How to: Fairy Wings

I've made a couple sets of fairy wings on here now, so I thought I'd post a how to.

Supplies:
-12g-14g wire. preferrably galvanized steel, but some aluminum ones will work too



Assuming you read this blog on a regular basis, you'll remember that i had a problem on my first pair of wings with the aluminum wire being too soft. I made the second pair of wings out of a different brand of aluminum wire (pictured) which is harder and holds its shape better than the other brand i had.

 -Fabric (for the purpose of this tutorial, i use sheer woven synthetics)
-Tacky Glue
-A Lighter (preferrably the kind you use for candles, not the kind that burn your fingers if you hold them too long)
-Glitter paint

How to:

Step 1- Choose your design. It helps to make a paper or cardboard pattern

This is a pattern for some kid's wings

Step 2- Form your wire frames for each wing segment

Step 3-coat both sides of the wire frames in tacky glue

Step 4- Lay the glue covered frame on fabric, and fold it over so it's sandwiched and sticking

Step 5- Cut out the wing segments

Step 6- Use a lighter to melt the extra fabric around the frame

Step 7-Paint glittery patterns and melt any holes you'd like to add.

My holes aren't great on the purple set because i used a high-powered grill lighter and it wasn't cooperating. You may want to use a match for the internal holes. It helps to cut them out, stick the lighter up through and then carefully melt.

Step 8-Attach tops to bottoms and then the two halves. I like clear electrical tape for this


In this picture, I had the bottom halves upside down. Whoops!

Step 9- Decide how you want the wings to be worn. If you'd like strapless wings (worn down the back of a bra or corset), add a sturdy u-shape loop of wire to the center joint and wrap sharp edges with electrical tape(like the white wings at the top of the page). If you want straps, you can wait until you're finished and tie a long ribbon to either side of the middle joint.

Step 10- Wrap the center joint with ribbon, or conceal by gluing flowers. Position wings. Add ribbon straps if desired.

Week 9

Fairy wings have a metal frame, and I enjoy making them, so they totally fall into the category of glass or metal. :)

I made these purple wings with a little head circlet for my niece, Lily. Her little sisters are turning 2 this week and will be getting LOTS of presents (I know I bought too many, and I am not their only aunt...), and I figure it never hurts to have your own cool new thing as a toddler.




Other things I did this week:
-fixed Bob's favorite jeans
-Altered a dress that I ordered online a long time ago that I thought would be totally cute, and then it came and looked waaaay too much like a nightgown for public wear. I took the sleeves off and turned it into a halter dress
-Also, more peel-n-stick nail polish!!! This is incoco brand, and I like it better than the Sally Hansen salon effects.

Year 2: Week 6

Not a whole lot this week. I was sick with some stomach thingy most of the week, managed to enjoy the fairie festival today, and cut my finger- that is to say it was a pretty typical week in the life of Samantha...

At the beginning of the week, I did embark on a fun little project involving metal, so i'm going to say it counts.

(photographed at an angle as they would be on a back-ie not flat)

This is the second time I've attempted making my own fairie wings- the first time the wire was too springy to hold the shape I wanted, and this time it was too soft. The wings themselves actual do hold their shape fairly well but they droop a bit when worn. I did whack the frame with a hammer repeatedly, but i just don't know how tempered aluminum gets. I feel like I got a pretty good grip on the process though so now I just need to find the right wire. I feel like copper might be a possibility, or maybe one of those wires that's actually several wires twisted together, thin enough to be malleable, but containing enough bends to be sturdy. We'll see.