This set of bird wings is easy to make and requires minimal sewing. They'll have your kids flying for Halloween and all year long.
To make the wings of the birds, you must first find out the wingspan. To do this, have your child stand with their arms outstretched. Measure the distance from one finger to the other side. This will be her “outstretched arm”. Then measure the distance between her shoulders; this will be the "shoulder room". To give you an idea of size, my daughter is 4, she has a 42" wingspan and a 9 1/2" shoulder hitch.
Lay your piece of felt or fleece flat on a work surface. If you are using a cutting mat, you can do this with the fabric folded in half so that all of the fabric can fit on the cutting mat. Cut the fabric to the width of the wing span x 15" long. If you are cutting with your fabric at the fold, like I did, then divide the wing span measurement in half and cut a piece of fabric that is in the fold by the middle of the wing span x 15" long.
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Image 2
If your fabric was cut at the previous fold, keep it that way. If not, fold it at this time. From the outer raw edges, cut the sides of an arc, bringing the ends of the rectangle to a point (Image 1). Unfold the fabric. You should have an eye-shaped piece (Image 2).
Cut the elastic into two 10" strips and two 4" strips. Place the two 10" pieces in the center of the fabric, tucking them into your shoulder space (ours was 9 1/2"). Pin in place on the raw (cut) edges of the elastic pieces to secure the flap fabric. Sew the elastic using a straight stitch, making a small rectangle around the edges of each piece of elastic to secure. Remember that you are not sewing the entire piece of elastic down, just the edges of the fabric.
Place the two 4” elastic strips on each alternate side of the wing flap fabric. Sew these pieces to the brim fabric in the same way as the shoulder straps.
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Image 2
Flip the fabric over so that the elastic is facing down. Apply hot glue to a small area (Image 1) then press the feather boas on top of the hot glue; Press firmly to secure. Be careful, the glue is hot. Hot glue dries fast, so it's best to work in small sections. Continue gluing boas on until the fabric is completely covered (Image 2).
Simply slip your child's arms into the elastic and they're ready to fly. The wings can be easily hung in the closet so they are ready to use at any time.
