I’ve had this Adjustoform dressmakers mannequin for about 5 years, and always been tempted to re-cover it in a different colour.

Being a Londoner in a small flat, your sewing equipment becomes your furniture. While the original red of my model was lovely, it tended to dominate the rooms it was in. It also clashed with most garments I put onto it, and frankly, that’s no good for the ‘gram!

So, when lockdown came around, boredom beat the fear of damaging my faithful friend, and I plunged in.

You will need:

– A screwdriver
– Jersey (ponte de roma or other thick stretch fabric)
– Spray adhesive
– Sandpaper (optional)
– Spraypaint (optional)

Step 1 – ‘The peeling stage’

The first step is bizarre and macabre.
Peel off the ‘skin’ and keep it.

Okay actually the very first step is to take it apart a bit. I only dismantled it so far as removing the stand and separating the top/bottom halves of the torso. You CAN separate each plate, but I found it wasn’t necessary and I didn’t want to mess with the mechanical elements. You can dial up the size to max to increase your access to the inside if you need to.

Who knew that without the fabric, the model would have such a sexy, dungeon vibe?

The fabric peeled off pretty easily, and was only actually adhered at the back on the folded edges. Keep the pieces and label them according to the top/front/left body to use as pattern templates for your new fabric. If you mix them up, God help you!

Step 2 – Colour correct

Once the original fabric cover was off, I draped a single layer of my off-white jersey and found the black shone through ever so slightly, just enough to take the brightness of the white away. I debated the work involved in adding a base colour – but in the end I figured, I’ve waited 5 years, I’m going to do at max effort.

This is where you will use the optional sandpaper and spray paint if you have it.

During lockdown I have been staying with an amazing creative household, which meant both plastic spray primer and white spray paint were just… on hand! Another tip: you actually have to shake cans of spray paint for like, OVER A MINUTE before you use it. I did not know this at first, which is why the picture of me spraying looks like shit. Shake that can, my friends. Don’t forget to put masking tape over all of the dials to protect them from the paint too.

Shake that can, my friends.

Step 3 – Cut & Paste

Cut around the pieces you’ve kept from the original and make a stack. You’re going to cover each quarter piece of the top and bottom torso at a time.

Using the spray adhesive, spray the underside (say, starting at the bottom edge) and apply the jersey. Then spray the inside of the opposite edge, and stretch the jersey cover over, creating enough tension to conform to the shapes of the model, but not so much that the colour thins. My method was to attach the top/bottom, then attach the sides left/right. You’ll need to cut notches in your ‘seams’ at corners and near the dials to avoid bunching. Try your best to ease the fabric and avoid puckering.

Almost none of the front of the plates have any adhesive on them, the shape is purely due to fabric stretch. The only places on the front-facing sides that I did mist a thin layer of adhesive were the concave areas under the arms and the neck, which will probably need some help on most models.

Once you’ve covered all the plates, let’s fix that little needle cushion at the top. Take a scrap of jersey (a circle drawn around the outside of your fingers doing 👌 will be enough I think) and literally tuck it in on top of the existing fabric.

Finally, put your friend back together and re-attach the stand.

You’re done!

I’m smitten! My sewing space feels so much more chic and professional now, even if it’s the corner of a living room or bedroom. I’ve already started using it to help me visualise upcoming makes and it really is easier to picture now that the dressform is a blank canvas.