Steampunk an Old Dress Form for an Awesome Jewelry Display

Latest Update, This Model has SOLD and is on her way to her new home, I've listed another with stand HERE!

UPDATE! THIS MODEL IS NOW FOR SALE IN MY ETSY SHOP! CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS!(This item has sold, but I'm keeping the link active).

First Strip off the old fabric and clean with a finger brush as best as you can. do not get wet, it is actually made of pressed paper and will swell up and fall apart.

Expand the form for the first coat of black paint.

Using the paint type shown below, first paint the form gloss transparent black,  Use as many coats as you can for full coverage, be sure to paint in seams and into armpits on the inside.


Let dry and close up form, adjusting to desired shape.

 Touch up spots where paint has come off.

Using a damp terry cloth, dab into red gloss transparent paint and rub or dab onto form, covering thinly and then dabbing more color here and there for effect.

This will make your form look like brown leather, and you can stop here if that's the look you are going for.

Next you will take your gold paint and squirt on your damp towel, (you don't have to clean towel, a little red mixed in is good), and rub in.

This picture shows the gold paints rubbed in to the cloth you don't want it too gobbed up or your dabbing will look splotchy.

Begin patting the gold paint into the form starting at the top and moving downward, if you get too heavy of coverage, just dab with a damp corner of the rag to lift it off.

Be sure to dab your gold paint on areas that would show more wear such as shoulders and point of bust as well as seams.

Below shows more dabbing of paint and the finished form.

Keep in mind the top was all rusted, the gold paint now has made the hardware look brassy again!

The screw and bolt on top was silver, I even painted it black, red then silver to make it look brass too!
I also put more brass where the screws were to make them look like they had been turned over the years.

This project went wonderfully, if you have any questions, leave me a comment, also, if you end up making over your form, remember to leave a comment with a link to where I can share the pictures of your success!

By doing this, your form will still be functional after it dries too, so you can use it to still make dresses on only you wont have to hide it in a back room anymore!