On my search to find ways to tie a tshirt I have discovered tons and tons of resources.
Far too much for me to ever use and I really have to share it.
Duct tape dummy
A duct tape dummy. I was very shocked to discover that such a thing existed. Until this point I thought that becoming a seamstress just spelled a myriad of spiraling costs for something that only had a marginal chance of you ever being able to make a career out of.
But what if you could make your own Mannequin? your very own store dummy to fit clothes on from nothing other that, America's favourite fixer upper, duct tape?
It is actually possible to do, the secret being to make sure to do the boob area just right and cutting it off in a zig zag. See the tutorial. I have copied here
Duct Tape Dress form
by David Coffin
from Threads #75, p. 38
Joyce Perhac, a teacher and sewing-show organizer from Monroeville, Pennsylvania, has perfected a quick method of form making that uses ordinary duct tape as both the body-casting material and the final form. She's written a booklet describing the entire process ("Make Your Own Body Form," available for $10 from her at www.sewingevents.com), but we'll cover the highlights here. (Pure Whimsy no longer carries the booklet.)
Start with your "victim" wearing well-fitted undergarments of her usual type under a long T-shirt, which needn't be too tight. Begin by wrapping the tape horizontally at the bottom, mid-thigh, ideally with a tape-cutting helper (use old scissors, as the tape gets gummy; a size-10 figure requires 1 to 1-1/2 60-yd. rolls of tape). Wrap snugly, but not so tight as to rearrange or compress the body. At the waist, wrap a little more loosely on the first layer, allowing folds to form as you follow the contour, if necessary.
Three layers of duct tape make the form. Wrapping horizontally, start at the thighs and work up. Wrap snugly around the thighs and hips, a little looser at the waist.
At the bust and underarm, cut the T-shirt sleeves if needed to allow the tape to follow the figure, and use shorter pieces arranged radially over the bust. Protect the neck area with plastic wrap, then wrap to form edges at the neckline and armholes similar to those you'd want on a fitted bodice.
In the bust area, use shorter tape and change direction. Short pieces of tape capture the contours of the bust better. Arrange them so they radiate out from the center of the bust area. Protect the neck area with plastic wrap; wrap to form edges at the neckline and armholes similar to those you'd want on a fitted bodice.
When the first layer is complete, wrap twice more, first vertically, then again horizontally, further compressing the waistline to fit each layer more closely, and smoothing over wrinkles this causes with more tape.
When finished, have the "wrappee" bend slightly to reveal her waistline, and mark it (and any other points you want identified) with marker or later with colored tape.
Mark the waist. Bending slightly will reveal your wrappee's natural waist. Mark all around with a permanent marker. Cut carefully up the back. Keep your hand between the tee shirt and the wrappee's body to avoid cutting undergarments or flesh.
Cut off the form and T-shirt layer at center back with your other hand between scissors and body to avoid cutting undergarments (or the wrappee!). Then close the form with additional tape, stuff it with poly batting, and place it on a stand (read on for stand ideas). Joyce's finished form has a polished look, similar to an industrial dress form.
http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/3630/duct-tape-dress-form-1
There are various different methods too. See the link for more
http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/3659/clone-yourself-a-fitting-assistant/page/all
You can also make it from Paper mache or something called paper tape. I have never heard of paper tape before but if it involves ordering it from some obscure place on the internet than I am not interested. If it involves walking into a large branch of B&Q or even better, the 99p shop then I'm interested.
Now you have dummy you just need to think about getting the materials. Fabric can be expensive and if you are nervous about looking at a big long length of cloth and too scared to make a big mess then remodelling existing clothes is the way to go.
You can do tons and tons and tons with tshirts. I like them because they are really cheap, they are forgiving, you can get away with not hemming either.
You can also adjust clothes that don't fit properly. You can find this stuff in a charity shop or in a thrift store, as they call them in America.
All the other stuff like a good pair of scissors, a sewing machine a good table to cut them on can be found quite easy in charity shops. Nobody sews so much anymore so you can normally find these things for cheap, and I mean really cheap.
The only thing left is inspiration.
Here are a few sites that feature people doing amazing things with awkward fitting clothes and old Tshirts
Gianny L
What can I say? This girl is truly amazing, the things she does with shirts, a bit of elastic and a pair of sharp scissors is nothing short of pure genius. The videos are speeded up at just the right points to give you the jist of what she is doing. She doesn't speak in the videos so you are not forced to listen to a fumbling American twang as you try to find out how something is done. Her eagerness to strip off for the camera though is a bit worrying but I guess she takes the "if you got it flaunt it" adage really seriously. Still who else do you know on youtube that can show you how to make slippers from an old tyre and a sexy babydoll dress from a tshirt? Who do you know that can create a sports bra from men's pants or a bikini out of a tshirt?
That's right, no-one.
www.giannyl.com/
or her youtube
www.youtube.com/user/GiannyL
or her instructables
http://www.instructables.com/member/giannyl/
I wish I was from Paraguay, maybe its something in the air over there?
New Dress A Day
Next on my hate list, I mean people who inspire me, is Marissa. The lovely Marissa has decided to make 365 dresses in a year. Its not that she is making 365 dresses which in itself requires a certain amount of talent and organisation, sewing it, finding somewhere to wear it. Taking so many photos, uploading them and writing a blogpost. Lots of work.
And she is making them from ugly, old frumpy dresses that she paid a dollar for. Yes, her talent and ingenuity has no end.
http://www.newdressaday.com/
Cut Out and Keep
Then there are the good people on Cut Out and Keep
http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects
Is their talent limitless? I look at pictures of girls wearing a ballgown saying, I made this in an afternoon from an old bedsheet and some lace I had lying around the house as I remember the skirt I threw away because the zipper was broken.
Generation T
The lady on Generation T. Meg Nicholay is also really good. She can make a halterneck out of a tshirt in a few snips of her scissors. She has a book out as well. Read it and weep
www.generation-t.com/
