QuoteReplyTopic: Making Weft Hair Posted: April 29 2005 at 1:47pm
I know its not exactly the same thing guys but I thought it was worth a read xx
WEFTING HAIR
For a lot of dollmakers, applying hair to a doll is a big mystery. There are so many things you can use, and so many ways to apply them, that it would be easy to write a whole book on the subject. I would like to tell you one thing that will start you off in a positive direction. That one thing is how to weft hair (mohair, acrylic fleece, human hair, etc.). Wefting is a way of sewing hair into a strip that can then be glued or sewn to a doll's head. My method of wefting is so thorough, that you can brush the hair and style it, and it will not fall out.
First, take the hair product that you will use and lay it out so that it is in a thin layer. If you are using mohair or other animal hair (including human) make sure that all the hair is flowing in the same direction. That is, all the cut ends are at one side, and all the curls line up together.
Next, cut strips of tissue paper about 3 inches wide, and as long as you can get them. The tissue paper will act as a protective barrier, keeping the hair from jamming your sewing machine. It will also make your rows of stitching straight and even, and help you to fold the mass of hair neatly. Don't try this without the tissue paper! Thread your sewing machine with thread that closely matches the color of your hair. (Well, not YOUR hair, the color of the hair that you are working with!) Set the stitch length to a fairly small stitch. On my Elna, I use 2. On my old Singer, I would set it to 12.
Lay a strip of tissue paper out, and place some hair on it, starting at the far end, with the cut end on the right. Place a second strip of tissue paper over the first. Take this to the machine, and start sewing down the center of the strip of paper. Once you have gone a few inches, lift the top layer of tissue paper and add another piece of hair, overlapping the first so there is no gap. Keep the waves lined up as you add more hair, and try to keep the hair evenly distributed, so there are no fat clumps. Continue sewing and adding hair until you get to the end of the tissue paper strip.
Now, starting at the beginning, (do NOT turn the whole thing around. Go back to where you started sewing, so that all your stitching will be in the same direction.) Run another line of stitching about 1 inch to the right of the original row. Keep the distance even, using your presser foot as a guide.
Then, run a third line of stitches between the two that you have made.
Remove the TOP layer of tissue paper, by pulling the outside pieces away from the stitching. The sewing machine needle has perforated the paper, making it fairly easy to tear it along the line of stitching. Go slowly. It is important to get rid of as much of the tissue paper as possible.
Next, remove the pieces between the rows of stitching by first lifting one edge with the point of a ball-headed pin. Then turn the pin around, and slip the ball end under the paper. Run this down the row, lifting one edge of the paper out of the stitches.
Carefully pull that strip of tissue paper out with your fingers or tweezers. The remaining strip of paper will remove fairly quickly, using the pin to lift one edge out of the stitches first. Only remove the TOP layer of tissue paper. Leave the BOTTOM layer there.
Now fold the whole strip along the center row of stitches, keeping the tissue paper on the outside. Take it back to the machine and sew between the two rows of stitching (that is, between the edge and the other row of stitches).
Remove the TOP layer of tissue paper on the left of the stitches. If possible remove the TOP layer of t issue paper from between the rows of stitches. (If this is too difficult, don't worry about it.)
Now, for the LAST time, fold the whole strip along the latest row of stitches, and sew between the rows. Remove ALL the tissue paper that remains.
(Don't worry about the tissue paper that is between the rows of stitching. If you followed the instructions closely, the paper that is left is very small and will not be a problem.)
You should have a strip of wefting that can now be brushed or combed to remove excess hair. The hair that remains is very nicely caught in a nice neat package which can be either sewn or glued into place on the doll's head.
WEFTING HAIR
For a lot of dollmakers, applying hair to a doll is a big mystery. There are so many things you can use, and so many ways to apply them, that it would be easy to write a whole book on the subject. I would like to tell you one thing that will start you off in a positive direction. That one thing is how to weft hair (mohair, acrylic fleece, human hair, etc.). Wefting is a way of sewing hair into a strip that can then be glued or sewn to a doll's head. My method of wefting is so thorough, that you can brush the hair and style it, and it will not fall out.
First, take the hair product that you will use and lay it out so that it is in a thin layer. If you are using mohair or other animal hair (including human) make sure that all the hair is flowing in the same direction. That is, all the cut ends are at one side, and all the curls line up together.
Next, cut strips of tissue paper about 3 inches wide, and as long as you can get them. The tissue paper will act as a protective barrier, keeping the hair from jamming your sewing machine. It will also make your rows of stitching straight and even, and help you to fold the mass of hair neatly. Don't try this without the tissue paper! Thread your sewing machine with thread that closely matches the color of your hair. (Well, not YOUR hair, the color of the hair that you are working with!) Set the stitch length to a fairly small stitch. On my Elna, I use 2. On my old Singer, I would set it to 12.
Lay a strip of tissue paper out, and place some hair on it, starting at the far end, with the cut end on the right. Place a second strip of tissue paper over the first. Take this to the machine, and start sewing down the center of the strip of paper. Once you have gone a few inches, lift the top layer of tissue paper and add another piece of hair, overlapping the first so there is no gap. Keep the waves lined up as you add more hair, and try to keep the hair evenly distributed, so there are no fat clumps. Continue sewing and adding hair until you get to the end of the tissue paper strip.
Now, starting at the beginning, (do NOT turn the whole thing around. Go back to where you started sewing, so that all your stitching will be in the same direction.) Run another line of stitching about 1 inch to the right of the original row. Keep the distance even, using your presser foot as a guide.
Then, run a third line of stitches between the two that you have made.
Remove the TOP layer of tissue paper, by pulling the outside pieces away from the stitching. The sewing machine needle has perforated the paper, making it fairly easy to tear it along the line of stitching. Go slowly. It is important to get rid of as much of the tissue paper as possible.
Next, remove the pieces between the rows of stitching by first lifting one edge with the point of a ball-headed pin. Then turn the pin around, and slip the ball end under the paper. Run this down the row, lifting one edge of the paper out of the stitches.
Carefully pull that strip of tissue paper out with your fingers or tweezers. The remaining strip of paper will remove fairly quickly, using the pin to lift one edge out of the stitches first. Only remove the TOP layer of tissue paper. Leave the BOTTOM layer there.
Now fold the whole strip along the center row of stitches, keeping the tissue paper on the outside. Take it back to the machine and sew between the two rows of stitching (that is, between the edge and the other row of stitches).
Remove the TOP layer of tissue paper on the left of the stitches. If possible remove the TOP layer of t issue paper from between the rows of stitches. (If this is too difficult, don't worry about it.)
Now, for the LAST time, fold the whole strip along the latest row of stitches, and sew between the rows. Remove ALL the tissue paper that remains.
(Don't worry about the tissue paper that is between the rows of stitching. If you followed the instructions closely, the paper that is left is very small and will not be a problem.)
You should have a strip of wefting that can now be brushed or combed to remove excess hair. The hair that remains is very nicely caught in a nice neat package which can be either sewn or glued into place on the doll's head.
Its really interesting. It looks like it could be quite fiddly and be time consuming. Personally I wouldnt trust myself with bulk hair.
Racoon hair is always in bulk though and im starting to use this more in the salon than the bohyme as its truly stunning (well the euro remi Racoon hair is) they also have a standard processed hair which is rubbish. I wish their euro hair came in wefts as i always loose too much of it.
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