DIY Dress Form // Copying My Corseted Form for Victorian Dress Sewing 

I am obsessed with this! May I ask how your form has held up?

Pls help Bernadette do the same so she stops killing herself trying to drape on herself xD

This makes me want to see a museum of dress forms made by people, showcasing not only the people, but how diverse body sizes and shapes really are!

"this cardboard box, lemme just empty that out..." funniest flex

As someone who has used all of these techniques numerous times as a special effects artist, I can honestly say you should be pretty proud of the results you got. That's a big, difficult project. It's good that you were pouring the foam outside, but don't stick your face in there while it's expanding. The off-gassing is TOXIC! It's releasing compounds related to cyanide.

I greatly appreciate the “let’s get plastered” and “she’s waisted” comments she made 😂

Plaster PSA: Do NOT pour plaster water down your drain!

The casual insertion of the play button box just like “oh we just need the box let’s get rid of this here PLAY BUTTON I GOT” 😏

I did this in the 1980s with a kit from an ad in _Threads_ magazine. That version had your partner use EMT scissors to cut the centre front and centre back open to liberate the model. A couple tips from that kit: use a felt tip marker to put horizontal registration lines before cutting to make it easier to get an accurate match. The kit had you use upholstery thread and an upholstery needle to sew the two sides together as soon as the model was out of the cast. Then you covered the cut lines, inside and out, with more plaster bandages to make a more secure join. I don't know how it would work with spray-on release agent but I used what was recommended to coat the inside of the cast prior to pouring the foam: green surgical soap. It was less viscous than dish soap and yet it was as effective as your combo in releasing the cast from the set foam. My waist ended up larger than my own waist--I don't know if that was coincidence or a common thing. I think I remember reading in the instructions that the body movements of breathing tends to lead to the waist enlarging. In any case, their suggestion was to buy a cheap horse hoof rasp or a coarse wood rasp to remove excess foam and stuck-on plaster quickly, then finish off with 180 grit sandpaper. I got so frustrated putting the knit cover over the foam that I got a large garbage bag, cut the end off and used it as a sort of sock over the form to slide the knit over. Once the knit cover was in place, all I had to do was pull the plastic bag out from under the knit cover and then do some wiggling of the cover to settle it properly in place. I let my (now ex) husband talk me into throwing that form away and I've regretted it ever since.

You are truly a self-made woman now.

I went from "I need this!" to "ok maybe not" really quickly through the course of this video BUT the end result is so cool! It's a lot of work but it shows, it's gorgeous and I'm sure this dress form will be super useful. Thanks for sharing! 😄 (and congrats on the play button!!)

I wonder if this process would help Ms. Bernadette Banner....though she would need another pair of hands, His Lordship is just a bit too small

We used to make person-specific castings by putting them in a plaster soaked oversized T-Shirt. You then pull it tightly against their body and it sets up fast. Then again, that was the 80s and 90s and we didn't have easy access to plaster bandages.

I was literally just saying on Bernadette's Worth gown video that she needs to find someone to help her make a custom dress form so she doesn't have to drape on herself anymore. And then here comes Morgan, with a whole video on how to make your own dress form! But also oh my gosh this is like insanely complex work! Morgan is so smart!

I have done four of these dress forms, and have never taken the time to do a video. My forms are from the neck down to about 3 inches of thigh, 3 " of shoulder, and one shoulder cut to armscye. I wanted to add a few tips gleaned through my efforts. (1) The less clothes on the person the better the form comes out. I used petals over the breasts and lowest profile underwear, lots of vaseline. (2) Change the water you are dipping the bandages in frequently, otherwise bandages may not activate (ask me how I know). (3) To get a cast that will require the least dinky doing around for size/fit, wrap around hips/crotch area completely, from the widest part of the hips down. Because you are at the widest part , once the cast hardens you can slip it down. Now, for everything above, divide down center front and center back. leave a 1" space the whole way. At the end of wrapping put single layer strips across center front and center back with about .5 " spacing. After it is dried, use nail polish and make marks that you can match up later. Cut down CF and CB and shimmy the cast off. Stuff cast with something so it dries with the correct shape, matching up your nail polish registration marks. (4)Processing the cast: After it has dried out, lightly sand to get rid of any petroleum jelly from the model. Rub down inside with Johnson paste wax. Don't put wax too close to CF, CB or openings. Close cast up down CF and CB, let dry. Rub paste wax up and down CF seams. You can still reach in up thigh holes or down the neck hole. After this is done and dry, time to close up the other holes. Take wax paper or cling film, cover the hole, put an elastic band (I actually sewed elastic) around it, cut off excess, and then cast over the hole leaving the neck hole the only one empty. On one of the thigh holes, only cover with one layer of casting material. Poke a hole in one of the thigh's casting material and put your pvc pole (or IV pole) through the thigh, to the neck. Plaster around thigh hole so that pole is pretty tight. I like having a pvc pole going from neck to thigh because I can mount the mannequin upside down to put pants on her. For this pole I divide the pole in the center so that there is a "stop" in the middle. Fill mannequin with foam as usual, some foam will come out thigh hole, put it will be minimal. (5) Fixing the foam mannequin: After you struggle taking off bandages, time to fix the mannequin. This was my biggest discovery, use FOAM PUTTY from Woodland Scenics, it behaves like a lightweight plaster, but dries like foam so that you can stick pins in it. My first mannequin I spent tons of time getting the mold just right, but no need to go crazy if you use this stuff - it's about 12$ for 16 ounces (plenty to fix your mannequin). I then paint her with a light colored paint, a few coats. I did make a mannequin cover, but find that being able to draw on her with Frixion markers and then steam away the marks is really helpful. Hopefully some of these tips will help some of you out.

Our youngest daughter just flipped out when I told her about this video. She has wanted a dress form for a long time and loves to DIY and science things so this seems right up her ally. I'm just hoping she doesn't try it at college and waits till she gets home and we can do out in the backyard and not her bedroom!!! Thank you.

Petition for Bernadette to enlist the aid of Dani Banner to make a cast of herself.

that subtle flex with the silver playbutton WHILE promoting reusing things one already has... absolutely iconic, Lady Morgan

"The bust is definately an example of sister NOT twins." Hahahaha. We are all sooooo there with you with that unfortunate fact.

It is good that you did the little disclaimer portion. I learned that hard way when I volunteered for a full body cast and they forgot to protect the hairs on my arms and legs. I’ll let you figure out what happened next.

Love the no-excuses honesty of showing the whole process, pitfalls and oopsies included. That's so incredibly helpful to us.

I was certain "let's talk about safety" part was leading in to a vpn ad

it has the victorian corset tummy pooch! that's the sort of thing that you'd never get on a commercial form, and would be really difficult to add with padding, but is probably pretty important to take into account while fitting skirts. great video, congrats on the plaque!

Me at the start: I wanna try! Me half way through: Yeah nope

“But also, this is... weird.” Yeah, a Life-Sized Bondage Barbie is an interesting addition to a craft room. But, you know, you do you. 😉 While you were buffing her out I thought, ‘you should name her Buffy’. Shame you couldn’t build your Morgan Army with the same mould. That would’ve been fun.

III really wanna make one of these. D: Also.. that rope wrapping technique tho!!

‘They're my MY lumps and bumps.’ TOO RIGHT.

I absolutely love your instructions on making this form. I am not a "standard" size and have never been able to find a form that works for me. This is the perfect solution! Now all I have to do is convince my husband to encase me in plaster. =D

Oh yeah! This is so cool, I loved seeing the process. I love how it looked like a modern art piece when you had it tied up with cord. Now it is time to drape all the late Victorian things!!

When this plague has ended I’d love to see you and Bernadette get together and make her a personalized dress form. And when I did theatre costuming we always used the padding to help with draping. My one draped item took forever to do because it was terrified I’d screw it up.

Please tell me you wrapped the human form plaster in garbage bags and put it out on the curb in human shape to freak the neighbours out

I'm watching this at 2023 and God daym. The attention to detail. The process. The detailed feedback. The tips. *Chefs kiss* I may not do this but this. Is. Fabulous.

I did a full body plaster wrap when I was in uni - I had to stand still for so long that I passed out whilst my legs were being covered 😂. He (my cast) lived at the top of the landing in my student house. He wore a rain mac, a straw hat and was called Earl. I miss Earl...

not even considering making/buying a dress form, still watched every second of this vid :D

Loved this! Years ago, I looked into making one of these, but I’ve never had anyone around who could/would help me. Finally, I gave up, saved up $1500 (gulp!) and had a 3D scanned foam dress form made of myself. Honestly, it’s the best investment I’ve made in myself and my hobby-above even my sewing machine. Custom dress forms are amazing!!

Thank you so much for emphasizing safety in this video. I have done this before and (not having the excellent instruction here) lost consciousness and fell. I'm fine now but it was an experience I don't want anyone else to have. Definitely get two people to help if you can folks!

I am so glad you all are enjoying the video! I am getting a lot of questions about cost (I actually had a whole bit filmed about how much the different DIY dress forms cost, but decided it was outside of the scope of this vid) so here's *my* cost. The supplies may cost you less or more. Gloves: $1 Cling Wrap: $4 Vaseline: $4 Plaster bandages: $30 Plaster: $10 Paste Wax: $7 Release Agent: $15 Buckets/Sticks: $5 Foam: $52 Stand: $32 Cover fabric: $10 Base Total: $160 Tax: $16 Shipping: $9 Total Cost: $185 (If you also include the test foams I purchased before deciding on the X-30: add $65.)

"I macgyver-ed a pair of callipers..." Morgan truly is a daughter of the Renaissance

Historically accurate bandage dress.

This is a GAME CHANGER!!!!! thank you so much for this! As someone who does drag, it's always a challenge trying to fit/make garments on a standard dress form when my body shapes are very exaggerated. Thank you!!!

I used to make piñatas with my grandmother as a kid, and this is weirdly reminiscent of that

I have a nearly full plaster of myself from school that hangs out in the closet. (“Nearly” due to being headless). Amazing vid PS, was this a Mr Donner face reveal? First you get plastered, then your form gets wasted, what a vid

You are the cutest and so cool and smart. My head is spinning from all the bra making and diy dress form videos I’ve been watching...as someone who’s only ever sewn a Christmas stocking

Fantastic!!! I tried making one with duct tape and I had a violent allergic reaction to the duct tape and had to be cut out of it. Yikes! Making a dress form isn't supposed to be traumatic! A: Congratulations on your RU-vid award! B: "waisted" and "plastered"...I see what you did there. C: Thanks for the pros and cons. D: It did seem like a lot of work, and it's hard to gauge how much you spent all told, but mercy - your doppelganger turned out fantastic! Well done! This video saves us all months of research and experimenting, and is (dare I say it) a gift to sewing humanity!

This explains why so many RU-vidrs who do sewing projects have one of these dolls that fit their body 🤣🤣🤣🤣 I never knew you could make one yourself. If I ever get very into sewing, I'll know what to do

The DIY dress forms look like a lot more fun than just buying one, with the added benefit of being shaped like you... admittedly I enjoy making a mess so 👀... This was a lot of fun to watch! I wonder if there is a way to layer the squishy and stiff foams, so you can pin and squish?...I feel like that would need math lol Thank you for sharing!

This is such a cool tutorial, the result looks sooo professional! Though it is a bit more complex than the duct tape to pattern one, I think the end result is absolutely worth it! You did an amazing job!

Cheeky 100k sub RU-vid thingy. Subtle ;) so happy for you!

What a great job you have done and thank you for not giving up and keep trying until you got it just of the way that you wanted it I like it it's amazing Nothing could make sewing more fun than to have a dress form that's exactly your size thanks for all the hard work

I swear by the magic of having a custom, or close to custom dress form. It changes your sewing life. Thanks for such a thorough tutorial. It's really hard to know where to start on these things. This was really great!

My dear Morgan, I hope you stayed safe while taking off the plastic by wearing a filtration mask. This was a LOVELY video, and something I look forward to possibly attempting myself. I hope you have a lovely weekend!

I really liked seeing all the different sizes and shapes of dress forms towards the end of your video. There are so many ways to be a human being, and we should all have lovely clothes that fit us.

More women need to here it! "My size is not a commercial size and that is OKAY!"

I do mold making for my job, we always make a plastic mother mold (plasti-paste) around the plaster to make sure that it holds its shape properly. Plaster almost always distorts. It's a very serious endeavor to do that on a live model because the plastic mother mode can take a very long time to create.

This was fantastic! Loved the "sisters, not twins" comment. 🤣

I made a duct tape dressform and used pillow stuffing so I can use different corsets and stays since it helps it be squishy. The only downsides are the pins can be stuck and tend to be a hassle to stick your pins in and out without breaking or bending them. I wanna try making a form in this method so I can have a form that is much more professional looking.

Morgan: "Is it just me or does this look really weird?" Me: Looks like a museum piece!!

Honestly having those "lumps" shows you where and why you may have to take something in or out in different places, it gives more of a visual instead of testing it out on mock-ups i like it that way and 8 am very interested on doing this now! Thanks Morgan!

Wow! This is awesome! Thank you so much for sharing with us. This way will definitely allow us to see all the unique aspects of our body that we might not have otherwise known. Stay safe. Sending best wishes to you and yours from Down Under🇦🇺👗👒👠🌸😎

Wow, this was amazing and a true DIY, I feel like I can actually make this. Compared to other DIY videos that require 3 engineering degrees, $3k worth of tools in the garage and a part time intern for extra hands.

I have no intention of making this but that didn't stop me watching the entire things purely for the satisfying aspect of it.

"weird" as in "this reminds me of a mature Japanese cartoon," yes. That turned out SO well. The pour is so tricky with how fast the foam expands. And doing the plaster cast in two halves was a great idea; it came off you so easily!

I LOVE that this video wasn't just a tutorial, but also about the mistakes and how to fix them along the way! Love your personality and style!!!

I had wondered how to do just this, not so very long ago. I was picturing that stuff that you can stick your hand into and make a mold out of that, and trying to picture dipping my upper torso somehow into it . . . . Yeah. So, that didn’t happen. I ordered the bootstrap pattern and will be making one that way. I’ll have to try this though if that doesn’t fit me right. I also was saying about your pan of water, “huh, I think she might need a bit more water. We use a whole bucket in the clinic for a cast.” And then you said that very thing. And you and your husband working together there is just relationship goals. I feel like you’re the female MacGuyver, if you don’t mind my saying so.

Thank you so much for making this video! For some reason I never considered that you could make your own dress form??? I knew conventional forms from stores would never match my body proportions so I never bought one and figured I would never have one. Why didn’t I think you could make one?? This video has opened my eyes, I’m now woke.

Morgan Donner, you are a true renaissance woman! What can't you do? Morgan for President. *)

for those of you looking to do this, I would highly recommend watching some videos on the 'smooth on' channel as well! I'm a props person and I find them to be an amazing resource. An alternative way to do this would be using the 2 halves as separate moulds and sticking them together. You really wanna avoid multiple pours and what is called "back casting" with the arms. Plaster is not meant to stay together for that long so I would tie it up right away and stuff it loosely with some newspaper between each dry. This is so innovative!!! Love it!

Very well documented. Thank you for that! What an interesting idea 💡

Genius. PS. Home Depot sells and expanding foam product to set fence posts. I have used it and it works well, even partly protects the underground part of the post from exposure to soil and dampness.

Your dress form reminds me of the Venus di Milo. 😍

What fun to watch you and Mr. Donner ( what a gem) do all the work! Better you than me.

WHAT A FLEX!!! GO AT IT MORGAN! 👏👏👏 Edit: Hi Kathryn!!

Bravo, I think it looks amazing! I made one years ago. and used it all the time. You will be so happy that you put forth the effort to make this form, and I can't wait to see what comes off of it in the future!

Thank you for showing this process. Looking for a dress form for guys (and in my or my husband's shapes), I think I may have to do the DIY version

I sewed my own with the custom bootstrap dress form pattern and it was very easy and accurate!

"I MacGyvered together a set of giant calipers to measure the diameter of my major and minor axes"--I'll take "sentences that have never been uttered before" for 800, please, Alex.

What a beautiful form! Tried to do one like this for myself once (years ago!) and it wasnt nearly as succesful as yours. But looking back... I think I wasnt as well prepared as you. Love that you "signed" your dressform. Maybe I will have to copy that for my dressform *thinking* Edit: and thanks for showing my (sadly bad resolution picture) dressform

I used a "Uniquely You" dress form. They are around $200. They are foam like Morgans, but you alter a fabric cover to fit your measurements. After altering the cover, you zip it over the foam form and, Voila! Its your body shape! I prefer my uniquely you form as the fabric cover allows to add inches where needed when I gain weight!

a Make-Up FX artst accustomed to Live Casting I would watch costubers bemoan their Unique torsos & poor dress forms & wonder why not make your own? Idealy a live cast itself is 2 person job, but that has more to do with the comfort and well being of the person being cast than the Quality of the mold. Great video!

I loved and laughed my butt off at the removal of the plaster to revel the RU-vid logo. Classic!

This is an impressive amount of work and patience. I wouldn't know this was possible if you didn't make it. I'm having a hard time finding words to express my amazement. Sending endless positive vibes and well wishes xo

I love the comment "sisters not twins"! So many people get discouraged that they don't match. We're not dolls we're perfectly imperfect.

Great explanation. Amazing perseverance. I chuckled when the RU-vid box was employed and then the word RU-vid used for the neck circle. Still smiling. You were brave to attempt this project. Wow.

I almost shrieked when you pulled out that black box! Congratulations!❤

Finally! Away for me to make a form that I won’t be allergic to.

I think maybe you read my mind... I've been looking at the different options for dress forms over the past couple weeks! Nicely done, she turned out great! :)

I love this! I've got a duct tape form which I've used for a couple years, and the biggest problem with it is that every time you pin to the form, the tape adhesive sticks to the pin when you pull it out, and that can ruin delicate fabrics (frankly, non-delicate ones, too). I've been meaning to figure out how to make another form, and I think I'll end up trying the expandable foam route sooner rather than later. Thank you!

Morgan this is exactly the tutorial I've been looking for--I had a general idea about how to do this, but you nailed down the specifics so perfectly. Especially as a person who is plumb outta luck for purchasing a dressform anywhere near their size (without mortgaging everything), making one is pretty much my only option, and the duct tape/alternative options have all been somewhat lacking. Thank you so so so SO much!!!

She (and you) are gorgeous! Are you going to give her a name? Yeeeeeears ago my bff and I tried to do the packing tape dress form... didn't work at all! lol I'm thinking about eventually doing a bootstrap dress form.

I found a great professional dress form on FB marketplace, it was still a bit expensive but much cheaper than new. It is a few inches less than my measurements so I can fit it with a corset and pad it out to get the right shape. Part of my job involves making mannequins for historic dresses and I find having a form that you can just pad out is the easiest way to get a variety of shapes out of a single form, especially when you are jumping decades, if not centuries!

New Morgan video while watching an old one. Morgan-ception. Also, I want to steal that outfit.

Morgan Donner at the start of each video: hello and good morning everyone Sleep-deprived insomniac me watching it at 2am: haha how’d you know

This looks like fun! I recently renovated my adjustable form with a stack of worn out shirts, an old bra, and a jersey cover, which is pretty satisfactory. I agree that the drawstring bottom and waist tape are key, and I would not have thought of an IV pole. I may try one of these sometime!

This kind of plaster also comes in precut strips (for backslabs) if you got a box of that kind it would save you a bit of effort in cutting strips. Another pro-tip: put a garbage bag in a bucket and then fill it with water that you will use to wet the plaster. When you're done you can let it settle, then pour off the relatively clean water from the top and throw the bag with the plaster sludge away. Bucket will come out unscathed.

Having one shoulder higher than the other is perfectly normal, it comes from your handedness bulking and/or tightening certain muscles.

She is lovely! And she also looks like quite a bit of work, wow, nice job

"That's a wrap" I love you 😂😂

I made a corsetted one with papertape. My go to method. Filling it with expanding foam is the most frustrating part of it. I covered mine by sticking felt to it which works great!.

We need to take up a collection to send @bernadettebanner down to Morgan's to get her own perfect dress form!

Hey Morgan! I'm just about to upload my video of my plaster mould and face cast for my new RU-vid venture! Good tip for you for next time... If you put the mould back together with another layer of plaster...and then cut the mould in half again big in a zig-zig cutting pattern... It's much easier for your halves to meet. Lovely vid ☺️