buns for those with none

I'm really excited about this! I cut all my hair off and the only thing I regretted about it was not being able to attach my hair falls. So I came up with a way to make some. :) This is the first part of the project. I'm working on a way to cover whatever hair may show in the back.

For pictures of the process, look in my photo album.

There are a couple of things I'll change when I do the next set, which I'll go over in the instructions (the pending changes will be in parenthesis).

1. I made a headband out of non-stretchy fabric - the sort that ties at the base of the skull. I ironed on interfacing to make it a bit more substantial on the top part only. (Next time I'll narrow the ends of the headband to make it less bulky where you tie it.) Then I attached it to a wig head, though you could use anything that would give you something to pull against slightly.

2. I cut a strip of stretch knit an inch or two wide , selvage to selvage. (next time I will probably make shorter strips and do a few of them for reasons stated below.)

3. I doubled the knit fabric and tied the loose ends into a knot, then sewed the knot about 2" from the center of the headband.

4. I doubled it again and tacked the loose end to the knot, then started twisting and wrapping it around the knot, tacking it down as I went.
The thread from the outer spirals limits the space under the bun where you would tie the bun. That's why I decided I would do it in sections next time, and sew the outer sections to the inner sections - not skimping here, you want it to be tight - instead of through the headband. This will give the buns more overhang for secure attachment.

If you keep the buns close enough to the center line, the fluffiness of the falls will cover the headband there. If you make the front of the headband wide enough to reach the place where your hair starts and take a few strands from each fall and cross it over to the other side, it will look like you are just wearing a headband under your bangs. :)

You could either use it as a temporary base attaching various falls as the mood strikes (use plenty of hair pins, just like you would with real buns!), or you could make bases for each set and permanently attach them for more security. I think I did it in under an hour, and the time should improve as I get used to the process. I used the sort of falls that have ties, but it should work equally well for the banana clip sort.

If you have any questions, please let me know. I'm happy to answer them! I'm also considering selling them if there is any interest, but I would much rather offer the instructions to those of you who can do it for yourself, since it would only cost you a dollar or two for the fabric.

If you try it, please let me know how it turns out!

I could go for miles and miles....

I'm so excited! I just finished my 25 yard skirt!!! (Actually, it was more like 28 yards, because the fabric was 58" wide, but who's really counting?)

A lot of people kept saying to save myself the trouble and buy one for $100, but for less than $20 I made my own. It only took about a week. If you have a fair amount of patience, access to $1/yard lightweight cotton or some other suitable fabric and have no aversion to LOTS of gathering, then I say go for it. I'd be happy to answer any questions about the process. I had a lot of help from the lovely DIY bellydance ladies myself! (THANK YOU SO MUCH!)

I can't wait for class tomorrow!

my most recent experiment

I've decided to try making a set of synth dreads. I'm using 27" Yaki Pony, 100% Toyokalon from Sally Beauty Supply and a 1600 watt hairdryer. I can't believe how amazingly easy it is! But let me say that regardless of the simplicity of the process, there is a good reason why people want an arm and a leg for a good set of them. It is TIME CONSUMING. And not so easy on the back, shoulders, and neck. If you buy a set, be happy in the knowledge that they are expensive for a reason and you are most definitely NOT getting ripped off.

I'd love to hear any comments or suggestions on the two that I've done so far. I think the top loop is too large, so I'm going to use a smaller brace next time and one of them seemed like maybe I used a little too much hair for it to melt really well. But other than that, I think I'm getting the hang of it!

Life is good...

Being finished with school has allowed me to expand my social life astronomically. I've met all sorts of interesting people in the last few months, and have formed many new chapters of the mutual admiration society. :)

One of those new friends has kindly offered to give me drumming lessons. One of my longest standing friends is about to teach me fire staff. And I've upped the belly dance classes to several times a week.

So many wonderful people in the world! Many blessings to you all...

tagged

Okay. I was tagged twice in one day, with slightly different rules. One was 8 random personal facts, the other was 7 random personal facts and 1 lie to keep them guessing. So, I'll do 8 facts and 1 lie.

I'm supposed to tag 6 others, and here are the lucky ones:
Marley
Portia
Paul
Sky
Ma'Aleta
David

1) I spent 11 years as a more or less full time undergraduate. I finally decided to stay with one thing long enough to get a degree. It was in studio art, which of course, did nothing for my career. So years later, I have just finished massage school and am waiting to take the state boards.

2) My mom calls me a bundle of contradictions. She says that lovingly, of course.

3) I won 1st place in a runway modelling competition in New York when I was in high school. But...I'm only 5'7", so had no chance in hell, which was fine, since the prospect of moving from MS to NY was not remotely fathomable. lol.

4) When I was three, I rode big wheels with my best friend while wearing out mother's aprons tied around our shoulders like capes. Mine had smiley faces all over it. I wish I still had it.

5) I am a genius at chess.

6) I held the second longest chin up in my gym class when I was in the 6th grade, even against all of the big, strong, 8th graders!

7) I used to love going to the landfill for target practice. I would still do this.

8) I broke my arm and my leg on a Honda Odyssey when I was six. That's when I became the bookworm that I am. Thanks to my awesome grandmother and the great librarian I went to weekly, I read over 100 books that summer.

9) I've had a fascination with masks since I was a kid. Don't get all psychological on me. :P

transitions

I graduated from massage school on Friday! I should be licensed sometime near the end of the summer. Whheeeeeeeeeee! :D

flash floods

These are exerpts from past journals in which I am lamenting what I call my monsoon/drought cycle, where I am flooded by so many ideas, I am paralyzed by indecision, then completely uninspired with only a small window in between during which I create my best work.

**********************

Ideas melt into one another like pieces of gold over a blue flame, then slide away in multiple directions, possessed by mercurial fragmentation.

****

Thoughts bleed into one another, becoming intertwined like vines that twist and grow in new directions that the eye cannot follow.

****

I am tormented by floods of thought rushing through my head, washing away reason and drying up in a flash, leaving nothing but broken stumps and cracked earth, parched lips from speaking silently those things that can never be said aloud.

hindsight

Writing forces me to slow down, to breathe. It allows me to look back, with greater clarity ,at what I have experienced, after the dust of time has settled on my memory.

Transformation

If you love your creation, it ceases to be work and becomes the creative embodiment of that love. Sweat, tears, and blood flow like a raging river to an ocean of glass that reflects the image of the creator while revealing the churning depths below, swirling with triumph over frustration.

Steam

(Photo borrowed from massengale.typepad.com )

New Orleans calls me, back to the narrow cobblestone streets, wrought-iron balconies, old, moss covered oaks and cemetaries that hold secrets centuries old. Back in time to a state of languid sensuality, lush sensuality, where steam rises from every surface, collecting in beads that undulate slowly down the legs of lovers to soak the sheets with passion, as sheer white curtains flutter in a soft, welcome breeze.