place short strips of duct tape horizontally around the neck. Here, do not pull the adhesive tapes too tightly.
8. This is what the finished torso covered with tapes looks like from the front and back.
10. Mark the waist line according to your figure - this will help you sew more accurately later. To do this, lean a little to the side - where a fold appears on the material, make a point with a marker. Repeat the same on the other side. Connect these two points with a straight line.
11. Using blunt-tipped scissors (medical scissors, for cutting bandages, for example), cut the mannequin shell along the middle of the back. Cut along with the T-shirt fabric.
12. Gently pull the mannequin shell forward and remove it very carefully so that it retains its shape.
13. Use short pieces of duct tape to reattach the mannequin shell.
14. Seal the neck hole.
15. Also seal both hand holes. Only after this can you start stuffing the mannequin.
16. Stuff the mannequin shell artificial wool, try to stuff your torso as tightly as possible, then it will be easier for you to work with pins later.
17. Place the torso on the cardboard, trace the outline, cut out the base, and cut a cross in the middle to thread the riser rod through. Insert the bar into the mannequin and, if necessary, additionally secure its position with adhesive tapes.
18. This is what a finished mannequin looks like, made to individual measurements.
19. To make your mannequin pleasing to the eye, sew a suitable cover for it from thick fabric. And enjoy it for your health!
Mannequins are actively used in various fields of activity. They are necessary not only for those who sew clothes. They are actively used in trade, demonstrating the available goods. Whatever you need them for, you don’t have to buy them in the store, but make them yourself.
An important part of any mannequin is the stand. Thanks to it, it will remain stable, it will be more convenient for you to try on clothes, etc. They differ mainly due to the materials used for this.
When you have made your mannequin, or rather its upper part, put it aside and work on the lower part. The stand is quite simple to make. Usually improvised means are used. It can be done in the following ways:
You will need a minimum of time and available materials. It is best to choose a leg for this office chair, which is most suitable for a stand. What matters first is the reliability of the design. For ease of fitting, the mannequin must be stable.
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