Make Your Own Fairy Wings
The most essential thing to any fairy outfit, costume or persona is a pair of wings.
They can be large, small, simple, elaborate, plain or glittery. They can be sheer, feathers, scales, or skin.
Really, if you slap on a pair of wings with your every day clothes, you will find they do tend to put you in another realm. Fairy wings are good for costume parties, conventions, gatherings, festivals, happenings and rainy days.
This is the fairy outfit I put together for Pantheacon, an all-pagan convention that happens in San Jose, CA each President's Day weekend. It was comfortable and very fun to wear.
FairyLore
Gather inspiration to create your fairy self
You may be surprised to learn that there are more types of fairies in the world than you thought, or you may be aware and feel overwhelmed in trying to decide which type of fairy you are.
In essence, fairies are magical creatures with humanoid form, often relating to the land or the elements. They can be fictional, fantastical or absolutely real, depending on your preference. They tend to range in size from itsy-bitsy to rather small, and can be totally wild or live a sophisticated court life in fairy society. Fairies are helpful or mischievous as they themselves desire.
You can be your very own kind, made up of the bits that you like best. Take a look at lots of fairies and write down what sort of features and outfits you really like, and your fairy will soon reveal itself to you!
Types of Wings
what sort of fairy are you?
Fantasy fairies can have any kind of wings you can imagine.
- Angel wings - Large, fluffy white feather wings. The classic shape is like two arches over the shoulders with the wings folding down along the back.
- Bat wings - Black, skin-like wings. These are often made of fabric and attached down the arms to unfold and wrap with arm movements.
- Bird wings - These can vary to be feathered to match specific birds or can just be very feathery wings.
- Dragon wings - Larger than bat wings, these are often very leathery. In older dragons, they can have ripped edges or torn holes in them.
- Butterfly wings - Large or small, these are often bright and patterned.
- Moth wings - Rounder and paler than butterflies, these are often slightly translucent.
- Fantasy wings - Make your wings any combination of the above as you wish!
How To Make Your Own Fairy Wings!
Without too many supplies and a little effort, you can make your own fairy wings.
You can make your wings look exactly like a real butterfly, or you can make up your own colors and style. It's best to work out your design ahead of time, as that can save time and supplies when it comes down to the actual making part.
For making wings, you'll want:
- 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!
To start, bend the wire into the overall shape of your wings. You can make a figure eight with the wire, or two loops. Use the tape to fasten the loops and/or to fasten them to each other. This taped part is the "spine" of your wings so make sure it's strong but not too bulky. Pay attention to how big your wings get. If they are too wide, you'll have problems walking around. If the wings are too long, you'll have trouble sitting down when wearing them.
Once you get the basic wings assembled, you then cover them. If you got pantyhose, you cut each leg off and stretch it over the wires. Patterned or sparkly pantyhose can make the wings fancy. If you got sheer material, wrap and stitch the material onto the wing frame. Make sure to use the lightest material you can, so your wings don't get too heavy.
Next, add the straps for wearing. 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 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!
Then, once the wing shape is set and you can attach them to yourself, you can decorate them to your heart's content. Be careful again to not make the wings so decorated that they bend out of shape or make your upper back sore when you wear them. If you have wing decorations left over, a thin wooden dowel can easily be made into a matching fairy wand.
