How to Make a Doll Wig: Free Crochet Pattern

My favorite hobby is crocheting doll clothes. Using what I've learned from reading existing patterns, I create my own designs for Barbie.

Making Wigs for Dolls

I finally caved in and bought myself a Makies doll a few months ago (takes longer to reach the Philippines than in the US). What really appealed to me was its durability for a ball-joined doll (no strings!) and the fact that the doll can come with the wig unglued.

I have always wanted to try making wigs for dolls, but my Pullip doll was just too expensive for me to experiment on. Good thing Makies dolls use the same-sized wigs as Pullips (7"); I finally got the chance to try out wig-making.

This is my first attempt at making a wig, so if you have suggestions on how to make it better, feel free to leave a comment below. This article is a free crochet pattern for making a 7" wig with fringe. The fringe is necessary in order to hide the wig cap. While most wigs use wefts to add hair, this tutorial is actually a no-sew pattern and can be done with just a crochet hook.

Materials

• Size no. 1 crochet steel hook
• Size no. 10 crochet cotton thread: you'll use this for the wig cap.
• Big crochet hook (H, I, or J)
• Yarn: Use variegated yarn to have different shades of hair.
• Scissors
• Tapestry needle

Abbreviations Used in American Terms

• Ch - chain
• Ch-1 sp(s) - chain 1 space(s)
• St(s) - stitch(es)
• Sl st - slip stitch
• Sc - single crochet
• Sc2tog - sc the next 2 sts together
• Dc - double crochet

1. Make the Wig Cap

Round 1: Ch 5, dc in the first ch (ch 4 counts as dc, ch 1 throughout), (ch 1, dc in the same ch) 6 times, sc in the 3rd ch of the first dc to join. (8 dc, 8 ch-1 sps)

Round 2: Ch 4, dc in the first ch-1 sp, (ch 1, dc in the next ch-1 sp, ch 1, dc in the next ch-1 sp, ch 1, dc in the same ch-1 sp) 3 times, ch 1, dc in the last ch-1 sp, sc in the 3rd ch of the first dc to join. (12 dc, 12 ch-1 sps)

Round 3: Repeat the same stitch pattern in Round 2 until you reach the end. (18 dc, 18 ch-1 sps)

Round 4: Ch 4, dc in the first ch-1 sp, [(ch 1, dc in the next ch-1 sp) 2 times, ch 1, dc in the next ch-1 sp, ch 1, dc in the same ch-1 sp] 5 times, (ch 1, dc in the next ch-1 sp) 2 times, sc in the 3rd ch of the first dc to join. (24 dc, 24 ch-1 sps)

Round 5: Ch 4, dc in the next ch-1 sp, (ch 1, dc in the next ch-1 sp) around, join with sc in the 3rd ch of the first dc. (24 dc, 24 ch-1 sps)

Round 6: Repeat the same stitch pattern in Round 4 until you reach the end. (32 dc, 32 ch-1 sps)

Round 7: Ch 1, sc in each dc and ch-1 sp around, join with sl st in the first sc. (64)

Round 8: Ch 1, (sc2tog, sc in the next 4 sc) around, ending with 3 sc instead of 4, join with sl st in the first sc. (52)

Fasten off and weave in the ends.

2. Check the Fit

Make sure the wig cap actually fits your doll with a little bit of allowance for the hair. Go for a matching color for your yarn if you want to hide the cap better. For the sake of this tutorial, I went with a contrasting color just to show you which part of the wig cap will be visible once the wig is done.

3. Prepare the Hair

I chose to use Red Heart Super Saver for the hair because I had some leftovers from a different project in my stash. Acrylic might not be the best choice for the hair, but I think the color suited my doll's coloring, so I just went with it. You can opt to use whatever yarn you have in your stash (wool, mohair, etc.) since the project does not really need that much yardage.

• When using yarn that is too thick for your taste, unravel one, and see whether you like the individual strands better than the original. Here is what the yarn looked like when I unraveled it.

Cut yarn double the length that you want the hair to be, and unravel them one by one in preparation for the next process. I cut mine individually as I went around the wig cap, but you can opt to wrap the yarn around a piece of cardboard and cut it in half (similar to making a pompom). I used two strands of worsted weight for each dc post. Remember to cut more pieces than you think you need so you don't need to go back to the cutting process again.

Since we are putting on a fringe for about 12 dc posts in the bottom Round, as well as the succeeding posts on top, cut pieces that are shorter to use at the front.

4. Attach the Hair

Starting from the bottom Round, attach eight individual strands of yarn to each dc post with a fringe knot. Here is a photo of what it should look like.

Continue doing this in all dc posts starting from the bottom round and slowly going towards the crown. Make sure to place shorter yarns for the fringe. Do this in rounds to ensure you do not miss any posts. Here are some photos as you do this process.

After placing 1 round of hair.

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5. Style the Wig

Once you have finished covering all the dc posts, you should have something like this.

Place the wig on the doll and trim all the ends to the length you want. Use white glue to stiffen the hair into the hairstyle that you want. I personally found the hair to be too thick at this point, so I went back to the first and third Rounds from the bottom, undid the knots, took out half of the yarn for each dc post, and replaced it back on each post. Here is a photo of my Makies doll holding the yarn that was removed from the wig.

Since I used a contrasting color for the wig cap, it is still visible from certain angles. I used a hat to hide the wig cap and help secure it in place.

You're Done!

Overall, just style the hair the way you want it to look. Have fun with your new doll wigs!

Comments

Getrude Hillary on August 31, 2015:

Quite informative.