Tutorial: How to Easily Make Wefts From Loose Hair
Posted: 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).
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.
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.
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.
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).
You're finished! Wasn't that way easier than the messy caulk method?
Hope this was helpful to some people
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).
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.
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.
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.
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).
You're finished! Wasn't that way easier than the messy caulk method?
Hope this was helpful to some people