Wig Tutorial

making costumes is one of my very favorite things to sew.  and adding little details is super important to having a 'complete look.'  when making a lalaloopsy costume, or a rapunzel costume, or even a jesse costume, you're goin' to need one of these:

a wig!

supplies:

a pair of kids nylons or tights (any size, in matching color or a 'nude' color)

yarn

*** for a lalaloopsy wig, i used 2 skeins of lion brand hometown usa-- there are lots of colors to choose from, you can get them at walmart, and should be able to find them at jo-anns or michaels ***

*** for a rapunzel wig, i used 2 skeins of red heart 'love' yarn-- softer than regular red heart yarn-- the thinner yarn helps keep the rapunzel wig from getting too heavy in the back ***

*** for a jesse wig (from toy story), i used 1 skein of lion brand hometown usa-- the costume includes a hat, so the crown of the wig will be covered and doesn't require the 'thick hair look' of the lalaloopsys***

the waistband of the tights is going to become the 'skullcap'-- the hat that the yarn will be sewn to.  it is suprisingly comforable and stays in place pretty well.

using a zigzag stitch, sew along the sewing line. 

                            

try the cap on your kiddo to make sure it is not too big.  you don't want a lot of extra fabric anywhere.  it should fit snuggly.  once it is fitting well, stick it back on the kiddo and use a marker to draw some lines on the cap.

depending on which character you are making a wig for, the lines are going to be different.  you need to think about whether you are going to have pigtails, bangs, whatever.  for lala's, the most important lines to think about are the part lines.  for two pigtails and bangs, you want a curve on the front where the bangs are going to be and a part all the way down the back for the part line.

cut the yarn in lengths that are twice as long as you want them to be.  for lala pigtails, i would cut the yarn in pieces that are 3-4 feet long.  then just start sewing them on the skull cap.  use a large zigzag stitch so that it will still stretch once you have it on the kiddo's head.  start with the part line, and sewing the middle of the yarn onto the line, begin stuffing yarn under your presser foot.  it will take more than you think-- just keep stuffing them under there!

****  while sewing, be careful that you are not sewing any additional layers on the skullcap except the line you are working on.  trust me on this, you don't want to have to unpick anything on nylons or you will end up with some pretty big holes.  it certainly takes a little bit of work to make sure everything is where it is supposed to be, but stick to it. ****

for the part line, you will want to do a second layer as well.  then do the same thing as close to the edge as possible around the entire cap, except where the bangs are going to be.  cut more yarn as needed.

then sew some yarn long your curved bang line.  the side of the yarn that goes towards the back of the wig will be gathered into the ponytails.  the yarn that falls in front of the wig, i stitched down in place along the bottom of the skullcap.  then i added a second layer along the curved bang line-- with both sides of the yarn falling forward for thick bangs.

once you have all your yarn attached, put it on the kiddo and style and cut like you would real hair.  part it down the middle, pull it into ponytails (being sure to leave out the bangs, but include all the rest of the yarn from each side).  i used regular rubber bands for the ponytails.  then i trimmed everything up.  make sure the bangs are cut nice and straight (all three layers), and trim up the ponytails.

for rapunzel or jesse, you will need to be most concerned about the partline along the front of the hair.  you only need it to go from the front edge to about the top of the wig.  then add a second short line along the top of the cap, making a type of t-shape.

the part line will probably need a second layer.

for rapunzel, i cut lengths of yarn that were twice as long as my kid was tall.  the braid will take up some of the length, so make sure they are super long.

rapunzel:

jesse:

this one could have used a second layer on the top, but since a hat is going over the top, the most important part is just the very front and the back braid.

but the good thing about this process is that you can always add more yarn where ever you need it. 

okey-dokey.  that is about it. 

it sounds much more complicated than it really is.  just do it!

have fun and i would love to see pics if you make one.