Thank Ruulkasar for attempting to act as a moderator, but let me assure you that I have no intention of continuing a schoolgirl dialogue with anyone whose only endearing feature is their ability to humiliate themselves at every given opportunity.
Its either laziness or benevolence on my part that is more than happy to allow those, who so desperately need it, to have the last word.

I asked my previous questions rhetorically because your assumptions about pleats are not entirely true

semprecapelli

I'd be very interested if you would care to expand?
I realised I didn't really answer your initial question.
The answer is no, I haven't seen a piece actually being made or how lace materials are delivered from the manufacturer.
All I know is that I haven't received a piece with pleats in it since the late 90s, before the advent of softer, mainstream Swiss lace.
I'm always interested in learning more so I'd be grateful if you are willing to 'share'!
Cheers.

I'm waiting for semprecapelli to give me some more details about the manufacturing process.
But my understanding by looking at my pieces is that the flat lace is given its curvature by using thin stitching in rings of concentric circles (smallest in the middle of the piece fanning outwards) with ever increasing, minuscule tension adjustment.
This gives the piece its contour.
Obviously its a more time consuming method than crude pleats but I thought it was now standard.
There seems little point in developing finer base materials if, at some point, its being doubled up to create a pleat.
Failing that, I had assumed the lace could be 'moulded' to a domed shape through a chemical or heat process.
Either way is better than a pleat.

I have to say i find pleats a far more effective method than the stitching route.
Problem with the stitches i find is that if you catch a thread with your brush and the thread snaps then there is no way back really as the shape starts to disappear or become distorted.
This has happened to me twice before and i know some other guys on different forums complained of the self same problem.
Good pleats are totally undetectable,especially when Swiss lace is used.
Tims problem with pleats comes down to cutting up a stock piece,which are generic in design,so he loses some if not all of the pleats and so his piece becomes distorted.
Don't really know any way around that problem apart from making your own pleats or getting stock that has the stitching method?
I have never recieved a piece yet that has the lace pre molded but would sure be interested in knowing where to get them to give them a try as that sound an altogether far better option.

It just goes to show how manufacturing varies when we were both discussing the same process but with completely opposite satisfaction!
Just as has been said the 'threads' do often and easily get broken.
For me, this has resulted in fraying but it has never cause the piece to become 'baggy' and lose its shape.
I was under the impression that the lace was 'moulded' in to a dome shape and then strengthened with the concentric stitching.

Because all retailers make the same claims, but supply different standards of products, a huge amount of time & money is wasted trying to find a good hair piece.
Not only that, but I appreciate that everyone (as customers) has their own preferences.

Wouldn't it be great to be able to go to a 'Trade Fair' where retailers (or direct to public manufacturers) were all under one roof and we could see & compare the quality and products, first hand, before spending our money?
These sort of conventions exist for most consumables, so I'd be surprised if they didn't exist for hair pieces.
If anyone knows of such an event, please speak up!

(06-20-2011, 11:55 AM)timguyperson Wrote: "Tims problem with pleats comes down to cutting up a stock piece,which are generic in design,so he loses some if not all of the pleats and so his piece becomes distorted.
Don't really know any way around that problem apart from making your own pleats or getting stock that has the stitching method?"

Nah mate I don't cut the stock units down that much at all. And the stock units come with the stitching method already. Stock units with pleats have worked well for me in the past.

Sorry, i misunderstood what your problems were.

(06-19-2011, 07:13 AM)Hersute Wrote: I'd be very interested if you would care to expand? I'm always interested in learning more so I'd be grateful if you are willing to 'share'!

There are only two different ways of how a flat sheet of lace material can be formed to fit a head's shape: you can deform the lace material with heat and pressure or you can use pleats.

The horizontal or diagonal or circular stitchings people are referring to have nothing to do with shaping or molding the lace! These sewing lines are just something that helps the lace to keep it's shape. It's not possible to shape or mold a lace correctly by sewing lines, because you always will get wrinkles and bumps.

You are not sure, you have doubts? No problem at all. It's only about physics and logic. Just get a needle, a thread, some cloth and check what I have said on your own at home. Try to shape the cloth to fit a basketball, football, baseball or whatever you want. You will see that the cloth becomes wavy at the edge.

All the quality customs I've seen over the years (including from TL) certainly appear to have some molding and curve to the lace. They do not look like a flat piece of lace that has just been stitched or pleated.

Why try to figure out how to get the perfect stock piece? It doesn't exist. Make up a tape mold and order a custom piece and it will fit like a glove without any ripples, bumps, or anything else if done right. No cutting to size needed, either.

I have to agree with you Tapehead.

Although, as someone else said, you often need a new piece urgently and 6-8 weeks can be a long time to wait & cope, so you order a stock.
Having just spent money on a stock, you're not always in the position to order a custom at the same time.
You can get in to a difficult cycle.
This is why I (and loads of others) always recommend having a quality 'spare' at all times!