I’d like to take a moment and introduce you to George.
George is my male mannequin.
For years, I’ve used different things from a plaster-gauze cast of my torso to store bought shirt display mannequins.
When the pandemic was full-on, I decided to take some of the money we weren’t spending on going out for meals, small trips and other extravagances and make the ultimate investment. After waiting for weeks to hear from the manufacturer, they informed me that the size 38 I wanted was actually out of stock. The size 38 wouldn’t be imported to the USA for the foreseeable future. Pandemic and all. They did have a size 40 in stock, which is larger than me, but I decided it was going to work. Since I don’t like snug clothing, if they were snug on George, they were going to be perfect for me with just enough extra room for comfort.
When George arrived, he was in a HUGE cardboard box that looked very much like a coffin box. Getting this up the stairs in this old Victorian house was a challenge, but I did it.
The apartment is really cramped, having moved into this small one-bedroom from a huge three-bedroom that we had back in Windsor, Connecticut. I guess I hadn’t really thought this pandemic purchase out…
He’s a lot of mannequin. A LOT!
Honestly, though, it’s impeccably made and will work out even better than I had imagined.
We’ve gotten George all settled into a corner in the bedroom between the fabric shelf and the cutting table. The lighting is good there in the daytime, so this is perfect.
My first project is going to be a vest, and I just happen to have the muslin designed and cut out.
And, the fit is PERFECT! One of the things i like is that the arms are removable. The other is that I can pin into it/him. And, he comes on a weighted cast iron base with locking wheels. I can’t tell you how important that locking base is because the floors in this building are extremely uneven and he’s actually rolled around on his own from time to time.
More playing with George and the vest pattern. This is nothing serious with the quilted batik fabric and the leaves. It’s an assortment of things I had on hand and I wanted something to play with. He also has on a pair of my swimming trunks because his apparent lack of a male genital bulge was a little unnerving at first.
So, this is George. He’s good company, does what is expected and no talking back.
George came from The Shop Company in New York.