How to Make Fairy Wings

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Obtain four to eight wire coat hangers.

   You can obtain them for free from your local dry cleaners, as they often recycle the hangers or even try to throw them away.
   
   Wire hangers with a clear, flexible coating are easier on the fingers when you bend them.
   
   To create four separate wings, you will need a minimum of four separate wire hangers.
   
   However, if you plan to make very rounded, hoop-like wings, it may be necessary to double up on the wire to keep your shapes sturdy; you will later be placing stockings over the wire structures, which may squeeze them into a more flattened form than you’d like.
   
   Alternatively, you can also buy thick wire. 16-gauge wire is the highest you should go; 12-gauge or lower will give you a stronger form to work with.
2. 2

   Step 2: Straighten the wire hangers.

   Straighten the hooks, unwrap the twisted spiral tops, stretch the wires into straight pieces, and flatten out kinks with pliers. , Use one wire for an elongated shape or two for a rounded one.
   
   Bend the wire into the desired shape and twist the ends together when you’re done, leaving some excess sticking out so that you can attach this to the other wings later.
   
   For inspiration, look at photos or illustrations of butterfly wings.
   
   You can also make dragonfly wings by just shaping them into long ovals. , Simply bend the wire into shape using the first wing as a guide.
   
   When you’re done, twist the ends together as before.
   
   If you only want to use one piece of wire for each wing, you can make both wings at the same time; if using two for each wing, however, do them separately, as bending four wires at once won’t be easy. , The lower wings should be smaller than the upper wings, which may mean that you need to shorten these wires. , First, place the wires that jut out at the end of each wing so that they overlap the wires of the surrounding wings; you may need to do some additional bending to make this work.
   
   Then, secure the various wires together either by wrapping and tying them very firmly with string or by duct-taping them.
   
   Don’t worry too much about how your central wire hub ends up looking, as you will cover it later. , The stockings fabric will form the wing material, so choose a color/pattern that achieves the look you’re going for (though you can also decorate the fabric later if desired).
   
   Simply feed a wing into the stocking, stretch it to the center, cut it to the necessary length, grab the open end on either side, and tie it over the center of the wire.
   
   Repeat with the other three wings.
   
   Note that stretching a stocking over the wing form may distend the shape; simply pull the wire back into the original shape after you’ve tied the stocking off. (The tighter you pull the stocking, the more the wire wing shape will flatten.) , Since these will be used to tie the wings on, make sure they not only match the stockings, but are also long enough to tie around the torso (i.e. around each shoulder, in an X over the chest, etc. depending on the desired look). , Be sure to orient the knots inward (i.e. toward the spine) so that the wings will tie on easily. , For example, you can spray paint the edges, paint designs on the centers, paint the front and back sides differently, paint the top and bottom wings differently, or any combination thereof.
   
   You can also apply glue with a paintbrush and sprinkle glitter over the paint for a shimmery look.
   
   If you’d prefer angel wings, add feathers.
   
   This can be done by attaching store-bought feathers to the wings with a strong glue; simply place a dab of glue where you’d like a feather, then stick the tip of the feather through the glue and into the stocking for a tight hold.
   
   Start from the bottom so that the next row of feathers will cover the quills of the row beneath it.
   
   Place longer feathers on the bottom and shorter feathers on the top of the most realistic effect.
   
   Note that you will have to feather both sides of each wing to make them look complete.
3. 3

   Step 3: Shape the first upper wing.

4. 4

   Step 4: Shape the second upper wing.

5. 5

   Step 5: Repeat Steps 3 and 4 with the lower wings.

6. 6

   Step 6: Connect the four wings at the center.

7. 7

   Step 7: Stretch and tie the leg of a stocking over each wing.

8. 8

   Step 8: Cut two long pieces of a wide ribbon.

9. 9

   Step 9: Tie each ribbon around the center of the wings.

10. 10

    Step 10: Decorate the wings if desired.

Detailed Guide

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