Are your dolls always clamoring for more dresses? And after you have spent hours making Hitty a wardrobe, do you wish you had a good way to display the results of your effort? If the answer is “yes,” then I have a solution for you.
Years ago, my father made some wooden doll dress stands for Hitty clothing. Each one had a circular base and a central spindle with a hangar at the top. They were time-consuming to make, but they looked very elegant. What if I could find a way to make them more quickly and inexpensively?
After I designed my 3D-printed version of “Hitty’s Cradle,” I thought a doll dress stand would be a perfect choice for 3D printing, because it would allow the stands to be printed in many different colors, sizes and quantities. Once again, I used Tinkercad to make the 3D model. It took several tries to perfect the design. My son printed the prototype stands for me on his on his Bambu Lab X-1 Carbon 3D printer. You can download the finished 3D model on MakerWorld with a free account.
Click here to download the 3D-printed doll dress stands on MakerWorld!
If you don’t know have a 3D printer or know someone who does, check out local craft shows. They almost always have one or two people selling 3D printed items. Ask them if they are able to print the 3D model for you. Another option is public libraries. Many libraries now include “maker spaces” with equipment such as 3D printers for the public to use. There are also people who sell 3D-printed miniatures on Etsy who might be able to help.
The design is printed flat with two parts that interlock. The fit is designed to be tight enough not to require glue, which allows it to be taken apart for storage. But if the finished print comes out a little bit loose, you can glue the pieces together or tape the bottom.
My dress stands are printed using PLA plastic, which is the safest option (resins emit toxic fumes). It looks good in many different colors. If you have other dolls, like Barbie or BJDs, you can scale up this file to print dress stands for them. Or make it slightly smaller for a dollhouse.
Now you have another excuse to sew some cute dresses for Hitty. If you want to make the dresses in the header photo, Check out my “American Hitty Sampler” on Printree.
