How to Make Wings for Your Child's Halloween Costume

Who hasn’t wanted wings at some point? With this tutorial, you can make a set of wings for your child for Halloween. It’s easy, and you don’t need a sewing machine to do it (although you could use one). If you choose a variety of fabrics, you can even make the wings colorful.

Select Your Fabrics

Select colorful fabrics for the wings. One way to get an idea of the colors you or the colors your child would like is to draw rough sketches and color them in different ways. 

Measuring and Cutting the Back Fabric

Measure your child from the armpit to the waist and from the armpit to the wrist. Each wing is like a quarter piece of a pie. The two measurements are for the straight edges of the “pie piece.” 

Use the measurements to make two paper templates. These two pie pieces together should make half a pie. Use these to cut the pair of wings from the backing fabric. When selecting this fabric, remember that the back piece will show when the child raises their arms. 

Making the Feathers

You’ll also need rows of “feathers.” Use the paper pie pieces as a guide for the strips on each wing. Cut fabric strips two inches wide for the feather rows. If you start with paper strips, you can use them as templates for the fabric. 

Cut a scallop pattern so that the bottom of the scallop is about two inches wide. The scallops should align from row to row.

You could make the scallops three inches to four inches. However, larger scallops mean less space (or fewer rows) for feathers. You probably shouldn’t go much smaller than two inches because the rows will need room to overlap.

Stack the strips in order so that when you attach them with a sewing machine or fabric glue, you know in which order to connect them. 

Assembling the Wings

Once you have all the fabric cut, attach them to the fabric back of one wing either with a sewing machine or fabric glue. Then do the other wing. Use a sewing machine or bias tape to attach the wings together. 

Attach a ribbon at the top of the wings to tie loosely around your child’s neck. Also, attach a ribbon at the end of each wing to tie around your child’s thumb. 

The wings are now ready for your child to don and soar! 

Contact GoldStar Tool for all your DIY craft supplies!