Make Your Own Fairy Wings

Would you like to make your own set of fairy wings? They make a great costume or can be fun just to play with.

So, spread your wings and fly. Here are free step by step instructions.

Deciding how you want your wings to look can take longer than the actual wing-making part! Work out your design ahead of time because that saves time and supplies when it comes to making the wings.


Supplies

• 14g-16g galvanized steel wire. The wire should bend easily, but not too easily or your wings won’t hold their shape.
• wire cutters
• duct tape or heavy electrical tape
• pantyhose or sheer material. Hose takes less sewing.
• scissors
• safety pins
• needle and thread
• ribbon, wide cording or elastic (to make ties for wearing the wings)
• wing decorating stuff = fabric paint, glitter, feathers, rhinestones, silk flowers, fringe, whatever!

Basic Shape

About 8 inches up from the loop, form a large wing shape from the wire and do the same with the other side (just follow this diagrams and you’ll be fine). Close the wings with a twist (Note: the wings can be bent into different shapes).

Take another piece of wire and connect between both wings, creating a triangle (remember to twist and trim the ends of the costume wings so that they don’t protrude from the triangle; duct-tape them, if necessary).

Make the top section of the costume wings by twisting each part to look like two smaller parts of the wing.

Covering the Wings

If you are using pantyhose, you cut each leg off the waistband/panty section and stretch it over the wires. Be very careful or you can accidentally put runs in your wings. Patterned or sparkly pantyhose can make the wings fancy. If you are using a flat piece of sheer material, trim the fabric to be the same shape as the wing form, but ju
st about a 1/4 of an inch larger is size. You then wrap the slight edge over the wire and stitch the material onto the wing frame with hand sewing. Make sure to use the lightest material you can, so your wings don’t get too heavy. Sewing material over the spine is optional, but some people like to use elaborate or heavier materials for this part when they choose to decorate it.

Making the Straps

Attach the straps for wearing the wings only after you have covered the wings. This way, you can still sew and bend the wings to shape without hurting any of the art. Most people like having four straps to fasten their wings: one going over each shoulder and one going under each arm, then tied across the chest. Don’t make your wings tie across the front of your throat because you can hurt yourself if you snag your wings. Wings can also be sewn onto the back of clothing. Having a friend who can hold your wings in place while you work out the straps is very helpful! Whether these straps attach to the wing edges or the spine part is up to you. Which option do you think fits and/or looks best?

Decorate the Wings

Be careful not to make the wings so decorated that they bend out of shape or make your upper back sore when you wear them. But add paint, glitter, ribbons, feathers or anything you want.

If you have bits of wing decorations left over, a thin wooden dowel can easily be made into a matching fairy wand.