This is the third publish in a five part tutorial for making a paper tape gown type that genuinely matches your measurements as well as body shape.
Part 1: introduction as well as materials List
Part 2: Preparation
Part 3: Taping the outer Form
Part 4: Making the final Form
Part 5: marking the type as well as Making a Cover
Now that you have your tee shirts made as well as you understand exactly how to utilize water-activated paper tape, let’s get started making your gown form!
First, get whatever set up:
Get out a fine point long-term marker, a yard/meter stick or tape measure, big sharp scissors, as well as a ruler.
Cut a strip of poster board 1 inch (2.5 cm) large that is long sufficient to go around the model’s midsection with a bit bit of overlap. If the design prefers broader waistbands, you can cut the strip to their favored waistband width instead. Tape together strips of poster board with paper tape if you requirement a longer piece – just make sure final strip is straight.
Cut two strips of manila folder that are about a half inch (1 cm) narrower than your paper tape is. The strips must be as long as the model’s upper arm is large (from front of arm to back of arm).
If you have a self-leveling laser level, set it up on a tripod or on something you can change to the model’s hip level. If you don’t have a laser level, you’ll requirement to utilize a long-term marker taped to a yard/meter stay with mark a level line around the lower edge of the gown form, held at the ideal level by a stack of books or something (see the photo near the end of this post). get that configuration figured out ahead of time so the design is not stuck in the paper tape while you set this up.
Get your tape ready. ideally you have pre-cut a lot of pieces. get out two bowls of water (unless you are ideal by a sink), as well as a plate to set your sponge on. One bowl is for dipping the sponge in, as well as the other is for rinsing the sticky glue off of the taper’s hands. You’ll likewise want some towels handy.
I’m going to demonstrate the taping process on my diy half-scale gown type with arms that I designed, since it was method much easier to get photos this way. She is a extremely individual model, as well as stands still for hours without complaining.
The design must stand with their typical posture. walking around the space a bit can assist them feel less self mindful as well as keep in mind what their normal posture really is – it can be difficult to stand with “normal posture” on command.
Cover the cups of the model’s bra with plastic wrap taped in location or Press’n Seal. have the design put on the tee shirts inside out, with the seam allowances on the outside. If the model’s midsection is little compared to their breast as well as shoulders as well as the tee shirt will not stretch sufficient at the midsection to be put on, cut open the tee shirt at one or both sides of the waist. You can just cut off the seam allowance as well as stitches – there’s no requirement to pick out stitches.
Cut out holes to subject a lot of of the breasts. This enables you to get much better meaning between the breasts. It looks funny, though, I know.
Close up the slit at the center front neck with some paper tape. If you had to cut open the side seams at the waist, tape them closed with paper tape, too.
Wrap the strip of poster board around the model’s midsection as well as tape the ends together with paper tape. This strip keeps the waist from growing, which it has a tendency to make with taped gown develops otherwise, so utilize it even if the design does not have a defined midsection or does not plan to sew skirts or gowns with midsection seams. The waistband must be at the natural waist, where the waistband of an elastic midsection skirt would sit. Don’t try to force it to be level, just let it clear up where it wishes to go at the narrowest part of the body.
If the design has soft body tissue as well as you are getting a lot more bulging than you would like above as well as below the waistband (bulges are difficult to shape the paper tape around), eliminate the waistband as well as wrap some plastic wrap around the midsection area beneath the T-shirt. Don’t wrap the plastic wrap securely – you don’t want to distort the body shape as well much. utilizing a broader paper waistband can help, too. put the paper waistband back on over the T-shirt.
Locate the hip level – the location where the hip measurement is largest – as well as make a mark on the tee shirts at this level so you can determine from hip to floor.
Measure as well as record the following:
Heel height of the shoes the design is using (if any) _______
Hip to floor _______
Navel to floor ______
Lower edge of waistband to floor at center front _______
Lower edge of waistband to floor at center back _______
Here are some general taping tips:
It normallyworks much better to apply tape diagonally rather than horizontally or vertically around the body.
You always want the tape to comply with the contours of the body. If you have a piece of tape that is partially stuck down, as well as you recognize that the tape is not going to lie flat, cut the rest of it off or cut a snip into it. try not to scrunch or wrinkle the tape. You can likewise hold up a dry piece of tape to the body to see if it will in shape a difficult area before you get it wet as well as stick it down.
Be cautious not to distort the body shape by pulling the tape as well tight, particularly on soft areas of the body. keep the tape as snug as you can make it without distorting the body shape.
Overlap the tape pieces as you put them on, particularly on the very first layer.
Cut as well as wet some long pieces of tape. location the very first piece centered ideal below the bust as well as wrap the ends around to the back so they cross over each other. let the tape comply with the contours of the body – don’t try to force it to wrap horizontally around the body. add a second piece of tape over the first.
Fill in the back from underbust level as much as the previous pieces of tape with horizontal pieces of tape.
Cut two long narrow pieces of tape. location them from the underbust tape, between the breasts, as well as over the shoulders to the tape on the back, crossing over each other between the breasts. define the area between the breasts as carefully as possible. If long pieces of tape will not in shape on the body as shown, utilize shorter pieces as well as overlap them.
Continue filling out the upper back, upper chest, as well as shoulders with tape however stay a bit method away from the neckline, carry points, as well as armholes. Don’t tape the bust yet. keep at least an inch (2.5 cm) away from the carry points for now.
Note: You may be lured to prolong the shoulders on the gown type to include the curve of the upper arm. If you do this, keep in mind that you will only be able to put garments that have a full length front or back closure onto the gown form, considering that the shoulders will be as well large to in shape inside a top that pulls over the head. likewise it is tough to find the carry points as well as armholes on a gown type after it has been eliminated from the body, which is why I suggest being cautious about finding the carry points as well as armholes while you make the gown form.
You requirement to find the carry points. have the design raise as well as lower their arm somewhat as well as feel for the dent between the bones of the body as well as those of the arm. put your finger on a carry point as well as have the design raise as well as lower their arm again. Your finger must stay stationary if it is in the ideal spot, not step with the arm. mark this area with a marker.
To find the right setting from the side, location a ruler on the carry as well as hold it level to discover the greatest point on the shoulder.
Make cross marks to mark the carry points on the T-shirt.
Cut two pieces of paper tape the exact same length as your manila folder strips (the ones you previously cut to be the width of the upper arm as well as a bit narrower than your paper tape). get the tape wet as well as stick it onto the manila paper, folding the tape over one edge.
Cut two pieces of tape a bit longer than the manila folder strips, as well as stick the manila folder as well as tape pieces onto the longer tape as shown, with edge of the paper that has tape folded over it sticking out just past the edge of the longer piece of tape.
Have the design raise their arms just sufficient to slip these pieces ideal as much as the top of their armpits. The paper edge must be as high as possible without being uneasy or agonizing when the design lowers their arms. keep the top edge of the paper level with the floor. Stick down the tape, as well as hold it in location with a lot more tape around the edges as needed.
Now you requirement to mark the armholes. location a ruler under the arm as well as hold it level with the floor. At about a third of the vertical distance between the carry point as well as the top edge of the ruler, mark a point on the tee shirts directly above the ruler.
Do this for both arms on both the front as well as back of the body.
Sketch in a smooth shape for both the front as well as back armholes, going with the carry points as well as the marks you just made. note that if the design has narrow or broad shoulders, the armholes will angle in or out a lot more as well as will look different than those on my tiny gown form.
Tape very carefully around the front as well as back armholes.
There are a couple of different choices for the bust. You may want to just tape around the edges of the bust as shown on the left (the ideal breast) in thephoto below. After you eliminate the gown type from the model, you would close up the holes with a piece of cardboard as well as a lot more paper tape. You would put a foam cup bra on the completed gown type as well as stuff it to get a smooth, soft bust with the right measurements. This choice would enable you to put different bras on the gown form, so garments might be sized to in shape a certain bra. It can likewise save time, particularly if the design has a big bust. If you are not sure which choice you want, tape the bust completely now – you always have the choice to do a double mastectomy on the gown type later.
To tape the bust completely, tape it utilizing pieces of tape cut into a fringe, as shown below. begin taping the bust from the bottom up, with the cut edges of the fringe dealing with upward. This enables you to swiftly cover the curves of the bust without utilizing lots of little pieces of tape.
Place a narrow piece of tape around the body at hip level, then put some pieces on the front as well as back in an X, linking them together at the side seams.
Fill in the rest of the midsection as well as hip area, utilizing diagonally put pieces of tape. Tape a bit below the level you plan to cut off the gown type at.
Use a long-term marker to scribble around the very first layer of tape. This will assist you cover the next layer evenly, so you don’t have to try to keep in mind where you added the second layer. try to angle the pieces on the second layer so they cross over the pieces on the very first layer. (No, I haven’t forgotten about the neck – don’t tape it yet. The design will be less uneasy if you wait as long as possible to tape it.)
Tape a second layer of tape over the very first layer. add an additional layer around the armholes as well as around the bottom edge where you will be cutting off the gown form.
If you have done a great task taping, the gown type must feel firm sufficient to hold its shape after two layers. tap on it as well as press on it in different locations to see if it feels firm. If it is still relatively flexible, you may requirement to add a third layer of tape, or it may just requirement to dry some more. You can utilize a hair dryer to speed up drying. If only specific areas feel flexible, add one more layer in those spots. Don’t add a lot more layers than necessary, or you will have a difficult time cutting off the gown form.
*Don’t avoid this step – you can’t go back as well as do it after the gown type is cut off: utilize the measurements you took at the beginning to find the hip, front as well as back waist, as well as navel. utilize a long-term marker to mark the complying with on the gown form:
The carry points
Hip level
Navel location
Lower edge of waistband at center front
Lower edge of waistband at center back
Now we want to mark two level lines – one around the hip, as well as one more below it where you want the lower edge of the gown type to be.
You can’t mark a level line measuring up from the floor with a yardstick, since the shape of the body avoids the yardstick from being able to touch the body when it is held vertically.
Here are two methods you can mark the level lines. A self-leveling laser level is the simplest technique as well as will provide you the very best level line. one more choice is to tape a marking pen to a yardstick as well as set it up so it is sticking out horizontally. The design needs to very carefully rotate, preserving their posture, while the helper marks the line. Make sure the design is not “helpfully” leaning toward the pen.
The lower level line needs to be extremely accurate, or the gown type will lean to one side and/or ahead or backward. It’s difficult to go back after the truth as well as try to figure out exactly how the gown type must stand to show the model’s posture, so take the time to get it marked properly now.
Finally, let’s tape around the neck. You can either tape only ideal as much as the neckline, or tape all or part of the method up the neck. Be sure to ask the design which they like – some people truly don’t like having their neck constricted. If you only plan on making an outer paper tape type instead of making one more type inside it, only tape as much as the neckline, or the neck will end up as well large.
If you will only be taping as much as the neckline, utilize a sphere chain pendant cut to the ideal length to assist establish the neckline (or if you don’t want to cut your chain, tie a single over hand knot in it at one side of the neck). mark the neckline with marker, then tape three layers ideal as much as the neckline. utilize a hair dryer to dry the tape after each layer.
If you want to tape up the neck, tape the join between
