Guest Author - Teresa Greene

No fairy costume is complete without the wings. Large or small, they are not too difficult to make, and are usually the favorite piece of the fairy costume. They can be simple and sheer, or elaborate with detailed decorations. The instructions given here are for a simple version of wings that will work well for children and can be adapted for adults.

First, gather all the supplies you will need, and read all the directions thoroughly:

• 16 gauge steel galvanized wire
• medium-duty wire cutters
• white duct tape (silver is fine if you can’t find white)
• white or colored pantyhose (no support hose—not stretchy enough)
• Scissors
• Sewing needle and white thread
• 1 inch wide colored satin ribbon
• Glitter or diamond dust and other decorative elements
• Spray adhesive

To begin, cut a length of wire approximately seven feet long. This will give you smallish-to-medium size wings. If you want larger wings, or wings with swallow tails or other features, cut the wire longer.

Fold the wire in half, crossing the wires over one another to form a small loop. Put the loop on the top, with the wire ends trailing below it.

Make a bend in each wire about 2-3 inches below the loop so that the wires overlap each other. You should have formed a triangle shape with a loop on the point.

Using the duct tape, wrap the two pieces of wire that form the bottom of the triangle together. This forms the piece that will lie against the wearer’s back and support the structure of the wings.

To form the wings, bend each wire into a large loop. Use the duct tape to tape the ends of the wire together to form the circle. Bend each circle to shape the wings as you please.

Cut the legs off of the panty part of the pantyhose. Stretch one leg over one side of the wings and the other leg over the other side. Make sure the hose fit tightly over the framework.

Using the needle and thread, sew the legs together where they meet in the middle of the wings, over the triangle part of the frame.

Decorate the wings as you like using the adhesive spray to lightly coat the wings with glue, then sprinkle glitter or diamond dust to give a fairy-like shimmer. Continue to embellish the wings with decorative jewels, feathers, ribbons and the like until you are happy with the way they look.

Thread the satin ribbon through the loop at the top of the triangle. Lay the wings against the wearer’s back and bring the ends of the ribbon over the shoulders. Wrap them around the shoulders and under the arms to the back. Thread the ends of the ribbon through the triangle and bring back around the wearer’s waist to the front, keeping the right side of the ribbon on the right side of the body, and the left side of the ribbon on the left side of the body. Do not cross the ribbons in the back when you thread them through the triangle. Bring the ribbon ends to the front and tie in a bow. This should keep the wings in place, and keep them from riding up too high on the wearer’s back. Ta-dah!