Tutorial: How to Easily Make Wefts From Loose Hair

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MadamGutterTrash
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Tutorial: How to Easily Make Wefts From Loose Hair

Post by MadamGutterTrash » Tue Feb 01, 2011 2:57 am

I think I've posted this in the right place, feel free to move if I'm wrong.

Also, as I say in the tutorial, I don't recommend this for weaves, I don't do them and don't know how to make wefts for them. This tut just shows how to make easy ones for hairpieces and is a good replacement for the caulk method.

Onto the tutorial!

(cross-posted to my LJ here: http://mguttertrash.livejournal.com/871.html)

I saw a question about this on a hair community and you tend to see a great deal of confusion about this subject, so I decided to show the way I make wefts for more temporary uses. I say 'temporary' because I haven't used this method to make wefts for weaves or anything moderately permanent, nor would I recommend anyone trying it as I imagine it would tangle into the hair and/or be itchy.

The wefts made in this tutorial are brilliant for making hairpieces, fringes, clip in extensions and adding wefts to wigs, so it's great for costumes. They are also really cheap, quick and easy. These are also great because you can control exactly how much hair you add and they are sewn so no need to worry about glue or caulk or anything not reaching the innermost fibres.

Warning: Sewing machines can be bloody savage, they will sew through your finger if given the chance. I realise this is a fiddly thing to sew but please ensure you keep your fingers out of the path of the needle at all times.

Step One: Gather Your Materials


For these wefts you'll need loose hair that is roughly twice the length of what you want in the finished weft (i.e. if you want 12" long wefts you'll need 24" hair). This can be whatever fibre you want, I'm using KK Jumbo Braid in various purples.

You'll also need some fabric scissors (do not use these on the hair itself, it will blunt them so quickly it'll make your head spin), a sewing machine threaded with good quality thread (the ability to do zigzag stitch is preferable, but not vital) and finally a strip of tulle or soft netting that is around 1.5" (3 or 4 cm) wide and a few inches longer than you need your finished weft to be (I just cut mine without measuring, it doesn't have to be perfect because you will trim it later anyway).

Image

Step 2: First Line of Stitching

The first line of stitching you'll do is to initially secure the hair to the net, for this my personal preference is to use a zigzag stitch (I set my stitch width quite wide and the length fairly low, almost a satin stitch but with slightly more gap between the stitches), you do not necessarily have to use a zigzag stitch, a straight stitch will work fine. The reason I use a zigzag stitch is to make the weft a little easier to fold later, if using a straight stitch, simply take your time and use as small a stitch length as you can.

To start off sew the net for about an inch with no hair, this is simply so you have some fabric to grab to guide the rest through the machine, as net can bunch sometimes and it's especially annoying if this happens while sewing the hair.

Image

Then you'll want to start adding inch wide sections of hair, ensuring that you are sewing it down at around the middle of the length of hair (i.e. the hair should be the same length either side of the seam), just before you reach the end of the section you're currently sewing, add more hair. Adding more hair before you run out of the hair you're already sewing means there won't be any bald patches.

Image

Step 3: Second Line of Stitching

At this point you'll want to change to a straight stitch if you weren't already using one. As I said before, make sure you use the smallest stitch you can to prevent the hair slipping out.

Fold the netting on the existing stitch line, ensuring it's as straight and flat as possible, then sew a few millimetres from the edge of the fold through both layers.

Image

Step Four: Trim Any Excess Netting

Get your sharp scissors and trim and excess netting below the stitch line you just made (make sure to do both sides of the weft).

Image

You're finished! Wasn't that way easier than the messy caulk method?

Hope this was helpful to some people :D
Sacha

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IKickShins
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Re: Tutorial: How to Easily Make Wefts From Loose Hair

Post by IKickShins » Wed Feb 02, 2011 5:57 am

Have you ever tried this with ShapeShifter? I'm curious if it would hold (I've had bad luck with other methods since the hair is so slippery and soft).
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MadamGutterTrash
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Re: Tutorial: How to Easily Make Wefts From Loose Hair

Post by MadamGutterTrash » Mon Feb 07, 2011 3:00 pm

No I haven't, although I'm pretty rough with them and you don't get a lot coming out... maybe more stitching lines?
Sacha

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AbbieLaZe
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Re: Tutorial: How to Easily Make Wefts From Loose Hair

Post by AbbieLaZe » Mon Mar 14, 2011 6:48 am

I am gonna give this one a try, considering I am trying the tut for weft clips by chelseagirl, ill be needing all the weft I can get my hands on :") THANKS
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_MannequinHeart
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Re: Tutorial: How to Easily Make Wefts From Loose Hair

Post by _MannequinHeart » Sat Mar 19, 2011 5:46 pm

Bless you for this tut!!

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FaerieGirl
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Re: Tutorial: How to Easily Make Wefts From Loose Hair

Post by FaerieGirl » Sat Apr 09, 2011 5:51 pm

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! I've been really interested in making some wefts.
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treelessbark
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Re: Tutorial: How to Easily Make Wefts From Loose Hair

Post by treelessbark » Tue Aug 23, 2011 12:08 am

this is a really good weft tutorial! I'm gonna have to try this.

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LevanaMalum
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Re: Tutorial: How to Easily Make Wefts From Loose Hair

Post by LevanaMalum » Mon Aug 29, 2011 4:44 am

Thank you so much! It's impossible to find the right shade green in wefts and human hair to dye is expensive and a pain in the patella and hair the length I want is hard to come by. I shall be pulling out my sewing machine next pay check. ;D

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toxic trish
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Re: Tutorial: How to Easily Make Wefts From Loose Hair

Post by toxic trish » Mon Aug 29, 2011 8:03 am

ikickshins wrote:Have you ever tried this with ShapeShifter? I'm curious if it would hold (I've had bad luck with other methods since the hair is so slippery and soft).
I tried this with SS and well I found SS is way to slippery. :(
Maybe if you were to do it and do a few more stitch's to trap all the hairs to the net? iykwim
warning this post may/will contain bad spelling and lots of grammatical error's

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FizzyPopLocks
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Re: Tutorial: How to Easily Make Wefts From Loose Hair

Post by FizzyPopLocks » Thu Oct 27, 2011 5:49 pm

Such a good idea. I've considered trying to sew hair, but I've been too afraid it's go terribly wrong. You inspire me.

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