Introduction: DIY Fairy Wings HOW-TO and BONUS Costume Essential
ok first off, i fracken loooooove fairies. i had a great time making these. it is really easy. just make sure you really tie them together well. take your time with it and they will be some of the most sturdy wings you've sported. they stay up much better then the mass made ones do and there is no elastic to cut the circulation of both your arms off, just beautiful ribbon.
you need:
four hangers that are of the exact measurements.
2 pairs of old tights. use to different colors if you want
2 and a half inch ribbon or just a bunch of smaller ones
water based glue
a little glitter
an old paint brush
a pair of pliers
and your scissors
Step 1: Undoing the Hangers
- please be careful when working with hangers. make sure to hold them firmly when bending. or maybe you want to be a cyclopes for halloween. no seriously use caution.
Make the hanger as straight as possible. it helps to use a thick pair of pliers. there will be a little bit of curl at the ends where you took the hanger apart but on one end the curl is up higher. try to work the curl out of the one that is higher but it doesn't have to be perfect. the other end doesn't matter cause it won't be in the wing body.
Step 2: Shaping the Frame
now take an end in each hand, and slightly bend the hanger so that the ends cross at the bottom. about 2 and half inches of overlap
bend the ends in so the wire catches on its self.
do this to the rest of the hangers.
then take the other two segments and shape them for the bottom half. again the pliers are useful at this point. you can shape them anyway you want. this was a really easy way. and i liked how it looked:)
take what ever thick string you are using and tie a reinforcement knot at the joint of each segment. bring the string through the middle of the wing segment so the string is equal on both sides and tie a knot down the middle of where to over lapping wire "V's".
now take one top piece and one bottom piece and place them together. one of the overlapping wires on the bottom segment should touch the outer part of the top segment. and visa versa.
use your twine to tie them together. take your time with this and make sure they are together very securely. wrap the twine diag, up around where the overlapping wire meets the outer part of each wing. tie a knot and cut remaining string. as i went around with the twine i also wrapped up the left over hanging string from the reinforcement knots so you can't see it and looks better.
Step 3: Making the Wings
take a pair of your tights and pull one of the legs down over the bottom segment like you would if you were putting it on your foot. *if there are holes in your tights use a strong craft glue to fix them. just make sure what ever seam is created gets turned to the inside.*
pull the tights down so that they are fairly tight. don't worry about losing your wing shape you will fix them in a minute. once you have the tights pulled down to where you think they are tight enough, cut the other part of the tights off around the leg. you don't want to destroy the leftover tights. you want them to remain as intact as possible. remove the part of the tights you don't need. pull the foot part tight again over the bottom segment and tie a knot.
repeat to the top segment with the other foot of the tights.
put the remaining tights aside, they should be like capri tights now.
repeat all these steps to the other top and bottom segments.
Step 4: Makin the Straps
position the two halves together so that the outer wire pokey things fit together nicely. use your twine to tie them together. take your time with this also. go round and round with the twine north, south, east, west...go all directions with the twine. pull it really tight. really be sure to cover up the overlapping wire. use your pliers if you need to to push the wire down in position.
take time to shape your wings and decide what you what side is going to be the back and which side will be against your back.
take out your ribbon and cut two long equal strands. i cut mine about
with ribbon one, pull it through the mid section of the wings so the ribbon the same length on both sides. tie a knot on the side of the wings that will be touching your back.
repeat with ribbon two.
slightly burn the edges of the ribbon so they don't fray. make sure the end of the ribbon is hard and dry before you set it down. only takes a couple of seconds to dry. but is super hot and gooey before it does so be careful.
Step 5: Decorating!!!
next use your water based glue and paint brush to paint designs on your wings. only do little bits at a time and add glitter as you go along so the glue doesn't dry before you get to the glitter. i glittered the entire edge of the wings. not only does it help disquise the wire but reinforces the edges. you can also glue and glitter and spots on the tights that may have inperfections in them.
if glitter's not your thang, there are so many other things to embellish with...carefully sew in little bells, random strands of ribbon, feathers you've found, little crystals....that's the next pair i want to make. i just already had the glue/glitter and got the idea from the mass produced wings in the store and wanted to see how it would turn out. plus, i like sparkly.
Step 6: BONUS Essential Costume Piece
you can use your left over tights as a top and bottom.
take one of the pairs and cut the crotch out and you have your top. you put your head through the hole you cut and the what were the legs are now the arms. i used to do this in ballet...its a trade secret...haha no longer!
works great for halloween costumes that just are not warm enough for halloween night. i wish i would have know about this when i was a kid, then i wouldn't have had to were a turtle neck under my belly dancer costume. i looked funny:)
and you can use the other pair as regular tights still, just capri style...i like those better anyway.
i layered mine with a random black dress i have and used the ribbon in my hair and around my neck.
pixie costume for basically free...depending on what you have already.
in case you couldn't tell, i was way into this one. i intend to make many more pairs and in fact may have found my new calling:) recycled pixie wings for everyone!!
cannot wait to see yours!
