Red Geisha's Hair

Melissa Shirley's Red Geisha

As promised, here is Red Geisha's wig.  Because her hair is black, it is difficult to see the effect in photographs, so I made the photograph black and white.  This shows the slants of her hair much better than a color photo does.  Her hair is made up of a silk/cashmere blend (Empress Elite from The Pure Palette) and overdyed Kreinik (from ThreadworX).  Around her hairline and the nape of her neck, the hair is a mix of straight and slanted stitches in black and gray to mimic the painted canvas.  You can see that much better in the black and white photo than in real life.  Further up the wig starts.  The wig is made of bundles of black Empress Elite couched down by the overdyed Kreinik which is silver/charcoal/black.  Each row is tied down in a slightly different place than the previous row was.  Each row slants to match the painted gray lines on the original canvas.  The best places to see the slant are the side hair next to her left eye and the hair just above her forehead.

This is a very easy technique, although it takes time and a lot of thread.  The effect is slightly stylized, which is appropriate for a geisha portrait such as this one.  It has the added bonus of being hard to snag, which is important as this will be on the front of a purse.

Red Geisha's Wig

And now, here is Red Geisha's wig in color.  She is not finished yet but this is the last you'll see of her until after she makes her appearance at the Columbus TNNA trade show at Melissa Shirley's booth.  I'll just say that tulle, sequins, and beads are about to be applied!

Written by Jane/Chilly Hollow Blogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.com and at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com