Making a Custom Dress Form

[@mariarose1847]

I commend you on this challenging project. What I learned is that I can’t do it. Lol.

[@dijazaks2468]

Me too 😂

[@Snappypantsdance]

Lol!

[@thecapoeiristauk]

Me three

[@lolodee3528]

I’m exhausted 10 minutes in…

[@ToriLynnH]

My duct tape form lasted a few years. I moved a couple of times and lost a bunch of weight...

[@mariefink3024]

Fantastic! If there is one suggestion I may make, when sanding anything, please wear a dust mask. Particulate matter can be very irritating to the respiratory tract. I refinish a lot of antiques (which requires sanding), so I know from experience.

[@FoleyDressed]

So true! And I definitely should have put in a disclaimer for anyone else who might want to try this. I can tend to get a little neglectful when it comes to my personal health and safety, which is definitely not the best practice!

[@saffloweroyl3663]

"Particulate matter is forever"

[@andrewdrayton4236]

I feel that you did a really GREAT job in making a dress form that represents YOUR body and measurements. Your final results look so professional !!! Way to go.

[@animosity9197]

I'm so glad you went and actually poked different foams with pins to figure out which ones work best! There are so many different methods of trying to get custom dress forms out there, but this really looks like a highly professional and USABLE form for both fitting and draping! Yes, obviously fitting on a form is never going to be the same as fitting on a body, BUT it's a lot easier to get closer with a form that's closer to your actual shape. And the fact that the proportions are much much closer fit to your body helps so much with designing/draping things that are actually flattering on YOU instead of the dress form.

[@rondafleming9920]

You should be so proud of what you have accomplished!! Incredible epic job!Lucky you to have a great helper too. Looking forward to see what you can drape from Sage double.

[@FoleyDressed]

Thank you so much! 😊

[@seame3795]

Wow! Much respect for you & your partner taking on this project.

[@dekrev]

What’s super dope is you have a snap shot of your form - in the future it’ll be cool to look back and see how your body changes. You should make a dress form every 5 years or so - it’ll be a cool record of those changes!

[@dustthatsings6406]

Very inspiring. Strikes me making a custom dress or tailoring form should be the first project that a new fashion or tailoring student should undertake (although it would take some organising). Thereafter, fittings will be so much easier to master.

[@meganhoward8820]

I have never been more mesmerized by a creation process before this was amazing thank you.

[@FoleyDressed]

Wow thank you so much! What a lovely compliment, I am so glad you enjoyed!

[@VeganDoris]

OMG that's amazing! You pointed out an inch difference in the waist placement, compared to your body. I think it's practically perfect. You waist is higher than the waist of the dress form, but your shoulders are also higher. If the dress form were an inch taller (with the height coming from the legs), the shoulders and the waist would be nearly perfect.

[@emilyjewellknaub1915]

I want to get into sewing my own clothes and have a very unique body shape. I’m thinking of using this tutorial to make own dress form. This is a great in-depth how-to! Thank you for sharing this!

[@JanetCrickmer]

I’m so impressed that you undertook a challenge like this. I know this video was posted 2 years ago, but I’m subscribing to your channel and am anxious too see what else you’ve done.

[@allanpennington]

I have researched many different ways to make a good bespoke form. I think taking advantage of modern technology has to be the best option. I would get a 3D scan of the body to start with. Then slice the 3D scan in say 5mm slices. Print plan views of the slices and use these patterns to cut out pieces from sheets of suitable rigid foam. Glue them together. Seal and cover. I think the beauty of starting with a 3D scan is that you can manipulate it and shrink it if necessary to take account of any coverings or batting etc added after the fact. Also if you want to, you could make the slices from ply with a hollow cut out to keep the weight down. This would make a rigid positive from which you could cast a much sturdier front and back piece to make foam moulds from.

[@margaretsmith9637]

The scanning people said they coat the piece they scan with a special metal paint. I am thinking there would be a stretchy material that would do what is necessary. But they quite dissuaded me. In the future we will be scanned and decide what clothes are made for us.

[@anitabellefeuille7362]

Expanding foam expands on the path of least resistance. Instead of putting the two halves together and then pouring the foam, I would pour each half separately. Once it had cured cut the excess foam off evenly de-mold the halves then glue the halves together. It would be easier to pour, easier to de-mold far more accurate.

[@lmssanchezmurodemorgan456]

This was an engineering project! Excellent execution! You’re a perfectionist, so of course you’re critical on some aspects of the final product. Calculating the process of recreating this three dimensional form was impressive AND the final cover… holy geeze. You did an excellent job! All the insights from your experience are ‘key’! Thank you for posting! I’ll have to engage my sister to try it!!!

[@LS-vq2or]

Your end results looks incredible and super professional! I normally don’t click on those videos because the end result always looks wonky but yours is everything I’d want. I wish I could make one too because I defo don’t have standards measurements but I’m not sure my studio appartement is the ideal place to do that 😖 and it seems like you need a few specific machines not everyone has at home like the cutting wood thingy and the stapler etc but omg selling the dream

[@FoleyDressed]

I am so glad you liked the video! It definietly would be difficult in a studio apartment! Especially with all of the chemicals! As far as the tools go, I am just very conveniently married to a carpenter, otherwise this might have been a very expensive project. However there are definetly alterations that could be made to the project that would allow it to be done without as many wood working tools :)

[@LS-vq2or]

Foley Dressed Yes indeed plus I have a cat chemicals wouldn’t be super safe for her as well haha but I’ll keep the idea in mind for whenever I have more suitable living conditions for this project. :)

[@ashantiusa]

👏 😮 Wow, you did a really good job! Even when you had challenged you didn't give up.Thanks 😊 for the video.

[@jeannetteantry1086]

Your hard work and intricate detailing really shine here. Years ago when I learned how to create my own patterns and fit them to me, I created a dress form cover from a princess line bodice pattern. I put in a back zipper and took an old form that someone had given me, and contorted into fit my shape. I padded it and closed it up on the form. I have done this twice and really need to do it again. Our bodies change as time goes by and it sure goes by fast. I love what you did. It looks so much better than mine did. I have had years of use from it though. I finally bought a nice one with my measurements, and it works for photography and fitting for some issues. I am also short waisted. My legs are just an inch longer than the normal inseam found in ready to wear. Thanks for sharing your story.

[@maryriley6163]

Congratulations on making a very nice looking dress form. It sure was a lot of work. I admire your determination to persevere till you completed it, and I thank you for making this tutorial. It helped me because now I see that at 73 years old, I’m not up to tackling such a rigorous project. Some applause, as well, for your assistant.

[@Msviolet65]

I am impressed! This was a huge undertaking. One I had considered trying but I think I have changed my mind 😂.

[@farhadfadayi7389]

end result is great. just perfect. I've seen other video's also which make custom dress form but yours is much much better

[@LovinLife-pv7op]

We did this same project in high school art class in 1979, Shoals, southern Indiana. It took us six months in class.

[@nfortun]

Lots of work, great results. Fascinating to watch. Thank you!

[@nancyhurt7145]

Just came across your video. Wow! So impressed with your make. I’d love to have done this years ago, but now I’m in my 70’s and know my body and sewing skills after 50 plus years, and I’m okay with draping, etc. you did a great job!

[@ovhvooreen3735]

Great. i am in the process of making one myself and your comments were very helpfull. not to expect perfection and all in all use friends to help out with fitting and making. Thanks

[@katealexandnoahdavies5875]

well done, you're a very clever lady... I'm humbled and inspired by your ability... and I love hearing you talk about distribution of volume and such... we're not all meant to be a standard size! Our clothes should fit us, not the other way around...

[@heidischuller5349]

Fantastic! I hadn’t even thought that this was possible. I'm in awe, and I learnt so much!

[@alicebroussard1654]

Sage you did a wonderful job. I really wanted to make me a dress form but after seeing all the steps you went through I changed my mind. I'll keep looking for one closer to my size.Thank you for your demonstrations/video....

[@katlambert3649]

Amazing!! Teamwork makes the dream work every time ❤. I have a dress form I can’t use (too lg) and I’ve always wanted to make my own. After seeing your video I’m clear that I am definitely not up to this task! 😢 Kudos to you ‼️

[@VanNessy97]

I love it! No one's body is shaped like a dress form, so this is an amazing tutorial!

[@rebeccaknudsen6190]

In college, my roommate had class on this very subject. She put a garment bag from the cleaners some other class member helped apply masking tape. Viola the mold to apply the expanding foam. It looked exactly like her body. You did a fantastic job in both outcome and directions! Thanks for sharing!

[@lisafowlkes5063]

You did an Awesome job and should be proud. Im inspired to try now. Thanks for sharing.

[@Alice_in_art_land]

Before putting the two plaster molds together for the foam casting I would recommend using mold release spray! And let that cure for at least a day and a half. After that you can put the two pieces together. This is such a great way of making a dress form! Hopefully I’ll have some time to make one myself

[@vickigonya9432]

I love how your arms are out at an angle ! Makes so much more sense!!

[@JFdragonfly]

Wow! That was a lot of work. You put together this video of the work so well too. I appreciate how passionate you were about this project and I am very impressed with how well your dressform turned out. It looks perfect. Thanks for sharing your process!

[@SatoriDance]

This process is very similar to a kit that used to be sold (maybe still is?- I couldn't find them) in the early 2000's called my twin dress form. They used a drycleaner plastic garment bag to cover the body and undergarments and used making tape to secure the extra fullness. Plaster bandages next but they didn't make it two part. Instead special scissors were used to cut the plaster off. The cut edges were then sewn together with string and another layer or two of plaster bandages reinforced the whole form. Their instructions called for green surgical soap as the release. It didn't work even as well as the release you used 😳 I ended up using a player rasp to file off the bandages. They had two jersey knit cover layers, no batting. I still use this form today, a hundred pounds heavier. I've added padding and batting to account for the increase in size. I tried to make a new form but used paper tape. I ended up passing out and busting my paper shell like a pinata 😅 I was very careful to not lock my knees out and to breathe evenly. Dunno what did me in. I like your wide plaster strips for quicker coverage.

[@soul00theeundead]

This was very very interesting to see.

[@aprilhill8738]

Wow, your dress form turned out really good. I’ve watched Morgan’s video on this process as well, it was fun to see your take on it.

[@FoleyDressed]

Thank you so much!

[@ireneclark1217]

Wow. Very interesting to watch. The result was amazing. Well done. I tried the Bootstrap cover and it was not a success. It doesn't cover fitting problems of high round back, forward shoulders. In fact it didn't fit my figure. A total waste of time. Wish I could afford to have a body scan to make a form that was totally unique for me. It's very difficult to create a body double on your own.

[@VtorHunter]

I am SO impressed with this! It looks so great, and was super informative.

[@FoleyDressed]

Thank you so much!

[@mycats7321]

Thank you. I have a similar problem with my body-- I have a short torso so I have a hard time finding things that fit and I like to have pants that come up higher.

[@paoulakraus6493]

I have a very long torso and I have the same problem😂 nothing ever fits right

[@jackiemorrell2298]

Not sure why youtube recommended this video to me, but I couldn't stop watching, it was very impressive. You should be very proud of yourself. Nice job.

[@denasewell]

next time put a tight long sleeve t-shirt that is 2 sizes smaller so it fits very snug to the body the cove with duck tape all over then cut the T-shirt under the arms then cut it up the back with scissors to remove it then tape the cuts closed once you have it off. Be sure to go all the way around the torso and arms reinforcing it ....go over the tape with 2 layers of the plaster paper then once it is dry fill it with foam..... then used quilting batting and covered the form with fabric...I used an old hat stand to mount mine it has lasted for years

[@janandnaomi2000]

Much more natural! Love this! You and your partner did a great job!

[@ceciliafarkas2705]

Wow! That was a lot of work! Good job!

[@mrs7872]

WOW! What an undertaking! Good job. I'm a semi-beginner, and have thought about forms as I'm full figured, with enormous boobs. NO pattern will fit my form without major adjustments and I have daydreams of being able to modify a pattern to a form with my actual shapes. So, this was an eye opener. I was thinking more of using a pre made form and just adding padding to the bigger areas-put a bra on it and fill the cups to get approximately the same measurements-this would be better than nothing at all in my mind. Same with the rest of the form. Add padding/batting where it's needed. Your tutorial really showed that SO much work goes into form making-more than I ever thought. Thank you for sharing this.

[@angellover02171]

Have you heard of the closet historian KZbin channel

[@mrs7872]

@@angellover02171 I have now. ;)

[@debbie7116]

This was a great tutorial video! Now I feel like I can make one!

[@shazallenpc]

Hello I am so so proud of you that you didn't give up and look what you've have achieved., well done you🙌🙌🙌. And it's lovely that you had good people to help you finish the well done guys. This was very relaxing to watch, have given me some inspiration to do my dress sitting here right in front of with clothes on and I keep promising that I will do it and I will NoW 😃😃😃

[@FoleyDressed]

Thank you so much!!

[@maneesukha]

That's some next level DIY dress form!! I would never be able to do this, especially the end with the seaming lines, it looks so nice ❤ you could sell these ❤ PS : I also have high hips so standard dress forms never fit

[@jaywholoveseveryone1721]

You did a DAMN good job! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 I watched this video all because I found a piece of material that I fell in loooove with and I want to make SOMETHING out of it. Do I own a sewing machine -- NO. When I have to hem my and my child's pants I do so by hand. We both have the oddest measurements in U. S. history 😂

[@goodvolks2know372]

that was a crazy amount of work - wow, the end result looked great.

Wow, you’ve done such an amazing job with this dressform, thank you for sharing! Seems quite a long process but definetly worth it 👏 Love from Brazil 🇧🇷

[@rosariacarlostella9105]

Wow!!!! It came out beautifully! ❤

[@nicolasmith1460]

This is one of the best utube videos I’ve seen. Well done. Excellent work. A brilliant end product. You should be very proud. I wanted to do this. But I’m now never going to do this. I do not have your tenacity! But I’m glad that I do know how to. It’s because of you. Thanks ❣️

[@FoleyDressed]

Thank you so much!

[@uschilou]

This is AMAZING!! I am in awe at what you created. You should be so proud!

[@SimonaShine]

Wow! That was a lot of work! Compliments to both of you for the patience and hard work! I love to create stuff too but this is too much for me. Especially cause I would have to do things all alone. But I got an idea while watching the video so maybe that would help. Thanks for sharing this with us

[@wsantiago823]

Impressive! For making your customized dress form, it looked really great! I'm inspired to make my own. Thank you for the through explanation, great video editing, and organization of process. Keep up the wonderful work.

[@marianalirarodrigues7635]

Congratulations!!!! I never see it before. Perfect

[@angelmaej.lazaga7262]

You really made it so perfect 😍😍 I love your dress form ❤️ you did great!! Keep it up 👏👏

[@jmartinezflores1]

What a trip! Thanks for sharing, it was a very interesting process.

[@mog-gyveroneill2500]

Totally in awe, great outcome, but, nah...I won't be doing that! 🤗🤗🤗 Edit: I ended up buying a UK size 6 bodyform and filling out the bits to match me, and it's working well so far! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@kendal4452]

Wow, that's a lot of work. But way easier if your husband is a carpenter. I enjoyed seeing the process you took doing it. That's weird how one shoulder was higher than the other, even I didn't expect that. Good job saving it. There has got to be an easier way to make a Dress Form.

[@rosesmith000]

I'd love an emotional version of this project! this is something I've recently thought of doing. I think I would have cried at least twice.

[@bharris9824]

Impressive results, but so much work. Wow. About those rounded shoulders -suggestion: get rid of your pillow and sleep with a rolled towel under your neck. Slowly decrease the size of the towel roll until you no longer need it to sleep comfortably. You will notice your shoulders will begin to straighten. I’ve been doing this for 6 months and am finding that I’m standing straighter. Tnx for sharing.

[@oldstuffbethtx8052]

Great job! So interesting to see how the standard form varies from yours, even with the same B/W/H measurements.

[@santabaia]

Nice!! I gonna make my own mold. Just starting learn how to mold and sew. :) it is very relaxing and exciting at the same time.

[@allieg6401]

Fantastic work!! It doesn't matter id there are a few little wrinkles it just means you'll be able to tell it apart from the ne t one you make 😊 You did really great job and thanks for providing the extra info on the foams.

[@clarissemariaguida]

Perfect. Thank you so much 🌹

[@elothegreat3011]

Wow, you went thru alot of effort for that. I am proud and can't say i would've stuck it out to the end. Nice job!

[@4gma59]

Wow. Amazing results.

[@annetterobinson436]

You should be proud you did a great job I really did enjoy this.

[@Gun5hip]

It's January in Colorado. You: Lets make a dress form in the garage! lol

[@arvettadelashmit9337]

Have you tried fabric glue? In quilting today, many are turning to the new fabric glues to do their basting with. I have tried it; and, it really does hold things in place and washes out later. It saves me from sewing a pin (breaking a needle and/or getting the timing off in my machine); and, it saves me from stabbing myself with the pins (bleeding on my projects). Plus, if I can not finish the project as quickly as I had planned, I don't have to worry about pins rusting into my project (which has happened in the past). If you are not happy with where or how you glued it, you can pull it out and try it again. Have you ever tried making a duck tape dress form? I was wondering if a duck tape dress form could be used to make a plaster cast form to pour the foam into? The duck tape may come apart if greased. However, the duck tape may be removed later from the inside of the cast form (without grease, a little at a time). I've never made one. A duke tape dress form doesn't look like it would last very long; but, maybe it would last long enough to make a plaster cast form

[@FoleyDressed]

I cant say that I have ever used fabric glue but I can definitely see the benefits as you have put them here! As far as the duct tape form, I have had a couple of people bring that up as a potential option instead of plaster and I think it is a lovely idea. I would really love to see someone make this project up in this way, it would certainly be a lot less cold!

[@camboyce884]

Amazing job! Questions: Where can we get an actual dress form base and top? Can your lovely assistant recommend things we can use as a substitute for the plywood for those of us who do not have those materials or expertise?

[@biguattipoptropica]

I did the same thing up to the part of actually making the dress form because when I was looking into it, there was only a magazine article on it, no videos and that's a lot of money and time (the process I found took an entire day just being casted) to be unsure. So thanks for this!

[@KitanaShade]

Great Great Job guys

[@carolinaviquez2212]

OMG! Great job! Let us know if you ever decide to sell body forms

[@carkirsch77]

Very interesting process you followed to succeed in your sculptured dress form! Amazing! Bravo! What was the cost, if may I ask? That would be interesting to compare. Of course there is not another dress form in the market exactly like you.

[@jeslenehan]

What a great tutorial! The finished project looks amazing! Thanks for sharing!

[@SHENRONNIE]

No idea why this was on my recommended but I loved it anyway and still watched the whole thing :)

[@debthompson4498]

Maybe use a fabric steamer dewrinkler to shrink the fabric on the dress form?

[@Cass_772]

You really did a good work on this! It's super professional... how much did it cost you overall?

[@CynD222]

This looks really amazing! While I know it was a lot of work, you should consider doing this for other people. I am sure there would be a need for this and a new lucrative business venture could be made. Tip: charge by the hour! Well done. I love what you have done

[@brigidscaldron]

I just bought a bootstrap custom dress form cover to go over my vintage adjustable form.

[@simoneryan4487]

Agree with you on the Bootstrap option. I have severe scoliosis. There’s no way a circumference alone can correctly proportion the valleys and humps of my torso. There’s way too many measurements missing. I did the duct tape option to make my wedding dress. It wasn’t perfect but was a great tool as mostly sewing alone. I wish the body scan ones were more affordable.

[@reem_maz]

thank you for the video and all the information and tips maybe some day I'll make my own .. by the way your dress form turned out very neat and very close to the professional congrats 🎉😊

[@taylarogers313]

I'm the girl that always says " i can make it myself" but always end up spending more than it would've cost to buy the thing that I'm trying to diy!!!

[@tashannajohnson1004]

Except i dont see how materials could cost you as much as or more than the 600 dollars for royal dress forms

[@MegIsSleepy]

Wow, such a cool project! I'd love to have a custom dress form someday! Yours looks so good

[@c.powell8472]

this was nice to see your body shape compared to the standard dress form. My personal waist seems to be longer than average. I can always tell when I make dresses or blouses. They always 2 inches too short in the torso and it drives me nuts. I have to remember to adjust the pattern before making the outfit. I'm still annoyed about a blouse i made was 4 inches too short and i covered it with a 5inch ruffle but damn! You can tell my waist is long!

[@amandahopper9334]

Also mould it by having slightly wet hand and when you put the plaster on overlap edges 50/50

[@DaintyAbby]

Im very impressed!

[@bawtrey]

Wow. That is quite a task. I would love to try it. It is impossible for me to find well fitting clothes for my body type. Good thing I enjoy sewing. When you say leave the form on to dry as long as possible... realistically how long was that to have it reasonable set?. I'd guess in my hot dry climate it would not be as long.

[@leahfarr1681]

Oooo this is exactly what I needed!! This will definitely be my project for next year

[@christydethlefs9850]

Wow that’s a lot of work. I hope it works well for you

[@purplepixie274]

Very interesting, I have severe scoliosis, so I can't put things inside out and pin because it would simply not fit the right way round. It would be great to have a form of my actual shape, because nothing is in line. However this is a lot of work for me to do alone, but well done for completing yours.

[@1wolfpup]

You did a great job.

[@lifeofjoy9404]

Great job!!

[@karenosiris4207]

Felicitaciones un super trabajo y lo bueno de trabajar en equipo excelente

[@annsaroundtownllc7829]

You did a fantastic job! So proud of you! You have inspired me to make my own dress form. Will send pictures when/if I ever complete project.

[@FoleyDressed]

Thank you so much!! I would love to see them if you do!

[@bellaferman]

Great job!