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Tinsel Wig: LF Tips/Feedback/Critiques

Jan 8, 2021

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    1. I made this wig out of cheap tinsel I got after Christmas and was hoping for some feedback on what you think/How I can make it better/how I can improve in the future. :)
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      This is the 3rd doll wig I've made, and the first that involved laying down each strand of 'hair' individually.
      I was using this human wig as inspiration. I wanted my wig to be thicker but as I added more layers it started to get an unflattering cone shape at the top, and I wasn't sure how to keep going without making the shape worse. It's also cut pretty evenly, but it's hard to tell in the photos because tinsel likes to go whatever it wants haha.
      SO; Any Ideas on how I could make it thicker without enhancing the weird shape? Or do you think it looks okay as is? Especially being as it's meant to look like a silly party wig.

      Thanks!
       
      #1 Fuzzy350, Jan 8, 2021
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    2. This is really cool!! As far as looking like your reference, I think you nailed it. Are you saying that all the strands originate from one point, and that caused the cone shape? Or are strands glued all over the wig? What's the construction of this wig like? I can't quite tell if I can see through the wig to the doll's resin, or if I'm looking at color reflection

      If you have the patience for this, you might like ventilating a lace wig! It involves this same sort of meticulousness
       
      #2 Xila, Jan 8, 2021
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    3. @Xila Thank you! Every single tiny strand of tinsel was cut and then glued individually to a home made wig cap using thin layers of modge podge and a paint brush. Which is why I can't figure out how for the life of me how it became pointy at the top haha. You can see through to the resign a little on both sides(possibly because the tinsel refuses to lay flat around her ears?), everything lighter you see on the back and overhead view is just reflection from it being so shiny.

      Lace wigs are stunning! I do know how to re-root vinyl dolls so with some more wig making practice I'd love to try that someday. :)
       
      #3 Fuzzy350, Jan 8, 2021
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    4. It's actually really cute! My guess is that the cone shape is due to the subtle stiffness of the tinsel. Although it's flexible enough for human scale, it might have trouble draping around the small scale of a doll head. Maybe a double layer of tinsel could be used part way up, to sort of pad out the shape?
      Either way, it's so fun!
       
      #4 cupcakedolls, Jan 8, 2021
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    5. @cupcakedolls Thank you! :) That theory makes since! That's kinda what I was thinking about doing to it, but I wasn't sure if it would make the part/hairline I made look funny. I thought I'd better come here and ask for opinions before I did anything more to it I might regret. haha
       
      #5 Fuzzy350, Jan 8, 2021
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    6. That's such a cute idea - the perfect wig for New Year's eve! I think the issue might be with the wig cap, which seems quite small. If it had been larger, you would have had more room to add fullness. What type did you use?
       
      #6 celga, Jan 8, 2021
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    7. Does every strand of tinsel attach to the crown? Hard to tell from the photo, but that would certainly cause too much buildup in one area and create the cone shape. They ought to root in at points all over the head like human hair, starting at the nape and gradually climbing upward toward the crown. Disregard this if I got it wrong, lol.

      As for getting the tinsel to lay better, if you put the wig on a wad of paper on a stick or something and then blast it with the hair dryer while sorta bending the fibers downward with a chopstick or something, you might be able to kind of heat-set them where you’d like them. Just start on really low heat or maybe try this with a test clump of tinsel first so you don’t risk ruining your work.

      It’s a really cute idea. I could see it as either a funky party wig or something for a sci-fi doll.
       
      #7 Havra, Jan 8, 2021
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    8. celga
      You know I was wondering if the cap could be the problem. I made it using a pair of spandex tights and Elmer's glue the way I did with my past two wig caps, but this time it seemed like it dried tighter than usual. I'm not sure if I accidentally did something differently this time, but it turned out very snug on her head compared to the last two I made.

      Havra       No, I rooted from the bottom and worked my way to the top in a similar manner to how human hair grows. It's pretty thinly layered at the top too compared to the bottom, so I don't understand why it decided to dry like that. :XD:

      I might try that with the hair drying! I normally do a "boil perm" when ever I need hair to lay nicer but that would definitely melt this entire wig lol.

      ------------------------
      Thanks everyone! I'll have to try everyone's suggestions next week and see if I can improve it! :D
      (If not I might try making a new one now that I have a better idea of what to do. I still have bags of tinsel left over lol)
       
      #8 Fuzzy350, Jan 8, 2021
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    9. Huh! It must be the cap material contracting, then... that’s disappointing.

      Hopefully your modifications, or worst case scenario your next wig works out better. I still really think it’s a neat concept. Good luck!
       
      #9 Havra, Jan 8, 2021
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    10. That's a great method of making a cap! But of course when crafting, one has to sometimes accept expecting the unexpected. :XD: I honestly believe that was the problem; if the cap extended about halfway between where the edge is now and her eyebrows (plus all of the way to the nape of her neck and just above the ears), you would have had plenty of room to add more rows of tinsel, and achieve a thicker look without building up that cone so much. For some reason, it all just kind of shrank into a little poof at the top of her head so you didn't have much space to work with. But it's such an adorable look that if I were you, I'd give it another go! <3

      Edit: Just checking, but did you cover the head with Saran, pull the stocking way down and rubber band it around the neck before starting to add the glue? You need to cut away excess stocking after the layers of glue dry, not try to fit it to her head before gluing.
       
      #10 celga, Jan 8, 2021
      Last edited: Jan 8, 2021
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    11. @Havra Thank you very much! Either way it was a learning experience. It only took about a day and half to make so if I have to make another it's not a HUGE deal haha. (the longest part was just sitting around waiting for the layers of glue to dry.)

      @celga The way you described in in your edit is exactly how I made it. (Saran/rubber band then cut excess off after it's dried) I don't know if it had to do with the weather that day or because my glue was getting old. but you win some, you lose some. What can you do? :XD: I'll have to try it again when I have a few days free time to spend on it!
       
      #11 Fuzzy350, Jan 8, 2021
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    12. Yeah, could've been something as simple as too much moisture in the air, so the glue wasn't as dry as you thought when you removed it. Worth another try when you have the time, I think! :thumbup
       
      #12 celga, Jan 8, 2021
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    13. @celga All it takes is one little thing lol. Thanks for your help, I appreciate it!
       
      #13 Fuzzy350, Jan 8, 2021
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