After you complete the rows for the part, you need to ‘thatch’ it! I use a tapestry needle, but an awl or other needle tool will help you weave.
All the hairs from the right need to go to the left, and vice versa. Use your needle to sort out individual bits of hair and ‘braid’ them across the scalp. The tighter your thatching, the more ‘factory’ your job will look.
Closeup of the weaving… the hair on top has been successfully thatched.
The scalp shown only has two rows. If your scalp has 4 rows, only thatch between the 2 innermost rows.
After you have the hair woven, wet your towel and heat up your iron to a high setting.
Protect all the hair with the towel, and press the thatched area with the iron. The sizzling lets you know it’s working! It only takes a few seconds.
Keep the part separated in the clips, so you won’t mess up the thatching while you root the rest of the head.
Here’s the root pattern of a center parted style with thick bangs.
Two extra rows were added in the front to give the bangs thickness. All wispy/stray hairs were trimmed, leaving a smooth, professional finish!
Closeup shots of the part and field. In this case, a sleeker ‘do was desired, so the field plugs are spaced farther apart. Once everything’s all cleaned up, dry-fit the scalp on your bald doll.
Turn your iron back on, throw the WET towel over her head and roll the iron over her scalp, pressing the roots flat. Peek under the towel, looking for cow-licks
Take her scalp off and tie up all the hair in a bun.
Glue the scalp back on, applying the glue to the flange and gutter only. (I like regular craft tacky glue but you could use something more permanent.) If you were able to preserve most of the flange, it should line up perfectly!
Use rubberbands to hold the scalp tight overnight to dry.
Cut and style as desired… then show us a picture
12 Responses to “Rerooting - Thatching and Finishing”
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i was wondering, you used to have a tutorial on cutting bangs.. i can’t find it! :[ please help, thank you very much
What method would you suggest for a Patti Playpal doll? Would you use the loop or thread a needle. Thank you
I was looking for a tutorial on cutting bangs me too….it’s not here anymore??? :’(
where I can find it??? please help!
thank you***
http://www.puchimadam.com/pages/lab_bangs.htm
thanks megan, I just added the bangs tutorial onto puchicollective:
http://www.puchicollective.com/tutorials/blythetutorials/cutting-perfect-blythe-bangs/
sorry for the missing tut!
Hi there! I had a question, what do you do if a small crack shoes between the face and the scalp? My girl does not have bangs at all and it is a bit noticable.
tracy - what type of glue did you use to attach it?
for the cleanest, tightest bond on the front half of the scalp, I like to use zap-a-gap, a hobby brand of superglue. I use a waterbased glue in the back of the scalp in case i ever have to open the doll again.
it helps to have an assistant hold the scalp while you apply the glue. use rubberbands to hold the scalp down while it sets up.
I have just taken the scalp of my FTS off and have the same problem as Tracy (there is a small ‘crack’ between the face and scalp, where cutting the scalp off for the first time I didn’t do such a great job) what shall I do? will it mend when I glue it all together. I haven’t finished all my magic yet.
Where do you buy hair for this kind of re rooting? I am able to find Mohair on Ebay but not regular hair like this….. any suggestions?
Thanks!
melacacia-you can try either nylon/saran hair from dollyrestore.com or dollyhair.com
Out of curiosity, does anyone know of a good website with examples of where to place parts to get a certain effect? I really would like to do something different than what my doll had before, but am terrified of what could happen if I just freehand it by eyeball and hope for the best
I have found it better to root the field and part first, then thatch.
P.S.
In january, I will have my own site for custom dolls.