Did you ever wonder how to make a cover for a dress form? I did, and every idea I found was more complicated than the other. This is the easiest how-to to cover a mannequin in fabric.
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This is my dress form. Her name is Bertha, and she came in the mail last week. Bertha and I have some things in common, like dress size. Though I'd like to think that -unlike her - I have a good head over my shoulders.
I always wanted to have a friend like Bertha, to sew some nice clothes together and play dress-up. But friends like Bertha are expensive, so when I found I could have her for less than $100 plus shipping, I decided it was time.
This is Bertha when she came to me. She's an adjustable dress form, a very basic one. She's no pinnable (bummer) and is covered in some ugly gray flannel on top of her plastic frame.
You can see the gaps where the adjustable plates join, on top of that, the gaps are more pronounced after I adjusted her to my size (I am bustier). I needed to do something about it.
Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything about how to cover a dress form that wasn't super complicated. Then this occurred to me. The process was simple, and the photos self-explanatory.
How to make a dress form cover:
- Pin some stretchy fabric (Jersey or ribbed knit works best) alongside the side join (where the back and front plate meet), stretching as needed so it "hugs" the form tightly. Then mark the cutting line between the pins. Cut piece. Repeat for the back.
- Join the two pieces with the overcast machine. Serge the hem with looser threads.
- Pass a thick cotton thread through loops in the hem.
- Tighten and gather the fabric at the bottom. Tie the threads.
This is the second DIY mannequin stretch cover I made for her, following the same process.
While Bertha is not a pinnable dress form, the two layers fabric (the pink one is underneath) means I can pin the fabric to the new cover in a pinch. So it's not only a matter of looking better.
I can now also wash her cover when necessary, and now that I see how easy this was, I can buy other fabrics and make new covers at any time. This may be the easiest DIY cover for a dress form yet.
Bertha hasn't said anything about her new looks (she's a shy girl), but I can tell she looks happier. What do you think?
I found an adjustable form at the curb last week so I scooped it into the car. It's really old and needs freshening. I'm not concerned about the size but it's disgusting to look at. I plan to use it for selling on ebay & etsy etc. Your tutorial is… Read more »
Yes! I'm needing to spruce up my adjustable dress form a bit so that I can use it to take decent photos of a bridesmaid dress I just made. Thanks for the awesome tutorial!
Brilliant !! I have been looking at numerous Pinterest sites on how to make a dress form and how to cover it and when I came across your double layer of knit material for the cover it was absolutely perfectly simple. I will be using your suggestion.