Schnittmuster Schneiderpuppe Mannique

 That title seem like a mouthful? It translates to: “Sewing pattern tailor’s doll Mannique.”

A tailor’s doll? Yes, a mannequin! I’m only using the top to the waist for this make, I may give her a sibling with a bottom in the future, we will see.

I saw this on AFI Atelier’s YouTube and thought I would give it a go. Sadly, my first try was with some yellow velvet from my Mom’s stash that had aged out of use. As soon as I tried to add a bit of stuffing, the fabric just came apart. This time, I’m following AFI’s suggestion and using bra foam.

Day 1: Print, assemble, cut pattern. The foam I have has some stretch in one direction, so I chose to print at 95% to allow for stretch.

Day 2: Cut out foam pieces. 

Day 3: Sew foam pieces together with zigzag stitch.

Instead of stitching up the side and later adding the armhole cover, insert it during the process. Line up the cover with the front piece, then sew up to the shoulder, and around and down the side seam.

At this point, I had two sides and worked on the zipper.

Oops, I pulled the fabric a little. Don’t do that! Or you’ll end up with a wavy back. (Note: I did not trim away the seams around the zipper yet, in the video, she does that before she adds it) Once the neck and bottom are attached, it’s time to fill her!

Day 4: I went a little overboard and made an insert… I cut and sewed another Mannique out of quilting cotton. This should also aid protecting the shape of the form.

Day 6: Fill!

I need to work on my stuffing skills a little, and the zipper is definitely wavy. She is currently lacking the inner fullness she needs to match my shape better. All in all, though, she should work. The bust is about 39 inches, and the underbust is about 33 inches. Her waist is much smaller than mine, and if I lose that then my bust will probably shrink, too… Yet, I’m content with this.

Day 7: Rest, and it shall wear bras in a good manner.