Make an Ancient Egyptian Wig

Materials you need:

• strip of paper
• black yarn (book recommends two 2-ounce balls but I think I used less)
• black cloth
• a strip of felt long enough to go around the kid's head with a little extra
• a piece of cardboard about the size of a piece of paper
• chalk
• white glue (I used Tacky Glue. I tried fabric glue but that did not work.)
• needle threaded with black yarn (optional)

1. Use a paper strip to measure your kid's head an mark a space for his head, then cut a strip of fabric with a little bit to lap over.
2. Cut a piece of cardboard (mine was 7.25 X 13 inches.)
3. Tape the end of the yarn to the cardboard and wrap the yarn around the cardboard until you get to the end. (Try not to wrap it too tight.)
4. Cut the yarn on along the bottom of the cardboard.
5. Glue the yarn along the strip of fabric.

   6. Let it dry, check that it fits, then glue it together.
   7. Put a piece of black fabric on the top of your kid's head and put the band of fabric around it.
   8. Trace the area with chalk, then cut it out leaving 3/4 inches of material around the edge.
   9. Put glue around the edge of the fabric and add strands of yarn on top. Cut off the extra around the edge. (The fabric will be in an oval shape. I put the rows of yarn with the ends on the short side when I should have put them the other way.)
   (Optional: the book suggests to make a part to sew a line of yarn stitches down the center of the top.)

(Before trimming the edge)

   10. Glue it all together. Trim the ends of the wig to make it straight and you're done!

 
Total time: around 45 minutes (for me anyway,) not including glue-drying time. If you have a kid who's good at or enjoys crafts and is older than 6 years old I would definitely have them help you. 


I tried putting glue on the fabric and putting the yarn, still on the cardboard, directly on it before cutting, hoping that it would stick and be easier and faster. That did not work. What you're suppose to do is cut the yarn on one of the long sides of the cardboard and glue the strands on doubled over. I had to untangle the yarn from the first way I tried to do it, so it took a bit longer than the right way will.

The gluing together part at the end is a bit precarious, and may require additional gluing and cutting before it's on all the way. Also, I got glue in Builder Boy's hair, so be aware of that, too.

The wig in the book of course looks better and fuller than mine. If I'd known about this before I probably would have sewn it together and added a second layer of yarn.
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(Craft Topics) Egyptians: Facts*Things To Make*Activities by Rachel Wright (Out of print/not available on Amazon.com. ISBN 0-531-14209-4 The inside has the Dewy number as 932.01 but my library had it at 745.592)

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