Saturday, January 17, 2015

Mortem's Tricks or Treats: There's No Such Thing As Problems...

Only opportunities!

Or, At least I am attempting to convince myself of such...

To get to the point, I grew fatter and my DIY dressform no longer reflects my true body shape. I had to increase its size by one.

"Before"
Part of the reason I didn't want to doodle on Frankiestein much is because I knew eventually my wayward ways will start to accumulate at an incredible rate as I get closer and closer to my 30's-- the idea of spending that much time cursing over my bad joints attempting health always leaves a bad taste in my soul. So, in saying that... it truly disappointed me to know I would have to cover up what is still the best tattoo idea I've ever conjured on a whim. C'est la vie.

I researched a little on how to tackle this problem, and the solution was unanimous-- quilt batting and a 4 way stretch cover.



The supplies are extremely inexpensive (not including my store discount): $6.99 per yard for my swimsuit lycra spandex, $3.50 per yard of 4oz batting, $2.99 for a large needle set that includes a curved or tapestry, cotton tatting thread for $3.99, and finally an old bra.

I didn't use any fancy method of fitting my batting, I cut rectangles and drew with a sharpie marker the relative curve it had to sit on, cut and then tape it down till I found a seam to pin it together, often creating darts.


There were some areas that needed a little extra loft (my bust and derriere), and I shaped and pinned them accordingly, until finally everything was ready to be sutured up.


One of the most alarming things about creating a double is taking on a third person perspective of your entire body. It gives you a truly unbiased look of every nook, every cranny that ultimately makes up you.

Once the batting is sewn in place, it was time to ready the cover... but unlike others, I didn't seem to gain as much weight on my collarbone and neck area. That measurement stayed the same, so I didn't have a space to pin and make taught the fabric I was to use.

I grabbed a garment that had enough curve and was tight fitting... which sadly happened to be something I made not too long ago.


I pinned around it and cut along the inner edge of the pins. Serged the sides and began creating darts until, inevitably, I came out with a true to shape dress form, with every number matching up digit for digit...

I even wore some tight clothing to show my... umm... "curves".
Unfortunately, during the slipping on of the cover, Frankiestien suffered an arm and boob collapse, but it didn't seem to affect the overall look and sizing-- likely because of the bra... but she'll need repair when I eventually drop the weight we both gained. If that day even comes...

14 comments:

  1. I think you and frankenstein look fantastic. Oh and nice socks by the way :)

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    1. Thanks, heh.
      The socks have little cats with witch hats... it looks tacky when I look back at it... oh well! lol

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  2. Maybe I've done one too many DIY projects, but I like to think of problems as "befores." :)

    That's a clever way to resize a dress form. And nicely executed! A third-person perspective on one's body can be alarming indeed. It would seem that mirrors can be more perception than reality... for good or for bad.

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    1. True enough.

      The fact that I gained weight doesn't bother me as much as knowing how much I'll have to compensate for that swayback... I've always struggled my way through swayback adjustments...

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  3. I hope you got lots of pictures before you covered up that most excellent tattoo idea! I had to giggle when I saw the little patches on the derriere. I'm afraid I would have to layer about ten of those on my dressmakers dummy - we haven't been the same size in years. But I never sew for myself anymore, so she remains her original size and makes a lovely place to display things on.

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    1. I sure did get photos of it-- time will tell if I ever make any tattoo idea a reality lol.
      They made me chuckle a bit too, I honestly thought I would need more, but since the behind of my form was already large, it just needed one last layer to make it "right".

      My other dress form is being used in much the same way yours is, hehe.

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  4. I can't ever see pictures of myself from behind without thinking of President Skroob's line from "Spaceballs…" "WHY DIDN'T SOMEBODY TELL ME MY ASS WAS SO BIG?"

    I like that Frankie can gain and lose weight. I had been reluctant to make myself a dummy because I tend to shift shapes due to weather and emotions and seasons. It had never crossed my mind that I could just make removable padding! Genius!

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    1. That line is perfect. You can probably relate a lot to many of the various classic scenes from Spaceballs lolz.

      I know what you mean, but batting is remarkably versatile, I didn't think I would get such accuracy through mere piecing and stitching-- I didn't even need elastic to accentuate certain curvature, but you could totally use it.
      I saw that you could get a whole pack of different pads to reshape a form, and it is totally genius-- I thank the sewing community for providing me inspiration to use batting and craftiness instead of my wallet, hehe.

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  5. Reshaping the mannequin is a lot of work and also gives troubling insight on your body... I was surprised how flat my butt is. And how big my belly... -.- #

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    1. Heh, I never realized I was so dumpy looking! Ah well, the fun part is figuring out how to make clothing look flattering on those shapes because it really is quite an accomplishment to make something that brings out the beauty of your unique shape.

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  6. I have gained weight too, you still look great!

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  7. I definitely agree that 'problems' are just opportunities to make life better! And I love the tattoo idea - gorgeous!

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  8. Great! You are so talented! <3

    unknownprettylies.blogspot.com

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