Dress-Form Stand
If you have an old dress form, recycle the stand for the new form. If your form is larger, simply place the new form over the old form, tape the form back together where it was cut from the body, and then fill any empty space with polyester fiberfill.
To make the stand shown you'll need: 10' of 1" PVC pipe, four 1" PVC T-connectors, four 1" PVC end caps, permanent adhesive, a rubber mallet and a saw. (For the form to stand taller than 5'4", purchase extra 1" PVC pipe.) The PVC pipe is easily cut with the saw.
Cut the 1" PVC into the following segments: 5'-length for the vertical bar that goes through the form center, four 8 1/2" pieces for the base "feet," two 6 1/2" pieces for the base center, two 5 1/2" pieces for the shoulder supports.
Assemble the stand base first. Working with an 8 1/2"-long segment, smear permanent adhesive on 1/2" of one end and insert it into an end cap. Hit the end cap with the rubber mallet to seat the cap all the way onto the tube. Repeat with the remaining 8 1/2" lengths.
Use the same gluing technique to insert two 8 1/2" pieces into the opposing openings of one T-connector. Repeat with the remaining 8 1/2" pieces.
Use the same gluing technique to insert the two 6 1/2" pieces into the opposing openings of a T-connector.
Assemble the base by gluing and inserting the ends of the 6 1/2" sections into the remaining openings of the T-connectors attached to the 8 1/2" pieces. The remaining opening of the center T-connector should be perpendicular to the floor. To check, place the 5' PVC pipe into the connector (without seating it with the mallet) and stand back to check the pole's angle. Adjust the center as needed before the glue dries. Carefully remove the center pole and let the base sit for 24 hours to allow the glue to thoroughly dry. Gluing isn't necessary for the remainder of the stand.
Assemble the shoulder support by inserting the 5 1/2" PVC sections into the opposing openings of the remaining T-connector; seat the pipes in the connector with the mallet. Insert the shoulder support through the neck of the dress form to be sure the supports don't extend past the armholes. If the support is too long, trim equal amounts from either end as needed.
Insert the center pole through the base of the dress form. Insert the shoulder support through the neck and place the T-connector onto the center pole. Place the opposite end of the center pole into the base.
Fill the dress form with the polyester fiberfill, checking the form lower edge to make sure it remains parallel to the floor. Don't overfill the form as this will cause distortion.
Cover the neck opening. If desired, glue felt over the armhole areas and re-mark the center.
To fill the neck opening, wrap fabric or felt around a handful of fiberfill and place in the opening. The filling can act as a pincushion when fitting garments. For a movable stand made from PVC pipe, read on!
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Movable Dress-Form Stand
This stand is mounted on a plywood board with casters and requires a saw and drill to complete.
MATERIALS
- 18"-square of 3/4"-thick plywood
- 4 furniture casters
- 6"x6" PVC Hinged Bell Trap (D42-006H)
- 1 1/2"x3' PVC pipe
- 1"x6' PVC pipe
- 1" T-connector PVC pipe (to fit over end of 1" PVC pipe)
Attach a furniture caster to each corner of the 18"-square plywood. This is the underside of the stand platform.
Attach the PVC Hinged Bell Trap to the upper side of the plywood square, centering it on the board. The rounded surface of the trap should face up with the hole on top.
Insert the 1 1/2"x 3" PVC pipe into the hole of the trap so the pipe stands vertically (A).
Insert the 1"x 6' PVC pipe into the 1 1/2" pipe. Determine the form's approximate finished height, and trim the 1" pipe as necessary.
Lower the dress form over the PVC pipe through the hole in the base of the finished form.
Cut two 5 1/2"-long pieces of 1"-PVC and insert them into the opposing openings of the 1" T-connector. Insert the T-connector into the form through the neck opening, and cap the vertical pipe with the remaining opening of the T-connector (B). The shoulder-support shouldn't protrude past the armholes.
Make sure the dress form lower edge is parallel to the floor. Stuff the form with approximately five pounds of polyester fiberfill. To close the neck, wrap fabric around a handful of fiberfill and place it in the opening.
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