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Wire Wefts 

Ruskai, M. and Lowery, A. (n.d.). Wig Making and Styling: A Complete Guide for Theatre & Film. United States: Focal Press.

The book above shows how to set up the weaving sticks successfully and how to weave a hairpiece. The book supplies supporting images to asist in starting the process as weaving can be tedious and difficult to get the hang of at first. 

Materials:

  • Strong thin thread for eyelashes.

  • Weaving silk in 4 colours used for the weft work in hairpieces. 

  • Bees Wax helps hair stay in place. 

  • Wire- 0.7ml, you do not want a wire that rusts so copper covered in tin is used so it wont discolour when washed. 

  • Hair Combes, sewn through holes into the hairpiece to use as an anchor point. 

  • Pattern- Size dictates the weaving amount. 

 

Technique 

  • Use a soft block. 

  • 8.5 cm is average size to use

  • Use a cup to draw the circle template. 

  • Petals should be 2cm. 

  • Draw two inner circles. 

  • 4 petels in the middle circle. 

  • Cut the edges of once removed from the block. 

  • Use string to map out the template that determines how much weft is needed. 

  • Always start at the middle.

  • Do not cut corners .

  • The outside circumference is a seperate piece however the length of the string is marked before the outside is measured. 

 

Setting up weaving sticks:

  • Shoulders width apart

  • If right handed the nail goes to the left. 

  • 40-50cm extra string should be used otherwise it would not be possible to complete the weft. 

  • Pieces of paper or cardboard attached to the thread is wrapped around the stick to keep the thread and wire tight. 

The picture above shows the outline of the wire weft drawn with a cup onto cling film and cellotape. 

Here is the completed template that is used to make the chignon. 

The second stage is to draw another circle 2cm in from the first, and another a further 2cm from the second until three circles have been drawn. 

This is what the diamond mesh wired weft piece looks lice, the template pattern is quite distinctive. 

Above is he template I created which could have been neater however this was the first attempt and I was unsure how to make the template. 

The four images here are from the book: Baker, P. and Baker, undefined (1993) Wigs and make-up for theatre, television, and film. 1st edn. United Kingdom: Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd. The book is really helpful for information on the diamond mesh hair pieces. It even explaines the step by step template making and how to stitch together the weft successfully. 

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