How I did it: I covered my friend, dressed only in her underwear and a plastic garbage bag, in water-activated packing tape. The tape was really easy to work with and dried really fast. I tried to tape carefully to match the contours of her body, as if I were doing paper mache.

Less than three hours after we started, I cut up the back of the tape and pulled it off her. We resealed it with tape and put on another layer for good measure, and the worst was over. We're still experimenting with ideas for a stand; the diagram pictured is one option we're considering.

Lessons & tips: Do the torso first, and the tops of the shoulders afterwards. We did the tops of the shoulders first, and then my friend couldn't move her arms and it was harder to tape her sides.

Wear whatever you plan to wear under the clothes you sew; no more, no less. Do wear a bra if you usually wear one. Don't wear anything else bulky. My friend didn't take her jeans skirt off until later in the process, after the top of her torso was done; but this resulted in a bit of a bulge at the waist that we wished wasn't there.

Do use smaller pieces of tape over rounder areas (breasts, shoulders, belly, behind) to make a more accurate curves.

Resources: We basically followed this Threadbanger video tutorial:
http://www.threadbanger.com/episode/THR_20090403

This is the tape we used: http://www.staples.com/office/supplies/p1_Staples-Standard-Grade-Paper-Packaging-Tape-2.8-x-125-yards-Each_15488_Business_Supplies_10051_SEARCH

Apr 18, 2009, 01:05PM PDT | 0 comments | 8 cheers