DIY Mannequin....Attempt 1

I know I promised a post documenting my DIY mannequin of myself with instructions on how to make it.... BUT my first attempt all went a bit pair shaped... So I've decided this is how NOT to make your own mannequin!

-It started off well, I had all of the necessary tools:

-Cling Film

-Mod Rock

-Bowl of water

-Newspaper

Then it all went down-hill from there....

My one roll of Mod Rock

Ensure you have enough mod rock: I would say get more than you think you'll need as it's better to be safe than sorry. You need to do about 2 coats of mod rock to make the structure strong enough, and as you can see from the photo's, 1 roll wasn't even enough for one layer!

Posture is everything: As it takes a while to dry, there's a big temptation to slouch while you wait. Try and make it in front of a mirror so you can see if you're standing properly. Or you'll end up with a distorted shape like below!

Attention to detail: Pay attention to the bust. Unless you are making a mannequin to make lingerie from, do not attempt to get the 'cleavage' part of the bust.
-You should also ensure you wear a bra (unless you never wear one). This is because when you're fully dressed you will most likely be wearing a bra, so you want your bust to sit in the right place on the mannequin for when you're drafting up a clothes pattern.
-Concentrate on the contours of the waist and the small of the back.

Protect your skin: Before covering yourself in mod rock you will need to protect your skin. I wrapped myself in cling-film first. BUT I did not use it to protect my neck. Yet I still applied the mod rock there, so by the time it had dried it had completely stuck to my skin. This made it very difficult and painful to remove, and I'm not going to lie - there were a few tears!

I will be attempting another one, hopefully soon. And hopefully this once will go right, especially after this one went so drastically wrong!

And I will 100% be doing a 'how-to' post on it.

Stockman Mannequin

Finally, after all the snow causing delays in deliveries, my Stockman Mannequin arrived today!

I absolutely love it, and I cant wait to get designing on it!

Dress Form Review

I figured while im here I'd write a mini review on mannequins and dress forms for UK fashion designers/students as personally I found it hard to come across a good quality dress form.

The main problem is that theres loads of display mannequins out there, as well as adjustable dress forms.
-Display mannequins tend to be plastic or polystyrene, which are obviously completely unsuitable for dressmaking.
-Adjustable dress forms are all very well if you're flat pattern cutting and you're just using it to make sure it fits the specific measurement of a customer/client, however its not really suitable for draping/contouring/drafting a pattern from the stand as you really need a solid form, whereas these have gaps where they've been adjusted.

1.The obvious choice for a dress form is Kennett and Lindsell.

Their mannequins are widely used across the UK, and come in many shapes and sizes. The main problem is the price. A full size dress form will take you very close to £700, and a miniature one costs roughly £400 from morplan. As a student there is no way I could ever afford that, and its near impossible finding one on ebay, let alone winning it in a bid. I tried and failed 3 times!

2. Morplan Tailors Dummy are a cheaper alternative to Kennet and Lindsell, selling at £379 plus VAT

As this was still more than I could afford, I carried on searching and came across this gem of a site:

3. Vintagestylemannequins.co.uk

Inspired by Vintage mannequins, Julie's main focus is on creating ansolutely stunning display mannequins made to suit anyones taste, and they have such care and attention to detail. Again, these are intended for display, however there is also a section on her site dedicated to vintage dress forms, in this section youll find rare mannequins in beautiful condition, some even dating as far back as edwardian times.
If you're lucky you may stumble across a K&L mannequin, or (even more likely) the american version Wolf Form (in my opinion wolf forms dress forms are beautiful and very unique looking). In my case I came across a Stockman from the 40s. Stockman is a brand used by french couturiers, and I am absolutely in love with her!

The amount of pride Julie takes in her business is rarely seen in other sellers. She makes sure all mannequins arrive in the same condition they left her in, and so makes sure they're thoroughly packaged.
I highly recommend her for both her products and customer service.