How to make dress mannequins for 18" dolls...

Finished dress mannequins.

       The sample dress mannequins shown here are for an 18" American girl doll and an 18" BFC club doll. 
       Dress forms or dress mannequins are used when sewing for people or dolls. It is much easier to size, drape and remove fashions from these forms than it is to do so directly onto a doll or person. Plus the pins won't stick, ouch!

 Supply List:

• scrap sheets of quilter's batting
• wide masking tape
• cotton batting filler (stuffing)
  
• the doll that the dress form is made to fit
• a wide dowel rod
• a wooden candle stick
• acrylic paint for the candle stick
• old, tissue sewing patterns recycled
• Mod Podge
• aluminum foil
• wood glue or hot glue with gun
  

Step-by-Step Instructions:

       To make an accurate, life-size dress form you will be shaping the mannequin directly on top of a doll to begin with. Lay the quilter's batting flat on the floor and roll the doll on top of it to form a tube beneath her arms. Using masking tape close the tube, making sure that the tube is snug about the doll's figure. This tube should be cut short just above the doll's knees.

       Now wrap the quilter's batting about the doll's shoulders and neck. Cover all of this shoulder wrap with masking tape to and overlap some of the tape down onto the torso. (see pictures below)

Left, you can see the quilter's batting sheet is wrapped snugly around our doll's nude torso.
Center, above the batting sheet is also wrapped about the doll's shoulder and includes her
collar bone as well. Right, the entire wrapping of the doll is done with two layers of
masking tape.

 

       Next you will need to remove this form carefully with a pair of scissors. Slip the scissors up the front side of the doll, between the masked cotton and the torso of the doll. Do this slowly and carefully without cutting any of the original body or hair belonging to the doll.

       Gently stuff the shape of the dress form with cotton batting around a wooden dowel rod that should be suspended in the middle of the dress form. This rod should be as long as the torso and stick out at it's bottom at least an inch.

       As needed, pack the neck and arm openings with cotton and then neatly tape across the holes closing these permanently with the tape.

Left, cup all the way up the front of the dress form between the doll's body and the inside
of the wrapped quilter's sheeting. Right, tape together the dress form at the seam where
 you have cut it away from the body of the doll.

 

             The photo above on the right shows that I have suspended the dowel rod through the center of the dress form with tape on it's end. Pack the cotton fluff around this dowel, keeping it suspended in the middle during this process.

 

Left, see how I taped the inside of the dress form shut. Right, the dress form next to the doll.

       Above you can see how I stopped stuffing the dress form approximately one inch from the end. This is because the bottom of the doll dress form was completely filled and packed with the stuffing and I wanted to hide the dowel from view inside of my wooden candlestick opening. You many need to line the inside of the candle stick with aluminum foil to make the opening narrow. 
       Mask on top of the foil and around the upper portion of the unseen candlestick. Fill the hole with wood glue or hot glue and firmly insert the end portion of the wooden dowel inside, attaching the dress form to the candlestick.

       Finally, after the glue has dried and the candle stick firmly attached, the dress mannequins are ready for decoupage. This end step will harden the exteriors of the dress forms further and give them slick finished surfaces that are easier to fit and drape over during sewing. I chose to recycle old sewing tissues for this final step. Layer these between Mod Podge applications and let the mannequins dry overnight. See pictures at the top of post for the finished result.

• aggirl411 makes a version of a dress form for her American girl doll using duct tape and plastic bags for filler
• Lomi's Playground shows how to make her version of a doll mannequin for sewing purposes...
• Sewing a smart doll dress form with Dollymake here 
  

Left and Right, here you can see that I've wrapped the torso of a BFC doll using the same method.

       I also made a dress form for our Best Friends Club Dolls. It was much easier to cut the dress form away from the doll because her body is made from hard plastic instead of canvas. 

Left, the dress mannequin is wrapped and ready to decoupage. Center, one of our BFC dolls
stands next to her dress form. Both mannequins side by side to compare the doll body types.

Dress forms or mannequins decoupaged with old tissue sewing patterns. As seen
 left, back, center, details and right side back. The front views are at the top of this post.