Thursday, October 18, 2012

Brave-Style Merida Wig & Accessory How-To


Earlier this week I showed how I created my Princess Merida Costume inspired by Disney's Brave (get the how-to HERE).  Today I'm sharing how I made the extra accents that are central to Merida's signature style: her fiery red hair and her quiver belt.  The total cost for her entire costume was under $25, so it's a brave AND thrifty princess look!

Ready to see how to make a cheap and easy yarn wig to make some wild and free Merida hair?

You'll Need:
- One skein of orange acrylic yarn ($2.99 at craft store)
- One orange crochet hat ($1.29 bought online)

Start by wrapping yarn around a pillow 10 times (mine was 16" x 16").  Cut yarn from skien and cut a small tie piece.
Pull yarn bundle off pillow and tie at one end, cut open at the other and repeat about 10 times to make enough bundles.
Start attaching yarn bundle to crochet hat along the center of the hat.  Pull the tie ends at the center of the bundle through either side of a stitch in the hat:

Knot the tie on the underside of hat:

Repeat with bundles about 1 inch apart in a mohawk style from front to back and then add a few bundles on the sides.  Try wig on and fill in any bare sections with additional bundles.  Trim sections near face in a few framing layers.
I wanted to add a bit of curl and tried a few different methods I saw online that were supposed to work on acrylic yarn and the results were:
Setting sections in foam rollers for a week did....nothing.  Getting yarn wet on wooden dowels and drying in oven (like corker bows) did....nothing.  Spray starch on the dowels...did even less - FAIL #3. Maybe using a better yarn would work, but my goal was make a wig that was cheap, so I gave up on trying to curl it.  It still captures Merida's overall "wild" haired look, so I'm happy with it as it is.
Of course any authentic Merida needs her most important accessories: bow, arrow and quiver belt:
We found a great bow & arrow set for $6 at Wal-Mart and of course my little lady wanted to be able to carry hers like "Mer" as she calls her), so I created a quick and simple quiver belt. Here's how to make 'em -

You'll Need:
- 1/4 to 1/2yd of brown fleece, felt, pleather or corduroy (I used some leftover scraps)
- Length of braided pleather one 2 inches wider than waist (find in trim section of fabric store for about $2)
- Single snap

Cut a rectangular piece for the quiver body that's about an inch shorter than the arrows to go in it.  Mine was 10 inches wide by 12 inches long. 
 Hem top edge of rectangle and then fold in half width-wise and stitch down the side:
Cut a circle for the bottom that has a circumference the same as the rectangle's width.Stitch circle to bottom of quiver and clip around edges.  Turn right side out.

Cut a small rectangle (6.5 inches wide by 6 inches long) for the belt loop of the quiver, fold width-wise and stitch down the side, refold with the seam in the center, then stitch one end closed.  Turn right side out and then fold raw edges of open end inward and stitch closed.
 Fold strip in half and stitch to the back side of the top the quiver:
To make the belt I used a length of braided pleather, folded & stitched the raw edges under and attached a snap on either end.  I ran the loop through the belt and the quiver was all set for use:
Now a little Scottish-style lass is ready to "change her fate" and be Brave inside AND out!

Sharing this with my FAVE LINK PARTIES too-
Click HERE to check them out!

35 comments:

  1. Acrylic yarn doesn't curl. You need wool. Wind it around dowels, boil for ten minutes and then dry it in the oven and you get corkscrew curls. Only thing is that any massive amount of wool yarn can get pricey!

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    1. I figured, but was surprised by how many tutorials out there said you could (which proves not all projects out there actually work). Since we were being thrifty there's no way I'd spend a lot just for a few curls. Tussled and inexpensive was more our speed!

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  2. Great minds must think alike. I attempted to make a yarn wig with a head band. Needless to say, it doesn't quite workout. My boo boo still wears is with the homemade Merida dress I made for her anyway. Oh well, guess I'll HAVE to go back to the craft store! Darn!

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    1. Consider it a learning experience for both of us Jackie! And on the plus side, the girls still love their costumes. Would love to see yours too.

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  3. Oh...I tried to curl it, too. Still cranking the ol' wheels to figure out a way on that one!

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  4. I can't thank you enough for the wig tutorial!! I was just about to make a powdered wig for my daughter who's playing George Washington in a school play and was just at a LOSS as to how! I hadn't thought to use a crochet hat!! It's PERFECT and will save me countless hours, and glue gun burns ;) THANK YOU!!

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    1. I'm so thrilled to hear that Christine. Please share it when you make it - I'd love to see that version!

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  5. Pareille à l'originale ! Surtout avec ses beaux yeux bleus...
    Bonne semaine.
    Anna

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  6. Merci beaucoup Anna! En réalité, ses yeux sont bruns, mais avec un peu de magie photo ils sont exactement comme le film;)

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  7. I love the wig--curls or no curls :-) Your little lady is too cute!

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    1. Thanks so much Erin - we both appreciate such a sweet comment:)

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  8. I featured this over at The CSI Project. I love it and I love your tutorial. Thank you for sharing!
    http://thecsiproject.com/2012/10/22/featured-blogsew-can-do/

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    1. I'm so happy to hear that - heading over to check it out! Thank you!!

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  9. I can not get over how cute that wig is! Great job!

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  10. I've been wondering how you made that wig! Fabulous - I'll tuck this idea away for future costumes! :)

    Thanks for linking to a Round Tuit!
    Hope you have a fabulous week!
    Jill @ Creating my way to Success
    http://www.jembellish.blogspot.com/

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  11. The costume and the wig are fantastic! You did an amazing job and she looks sooo cute. Thank you for sharing this at my Make it Pretty Monday party at The Dedicated House. Hope to see your prettiness again on Monday. Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

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    1. Thanks Kathryn & for hosting such a sweet party - I'll be sure to link up again soon:)

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  12. I have just finished making the wig for my little grand daughter who is 20 months old.
    Thanks for the idea and for sharing it with us.

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    1. That's wonderful to hear. I'm so glad my tutorial was helpful for you. Happy Holidays!!

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  13. I have been wondering how to make wigs. This is great! Thanks so much for the tute. Where did you get the hat?

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    1. I get mine here: http://wholesalegirls.kay-boutique.com/ They have great prices and every color you can imagine.

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  14. I just stumbled on your website because i'm looking for insulated mitten ideas to make for my son. I love your tutorials! Back to your wig, once upon a time, i can't remember for what purpose, I untwisted the yarn, and the separated yarn was left curly. I'm just wondering if that might work for your wig! It will definitely add volume to it too :)

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    1. Thanks so much & I'm so thrilled you've been checking out my other tutorials! That sounds like it would probably work. There are hundreds of pieces of yarn on this, so I'm not sure I'd want to try to untwist them all, but it's a good idea for doing some sections or on something with a bit less volume. Thanks!

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  15. Thank you so much for sharing this! We gave it a go this Halloween and it worked like a charm. So much easier than my approach to making Rapunzel hair last year! Thank you!

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  16. Thanks for the tips Don. Will have to try that next time!

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  17. I used lion brand wool ease thick n quick and pulled the strands apart to make it curly!

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  18. I have to do the same costume for my 7 old doughter, can I have your pattern please? thank you! Sonia from Italy

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    1. Hi Sonia, I shared how I made mine here: http://www.sewcando.com/2012/10/inspired-by-brave-princess-merida.html You can use any A-line dress pattern and my modifications to make the right size.

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