Dollmaking tutorial: how to weft doll hair, a new pattern.
As I mentioned in last month’s Love Letter, dear Anwen was here for a short spa visit and some new clothes, and trying to kill two birds with one stone I decided to finally present you all with an in-depth tutorial on how to make a weft with Suri Alpaca locks.
Now, though I posted a free tutorial some while ago, questions still keep popping up: regarding suppliers, length, best practices, playability factor and what not, so I finally took the plunge and created my very first Doll Making Tutorial (which teaches a specific technique, versus a whole doll pattern) available for purchase over here>>>.
In this step-by-step photo tutorial you will be able to see how to turn those locks into wefts, how much you need, recommended amounts for different doll head sizes, where to buy them, which other locks are suitable, how to prep the material once it is turned into a weft, and most importantly: how to attach it to the doll’s head and finish it off for a beautiful look.
I have also included a care sheet for the locks, with everything from how to wash them to hair styling and maintenance.
If you’ve bought any doll clothing or dollmaking pattern from me you know I go above and beyond regarding tips and information, so this one is not the exception.
I hope you find it suitable for your doll making needs and that it inspires you to create your first weft, or if the first time the experience was a bit unsatisfactory, I hope this tutorial encourages you to give it a second go.
I really love the way Suri Alpaca looks on the dolls, and while honestly, I don’t necessarily love seating hours and hours wefting the fibre (I get to eat it too!), I do it for the finished product. Dolls that have extremely beautiful, all natural, manes, with many styling possibilities and a very unique look.
As I mentioned before, the tutorial is suitable for any other style of lock or fibre like: Wensleydale, Romney, Icelandic, Teeswater, Mohair, etc.
And if you want to see me in action, wefting fibre like a pro, you can check out this Patreon video that illustrates the process a bit more closely.
So that's all folks. By the time you read this I am going to be on my way to take a plane back to Canada, where we will be for a few weeks, knitting all manner of mischief, hearing the loons (I've missed them so much), hopefully gathering some dye materials, and writing and writing and writing some more.
I hope you give this tutorial a try, or at least that it encourages you to try those gorgeous fibre locks. Any questions, feel free to let me know via email or here in this post. I am happy to help.
