DIY No-Sew Butterfly Wings

Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year simply because I LOVE to make our costumes! I'll be honest, I usually have our family costume planned out by June - don't judge me! This year is even sweeter because our neighbors' 9 year old granddaughter asked me to help with hers! We came up with a plan together for a butterfly costume. I put her in charge of finding the fabric she wanted to use for the wings. I was expecting [wishing for] bold colors and dramatic patterns, so I was a little disappointment when she showed me her white fabric with delicate muted butterflies and flowers. She also chose not to paint or dye the fabric, BUT I embraced her vision for an ethereal white butterfly.

Now that the wings are finished, I. AM. IN. LOVE! They are so elegant and chic! No matter if you are going for a burst of color or a more understated winged creature, this tutorial will help you easily whip up a pair of wings in no time.

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what you need

• large rectangle of fabric the length of the person's wingspan (measure wrist to wrist)

• scissors

• washable marker (make it's a color you can see when you use it on your fabric)

• hot glue gun

• 2 pieces of elastic or hair ties. (you could also use thin ribbon in a pinch)

• matching top and bottom in the color you wish your butterfly body to be. a dark color works well to let your wings stand out. Old Navy always has affordable gender neutral sweat sets you can wear again

• ribbon - enough to wrap around the waist and tie in a bow - and ideally the same color as the clothing you will be wearing for the body of the butterfly

• fabric paint, fabric markers, puffy paint, anything your heart desires to make your wings fly!

How to make it

Fold your piece of fabric in half width wise. Use your marker to sketch out your wings. Generally, wings have 2 "bumps" to them - a top and bottom. (forgive my lack of scientific terminology) Make sure the top "bump" is as wide as your piece of fabric - this is where you will attach the wings to each wrist.

Cut out and unfold. Try to cut inside your marker line so that you don't have marker on the final product. Lay your wings with the right side of the fabric facing down.

Find the center of the fabric and pinch it together. Wrap a short piece of ribbon around the cinched area and tightly knot it. Trim the edges of the ribbon.

Measure 2 pieces of elastic to fit snuggly around the wrist and glue together to make 2 loops (hair ties save you a step here!)

Using hot glue, attach an elastic loop to the outermost edge of each of the top wing "bumps."

Place the elastics on each wrist and extend arms to check the fit.

Wrap the ribbon around the waist and secure around the cinched center of the wings. Tie in a bow.

And there you have it! My little butterfly chose to wear a navy top and leggings, so I was stoked to find this gorgeous navy stain ribbon in my stash! To add antennae, simply hot glue pompoms to pipe cleaners and wrap around a headband.

I can't wait to see my butterfly friend flutter by our house on Halloween! What's your costume this year? I'll be sharing my family's costume in a future post!

Let me know what you think and if you have any questions! Also feel free to let me know what kinds of tutorials you'd like to see in the future! Make sure to follow along on Instagram for more easy DIYs, home styling tips and a peek inside our every day life!

xoxo, L

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