I really want to make one for myself, but thought I'd start on a smaller scale by making a form of Gusty...
**side story here, if you want to make one of those priceless visa commercials for yourself, do this;
buy a roll of duct tape *5.00*
ask your husband if he'd be willing to wrap you up in it. *free*
expression on his face. *priceless*
Ok..here it is on the cheap. REAL cheap. The child is only going to be this size for another half of a year, maybe a hair more, after all.
Supplies
duct tape
card board (pizza boxes)
big rock, sort of flat
old t-shirt
clean plastic bag
spray adhesive
thin batting
old plastic bags for stuffing
packing peanuts (not required, if you have enough old bags, that's ok)
Prep
1. tie up long hair or it will get stuck in the duct tape.
2. put on a tv show for bribery
3. precut several strips to get you started
Instructions
1. Have child wear old tshirt. you're eventually going to cut the form off of them and may nick the shirt.
2. cut head and arm holes into clean plastic bag and slip over child.
3. start taping. (through my own trial and error, I found that a long strip around the waist and over the shoulders would have been a better place to begin.)
4. After you have waist and shoulders in place, use shorter strips 6-8 inches long, start from the top and spin the child as you add tape.
Annoyance will set in just before you're completed....but we managed a happyish smile no less.
Working around the stomach and butt was difficult. She has no concept of suck it in but when I did work around the bottom of her belly, she automatically drew in her stomach. This is just the price of working with a five year old.
5. Cut straight up the back and then remove the form.
6. Use small strips of tape to tape it back together.
7. Hang the form so that you can add tape to the bottom to kind of level it off. If I just stopped, without adding leveling strips, my form would have been tilted forward. Which would affect drape and skirts later...
before leveling
After...
8. Set the form on a piece of cardboard to make a base template. I used four layers of cardboard so cut 4 total.
9. Tape and/or glue the four layers together.
9. Tape a rock or scrap of concrete to the base. I'm undecided about using a stand so I wanted it weighted so it doesn't fall over on me while I work.
10. Tape the base inside of the bottom of the form.
11. While holding a piece of paper against the arm hole, draw a template. Use this template to make a cardboard insert. Mine worked for both arms. Repeat for neck hole.
12. check the fit and adjust as needed.
13. Trace two armholes from cardboard and cut out.
14. Tape into place. Leave neck open for stuffing.
15. Start stuffing through the neck hole. . Use plastic bags at the base, to fill in snuggly around that rock. Then top with peanuts if you have them, of use bags exclusively.
Note, you may get some dents even after you fill it up with peanuts. Use plastic bags to push those out by shoving plastic down the inside wall.
16. Cover the neck. What I did was place a few strips on the back of the insert so I could pull up the cardboard if it fell into the form.
17. Tape it all up...
Continued tomorrow.....
Was this tutorial helpful? Consider buying me a cup of coffee for $ 1.94. Your purchase will help cover the costs around here and encourage more tutorials like this. Love, Katie
Cuppa Jo for Katie 1.94
I am trying this with masking tape and a 19 month old. She did VERY well during her "taping" thanks to her wonderful daddy, but the form doesn't seem like it was tight enough on her. I wonder if duct tape would have been better or if I just need work on my technique???
I used masking tape because I am not going to cover this with batting or fabric and thought I could stick pins straight into the masking tape if I get desperate.
Now I have a large and somewhat crooked form. Trying to straighten it out at the base...we'll see how the costume fits after draping it on this one. :) Thanks for posting this!!!I would have never thought of it and I really wanted to drape her halloween costume as I make it.
Posted by: Mama Mia | September 27, 2009 at 11:36 PM
Not bad the beginning...
Posted by: case study writing | August 30, 2010 at 06:16 AM