Tutorial~Homespun Mannequin~

I have been wanting to get a child size mannequin for a long time. It may sound funny, but I thought it would be fun to display the clothes I made for Rachel in her room. Also, if I decided to do more open houses for Tea Rose Home, a mannequin would be a nice touch for the display. First of all, I never found one that I had in mind, the closest one was over hundred dollers. Umm... no thanks.

One day, I found this Torch stand at the clearance section in Target for $6.48(originally 12.99). The detailing is beautiful... I though, "What can I use this for?"... then, a light came in my head!


I can use this to make a mannequin! Just in case you want one, here is how I did it.

You will need:

Torch Stand
Wooden Dowel
One can of white spray paint(make sure that it is the kind that is made for metal and plastic)
Old blanket or Bath towels
Batting
Muslin
Iron or wood decorative top
Glue gun, needle and thread

How to:

1. Put the wooden dowel into the torch stand and tighten the screw. Spray paint the whole thing.


2. Cut several peices of 4" wide batting for the neck. Glue the first part to the dowel and start wrapping it tightly, until you get the thickness you want. You can either sew the end or glue it.


3. Using the same method, wrap the old towel or blanket to the dowel. I folded the old blanket and made it 15" tall for the body.


4. Add batting around the neck area to make a more natural and smooth look.


5. Cover the whole thing with batting. It was easier for me to sew it on to the body. I felt like I had more control and compared to using the glue gun, it is less permanent.


6. Cover the whole body with muslin. This part is a little tricky. Especially around the neck area. Sew the body part first, then the bottom and the top.


7. Around the neck area, you will need to cut some excess fabric off. Use the glue gun to secure the fabric to the top of the dowel as you make pleats.


8. I sewed lace around it.


9. Then, screw in the topper for the finishing touch.


10. Done!


and, the mannequin with some clothes on...


The whole thing cost me about 17.00 dollars. If you already have a torch stand or even a wooden standing coat hanger, you can make this a lot cheaper (Ladies go hunt in your garage or basement!). Although it is not perfect I love how it turned out! Apparently, Rachel liked it too, she started bringing some clothes to put on the mannequin. She and I played dolls this morning, it was a lot of fun!