Butterfly Costume

I’ve made a butterfly inspired costume. It took a lot of time to complete but I think it's worth it. 😊😊

yarn

lots of fabric glue

red fabric or felt (size depending on how big you want the wings on the skirt)

Paint for dying(optional)

blow dryer(optional)

fabric marker

black fabric (size depending on how big you want the wings on the skirt)

2 yards of glittery black tulle

2 yards black tulle

2 yards red tulle

hot glue

black bike shorts

red leotard

glass sewing beads

upholstery needles

sewing needles

yarn

thread

9 gauge black wire

black boots

crochet butterflies (optional)

I am horrible at knitting and crocheting for sure. No doubt about it. But I love the look and I wanted a way to achieve this look without the complicated steps using fabric glue and yarn.

I drew the butterfly wings on an old white tee-shirt, but I recommend drawing it on red felt to avoid white spaces showing behind the yarn. Make sure it's the length of a skirt. Cut the wings out but leave a space around it so that the gluing process is easier.

Decide what color you want for your butterfly wings. I decided on a black outline with red in the middle. Pinterest is a great source of inspiration. If you don't like any of the colored yarn offered in stores I recommend dying your own. I purchased a pretty bulky amount of white yarn and dipped it into fabric dye. An alternative to fabric dye is a mixture of paint and water. The drying process is slow, but a handy blow dryer and determination can get you far.

Glue your (selected color) yarn onto your outlines. Examples are shown above. When you complete the outline fill the inside with your (second selected color) yarn. Examples above. This takes up a majority of the project time. I got discouraged multiple times, but the end product was worth it.

Use a paint pen or marker to fill in any white spaces between the yarn. If you used felt skip this step. If your yarn isn't vibrant enough go over it with a marker or paint. You can also glue colored fabric to the back of the wings or glue yarn in the same design to the back.

Cut out five butterfly wings in black fabric. I used a dull scissors so that the edges frayed. You can print picture two and trace it on the fabric

Cut out wings from tulle using the photos above as references. The more you make, the bigger your skirt will be so keep that in mind.

Use short black bike shorts. Glue your wings on in layers. First glue on 3/4ths of the tulle wings on your fabric. Pic 2 for reference. Next glue 3/4 of the black wings to the pants. Pic 3 for reference. Next glue the yarn wings around the pants. Use the last 1/4 of the tulle and black wings to fill in any empty spaces. Pic 4 is the final product.

First, draw a butterfly in your desired location on the leotard. You can print the picture above and trace it. Repeat the instructions above until your butterfly is fully beaded.

Trace branches on both sleeves like the ones shown above. My inspiration came from the second picture.

Pictures 3 - 8 shows how to sew with yarn. I used a heavy-duty upholstery needle. Unfortunately, this doesn't leave much room for mistakes because it leaves holes in the fabric.

At the end of each branch, I sewed glass beads on. Look at the previous instruction on how to sew beads.

Follow the instructions above. Continue until you reach the end of the collar. Picture 7 is the final product.

Follow the steps above.

Measure and cut a piece of tulle that's as long as your outstretched arms.

Mark the middle and sew it into the middle of the back of the leotard.

Tie the ends to rubber bands that can fit around your wrist.

Glue a strip of black yarn to yarn butterflies. I made these butterflies by sewing embroidering yarn into fabric. You can tie it to your arm leg neck (choker) or wrist (bracelet).

Tie a bow with yarn and glue them to black boots.

I had alot of fun making this and i hope you did to.

thanks 😊:)