Make a Panty Hose Sculpture

Would you like to dazzle your family and friends with a clever sculpture, but don't want to go on a trip to the art store? Well, you can make an interesting sculpture out of household objects!

Steps

  1. Take apart the hanger. The size of the hanger will determine the size of the sculpture, so choose wisely. However, the color of the hanger doesn't affect the sculpture at all.
  2. Get an appropriate block of wood, 2-inches X 4-inches or 4-inches by 4-inches .
  3. Drill two holes into your block. The depth of the holes should be about a quarter of an inch (a little more than half a centimeter). You can draw two, but draw four if you're planning on using two hangers.
    • Keep the holes small, so that the end of the hanger will be able to fit in it snugly without coming out.
    • Decide where to put the holes. They can be any length apart, but their distance will have an effect on the sculpture. If you want a thin sculpture, put them closer together.
    • Have them at least three inches (7.62 cm) apart from each other to make the hosiery snug.
  4. Stick the ends of the hanger into two of the holes. The holes don't need to be across from each other any certain way. You can make them side by side or across. Make sure the hanger is snugly in the holes and won't come out.
    • Once it's snug, bend and twist the hanger into the shape you want. The curves in the hanger will give you the basic shape of your sculpture.
    • If you're feeling ambitious, you can add a second hanger for the other two holes to design your shape. You can either cover the extra pair of holes or just don't punch those.
    • Remember that you'll usually see the outline of the hanger, so consider where you put all the wire curving and shaping in places so the panty hose is stretched by the wire; then you will see the hanger or hangers as curved edges.
    • Once you have the hanger in the right position, use a glue gun or use e6000 glue on the ends of the hanger that go into the holes. This will help keep it secure.
  5. Cut the panty hose. Cut it so the part where the panty hose closes for your foot is about one foot (30 cm). Throw out the side that is open on both sides.
  6. Pull the panty hose over the hanger once you have your base sculpture. It's very hard to modify the sculpture after this step, so make sure you have it the way you want it before hand. Pull the panty hose over the hanger, and over the wooden block.
    • Try to make the panty hose as tight as possible without causing a run. Once you have it at the bottom of the block, there will be a few inches of unused panty hose hanging.
    • Don't cut this off yet, however, or the panty hose will come loose.
  7. Paint over the panty hose with white glue or acrylic plaster. You don't need to glob it on, just put a layer over the panty hose.
    • You need to paint anything that's covered by the panty hose, even the block. Don't paint the bottom, however.
    • Once the white glue is dry, you can cut the extra panty hose off of the bottom. The sculpture is now secure.
  8. Paint over the dry glue with acrylic paint. Try colors like silver and gold. Shiny colors work best for this. Completely cover everything except for the bottom of the block. Don't paint it on too heavily. Let it dry for a day or two, and you're done!

Tips

  • Instead of using a drill you might punch the holes by hammering a nail in about 1/2 inch and pulling it back out.
  • So you want to go for a larger sculpture, get some heavy weight solid wire (not stranded): it may be insulated or uninsulated, electrical wire, steel or aluminum clothes line wire.
  • Make sure the paint is even, and that it looks nice.
  • You might like to sandwich two pieces of wood to make a thicker block. The pieces would not need to be the same size if the smaller one was positioned on top and centered evenly (if you like) on the bottom piece plus glued and nailed together.
  • \*You can use two hangers for an even more complicated sculpture.

Warnings

  • Be careful when using the drill gun.
  • Wire can be dangerous to the eyes and can cause other injury.
  • Use hammer and nails with care.

Things You'll Need

  • wire hanger (or two)
  • drill
  • wooden block
  • a pair of panty hose
  • white glue, like Elmer's or acrylic plaster
  • acrylic paint; colors like silver and gold are great for this

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