Rapunzel’s Hair

First part of Sophie’s costume is done. And it’s not even Halloween Day yet! Wait, not totally done – I still have to trim the bangs/pony/fringe and tack the braid in place. And decide if we’re cutting off the stuff that drags on the ground… or pinning it up?

Materials used:

• 7 oz Red Heart Super Saver yarn, color: Cornmeal
• old adult T-shirt

A few photos and quick comments of what I did…

Cut one sleeve off T-shirt. Running stitch, pulled tight and knotted, gathers the sleeve opening to make a crude cap.

For the bangs/fringe: Wrapped the hair, put tape on one edge, cut the other.

Sewed along center of tape.

Pulled off the tape and sewed the center of the bangs (where I just sewed) to the edge of the cap. Swept all the strands forward (so half of them are folded over the stitched seam).

For the long hair: Same as for the bangs, except a lot longer. I made the cardboard jagged at one end so there would be “layers” in the finished hair. Thought that would make a tapering braid, if I braided the whole thing. If I were to do it over, I would have probably made it all one length…

Scrunched the yarn at one edge together until it was about the width of the wig base from front to crown. Put packing tape on this edge.

Sewed down the middle again.

Sewed yarn to wig base. I’m wishing I had put the “part” off-center instead of smack down the middle. But then again, another year we can just add some tie dye and bell bottoms and have a flower child wig. : )

Poll was taken regarding “curly” or straight bangs. Straight won out, so under the iron it went.

Since the hair was only attached at the center top “part”, if it swung forward or back, the white cap was visible. If I’d wanted to spend more time and yarn on this (which I didn’t), I would have make some more hair to add under the hair already on here. Two or three rows, probably. But instead, to keep the hair where it belongs, I smoothed the hair down, put more tape (from one ear, around the back, to the other ear), pinned the taped hair to the cap (all while Sophie was wearing the wig), and then sewed over the tape and hair.

So the braid is not just for decoration; it also covers that second line of stitching.

Next on the list: the tower…