Steampunking a Second Vintage Dress Form

Here is a Fully Functioning Hearthside Size B Dress Form Model Antiqued with Leather Brown and Brass Accent Stain.

This is the second of my transformations and the original How To Article is Here.

 I have placed this Dress form up for sale in my etsy shop, the listing text appears below and the actual listing is HERE.

I'm putting a Shout out for anyone who has taken my advice and actually done this to their own dress form, leave me a message or click on the email link at the bottom of this article and I'd love to feature your creation!

Here she is as bought

Etsy ad:

here she is all dressed up!

This lovely vintage sculpture will look great dressed or undressed in you home or shop, it's so pretty it's a shame to cover it up!

After being fully stripped of her old tattered cloth covering, this dress form was cleaned and repaired to a fully functioning state, then sealed and stained with several layers of antique red and brown then highlighted with gold accents that make her look as if she is covered in buttery aged leather!

We all have a beautiful outfit or pieces of jewelry coat that are too lovely to keep closed up in a drawer or closet, this is the perfect way to showcase them in you bedroom, sewing room or sun porch so everyone can enjoy them when they are not being worn.

Makes a great hat rack to at the entrance of your home! Throw a beach hat on her and anyone looking in your windows will think you have company, (I set mine near a window with a hat on when I am at home alone or leaving the house, she looks like a living person through the window and makes my home more secure).

Dress form does have an adjustable stand.

Did I mention she is still fully functional? She expands from measurements of:
36" bust to 43"
26" waist to 33"
37.5" hips to 45.5"
so she can still be a functioning dress form for you if you want a one of a kind dress form!

Please check out the rest of our shop for a variety of unique handmade jewelry and beads:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/earthgoods4thespirit

if you want to see how I change a vintage dress form from thrift store reject to an object of art you can see the transformation of a smaller dress form I already sold at my blog:
http://www.earthgoods4thespirit.com/2012/05/steam-punk-old-dress-form-for-jewelry.html

 

 

For Our Love of Dressed Up Dress Forms...

We may be grown up but we still love our Dolls and the Vintage Dress Form is a perfect excuse to indulge our creativity and flair for fashion and nostalgia!

Here are just some examples of the finest of Dressed Up Dress Forms on the Net! Enjoy!

If you click on the individual picture you will be taken to the originators site.

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!