Fitting the Tee - Every Knit is Different - Duct Tape Dress Form

What do I love most?
 The embroidered hummingbirds?
The under-bust tucks?
The fringy bits I created from knit scraps?
The deconstructed neckline?

I've been squeezing in a little time here and a little time there on this simple rose pink tee with the embroidered hummingbirds. It's been one of those life-is-sometimes-like-that times. Bet you know how that goes :-)

It's a funny thing, I'm using a tee pattern I've altered in the past and sewn several times, but this time through the tee just didn't hang right on me. I'm so glad Lori addressed the variable character of knits so many times in different Sew Forth Now podcasts. Now I know it's not just me who has these challenges. You just never know with knits, they each have their own drape and stretch.

In this case, I admit that I was working with a very flimsy knit. I cut this shirt out of two rose pink commercial tee shirts. I keep them around more as muslins then for my regular wardrobe. But.... they were a pretty color and I just wanted a quick tee fix.

That's where the front detail came from. After doing the machine embroidery (I posted about those dragonflies last time) I just didn't love the way the shirt hung, so I added a little hang of my own.

Don't you love that elegant view of the
old newspapers coming out of the neckline of
my Duct Tape Dummy (DTD)?
It's not glamorous, but it helps her keep her shape for now
I'm not worried about filling her up properly, 'cuz
I'm actually taking a Dress Form Making class !
So, no, my little DTD is never going to be properly filled.

Hey, you knew I was going to show off the value of my Duct Tape Dummy again, right?

I first got out my lovely Dummy after I tried on the shirt and found I didn't like the typical fabric neckband. I did the slight stretch and fold over fabric neckband thing and no matter how much or how little I stretched the neckband/trim, the shirt  reminded me of something Beaver Cleaver wore. So I unpinned and unabasted (never commit the stitches till I'm sure!) and created this deconstructed neckband instead. It's simply a strip of black knit I cut off the bottom of another tee and then twisted and pinned, twisted and pinned all the way around. It's actually still pinned (as is the decorative bit in the front) waiting for sometime soon when I get a chance to sit and do a little hand stitching. The under bust strip is the original unsuccessful  neckband (which was shorter than the new deconstructed one), pinned in place over some tucks (or would you call them darts?) I just pulled in place by hand and safety pinned. I twisted that strip in the same way that I did the deconstructed neckband. 

I created the fringed bits in the front  from
- The ends of that strip hanging down
- Additional strips I added in and braided a little bit at the top
- Scraps of the rose pink I bound around that 
- Cutting each strip in half or thirds to make more and thinner pieces
Entonces... Finally I hung onto the top of each strip and pulled on the opposite end to get a longer, narrower rolled , dangly, fringy piece

Filling in the time gaps with my rose and  black tee shirt , adorned with hummingbirds and creative scrap embellishment really keeps me enchanted by sewing.

Duct Tape Dummy Stands Up (fitting/duct tape dress form)

My Duct Tape Dummy (DTD) isn't exciting
But she Stands Up to Sample Sewing
This is fleece scrap I used to test some of the
 basic concepts I'm altering

I've been working on a fleece jacket, with sleeves that button off and on. I haven't had the heart to blog about the project, though I've been spending an awful lot of my recreation time muslining and altering a fleece jacket pattern I've made successfully in the past. I'm using a combination of home dec fabric for the button'y parts and fleece for the majority of the jacket.  I'm still at the just-don't-know stage. I would not recommend doing button on/off with fleece at this stage!

This project has given me an opportunity to use my Duct Tape Dummy (DTD) that Susan and I made over spring break. Actually, Susan did all the work on me. The one I attempted to make on her, was not a success. Yes, I do owe her, and plan to drive back over the hill one day very soon to strap her up. I didn't do the tape tight enough on her. Watch out for that if you are planning a similar project.

Though my actual DTD isn't nearly as elegant as my lovely tree-maiden vision (Did you see that posting? http://meencantacoser.blogspot.com/2013/03/dtd-planning-duct-tape-dummy-fitting.html) she does her duty. 

Yes, that is Hello Kitty duct tape. I also learned that you don't get nearly as much duct tape when you buy decorative duct tape, as when you get the basic macho version. That's what's underneath the kitties. Also I think we went through at least 2 rolls of the macho-duct tape, just in the bottom two layers (3 layers of duct taping in the whole thing). To be safe, I'd recommend 3 rolls of the macho duct tape (the kind you might actually use for duct work) and 2 rolls of decorative for the top layer. 

I still haven't fully stuffed my DTD. For the time being, she's partially filled with plastic newspaper bags, regular recycled newspaper and an old sheet. When I use her, she sits on the table, then goes to bed in a big plastic garbage bag (but well hidden so that nobody will toss her by mistake).

That DTD of mine is a kind of frowzy gal, but she knows her job.

DTD: Planning the Duct Tape Dummy (fitting)

Do you think my DTD could
possibly be as stunning as
this naturally woman-formed tree
I happened to see on a
neighborhood walk?

Since I wrote this posting...I've created both a duct tape dress form (aka my duct tape dummy - affectionately known as Helen)  and a Uniquely You Dress Form. My September "Enchanted by Sewing Podcast" will be devoted to what I've learned about making and using dress forms to date. Signup to be notified when this episode, and other monthly episodes, are published by visiting http://EnchantedBySewing.blogspot.com
I'm excited to begin planning to make a duct tape dress form over spring break, in early April. Just think I will be able to try things on my gal pal instead of ...

* Continuously pulling off my clothes in front of the sewing machine
* Running to the bathroom  mirror with a dish of pins
* Having the pins spill all over the bathroom counter. 

Well, yes that is how I currently do my a lot of my fitting, when I'm not in sewing lab begging somebody else for help. 

Of course I hope to work on this project with my sewing buddy, Susan. You remember Susan, she's the one who put her heart and soul into fitting my B5526 shirt pattern, which, (Hooray!), has indeed been altered to fit me because of all her hard work!!!!

 I don't know where I picked up the idea that this kind of project is also called a 'duct tape dummy' . I realize the Duct Tape Dummy(DTD) will be quite far down on the scale compared to the real deal, cool dress form that you can purchase or manufacture from specialty plastics, but I'm still jazzed about my DTD.

Wish me luck!