Things You'll Need:
- Cleaned, dyed mohair
- Water soluble stabilizer for machine embroidery
- Sewing machine
- Thread
-
Step 1
Select mohair for your doll that has already been cleaned and dyed. The amount you need depends on the size of your doll. A 16 to 17 inch doll can easily use a yard, while smaller, Barbie-sized dolls only need a strip about 6 inches long.
-
Step 2
Pick out 1 to 3 locks, depending on the size of the doll. Lay the cut end down on a strip of water soluble stabilizer (sold in craft stores, for embroidery). You can trim the stabilizer strip down if it's larger than the doll's scalp.
-
Step 3
Lay down more mohair locks until the strip is covered.
-
Step 4
Put another equal sized strip of stabilizer down on top of the first strip, with the mohair between the two strips.
-
Step 5
Secure the strips together with straight pins, with the mohair locks sandwiched between them.
-
Step 6
Adjust your sewing machine settings so that the stitch length is about 1.5 millimeters and the width is set to narrow. Use a thread color similar to that of your mohair so the stitches will blend in.
-
Step 7
Stitch down the full length of the strip two or three times, going back over your original stitches as closely as you can. This stitched section of wool is a "weft."
-
Step 8
Place the stitched strip area of your mohair locks into warm water for a few minutes to dissolve the strips. Allow the wool to dry naturally.
-
Step 9
Comb the dried weft gently with a hair pin or wide-toothed comb. Excess hair will come out in your hands. This is ok, since there's a lot of hair in there and not all of it got stitched together.
-
Step 10
Stitch or glue the finished weft onto the doll's head. The weft can be cut into smaller pieces to add the hair in a way that looks natural.
