Okay, we all know that "bespoke" or hand tailored clothes are tremendously expensive. Those of us who sew also know it's almost impossible to tailor clothing, especially the backs of clothing, on yourself. If you don't have a good friend who knows tailoring, you're stuck with the way things come off the rack or the way the pattern turns out - and sometimes the way the back looks can ruin an otherwise great outfit.

There are all kinds of terrific articles on duct tape dummies or plaster dummies, but I've found a great way to make an inexpensive, lightweight, recycled paper dressmaker's dummy. The secret ingredients, you ask? Papier mache.

Yep, that old grade school friend, the craft that starts most of us on our long road of making trash into something useful.

Tools:
Shredded paper, preferably newsprint
Very large bottle of Elmer's or other white craft glue
Large bowl
water
Plastic tarp or trash bags
Single trash bag with holes cut for neck and arms
Very tight fitting T shirt
heavy scissors or shears
Foam board
adjustable Mic stand or music stand from a second hand or junk shop
Several cans of Great Stuff or other expandable foam (used in construction & home repair)
A VERY good friend

Go to an office or a newspaper or recycling center and ask for a big bag of shredded paper. Newsprint is the best because it's coarse and forms into curves better. When you get it home, spread a tarp or plastic bags on the floor and mix up a large bowl of 1 part Elmer's (or any white) glue with 1.5 to 2 parts water.

Wearing a tight fitting T shirt that you don't mind donating to the cause over a trash bag with holes cut for the arms and neck, your best fitting bra and panties, and nothing else, begin by dipping and laying strips of paper in the watered down glue mixture, first in one direction, then layering them with strips laid the other direction, working on the diagonals.

I've found it's really helpful to dip the first layer then lay the second layer dry over the top of it. That makes it dry faster. You should have a source of moving air like a fan circulating the air to help you dry a little faster.

It's also handy to start at the neck and shoulders with the first layer, moving down to the bust, then add the second layer before you finish the entire first layer. That keeps the strips from pulling apart or shredding from their own weight.

Continue down and around the body, alternating layers, until you've covered the entire torso and hips. DO NOT GO BELOW THE HEM  OF THE T SHIRT!!! Starting again at the neck, add another couple of layers, working in a crosshatch with the layers running horizontally and vertically and horizontally.

Add another two layers, again working on the diagonals, then another two layers vertical and horizontal. By now you should have eight (8) layers.

After the top layer has dried to an almost stiff consistency, very carefully insert scissors or heavy shears between the T shirt and the garbage bag and cut a line from the bottom to the top of the back and again from the bottom to the top of the front. Trim the bottom edges even and reattach the two pieces, propping as needed to keep their shape, lay several layers of paper mache or tape with masking or duct tape to keep them in place.

Point a fan directly at the bottom opening and let the entire dummy dry, checking it often enough to make sure the pieces haven't deformed or pulled apart. It can take as little as 4 hours or as long as 3 days for the dummy to fully dry, so try to plan for that and keep checking often.

When it's fully dried, use more papier mache to cover the neck and arm holes. I put pieces of foam board in the openings to reinforce them before I added the papier mache.

While those pieces are drying, use another piece of foam board and cut it to fit the opening in the bottom. Measure from front to back and side to side and mark the center. Measure the diameter of the pole of your stand, then cut a hole of that diameter in the center of the foam board, then glue and papier mache the foamboard into the opening at the bottom of the dummy.

Let all the rest of the papier mache dry to very hard consistency. Using unwatered glue, paint the entire surface again and let that dry.

To finish the dummy, use the expanding foam and lightly fill the interior of the dummy. Remember that the foam expands, so don't over fill it. Insert the pole of your stand into the hole at the bottom and situate the dummy so it mimics your posture. I used a mirror on the opposite side of the dummy from me and shifted the dummy until it hid my body (more or less) and then braced it so it wouldn't move.

When your dummy is dry and set, take it outside and spray paint it with a light coat of varnish or regular semi gloss or high gloss spray paint. If you want to make a cloth covering, add that after the paint has dried.

Voila! You now have a body double that can make any tailoring you do on an outfit fit you perfectly. You  can be assured that anything that looks good on the dummy will look as good on you, and you can be confident that your clothes will always hang properly, no matter what side people see.

Using recycled paper strips and glue, you are saving space in a landfill, using an old music or mic stand, you're recycling, and by making certain your clothes look good from all sides, you're saving money by not buying then never wearing an outfit. Good ecological sense all the way around!