Wings for Things!

You're in need of wings for...things! Like for wearing on your shoes, or your wrists, or maybe in your hair. This is an instructables on how I made some cheap-and-easy wings for my friend Oliver who wanted to go as his comic-book character, The Scout, for Halloween.

You will need:

- 2 8.5x11 craft foam sheets (get 'em at the dollar store)
- Mod Podge (or your other sealer of choice)
- Empty and clean large vinegar or milk container (or any large plastic container)
- Scissors
- Clamshell scissors (or exact-o knife and cutting board)
- Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
- White Pleather
- Weldbond (or other white glue of your choice)
- thin paintbrush
- Black Acrylic/Craft Paint

- Optional: Needle, Thread, Thimble (or sewing machine)

Cover your craft foam sheets with 4 coats of Mod Podge, letting the sheets dry between coats. Do one side, then the other - and you will also need to do the bare edge too (after cutting out the wings). You can also choose to cut out your wings first, then coat them completely.

You will need to cut out 10 wings: four out of craft foam, two out of plastic (from your vinegar/plastic container) and four out of white pleather.

You can make a template out of paper if you like, and trace it six times onto your materials, or just draw one wing on a piece of foam and use it as a template (and a wing).

I was able to fit two wings onto one piece of foam, and a wing on either side of a vinegar container (though it was a little small so I didn't have a complete wing).

The reason for doubling up on some of the pieces (and the purpose behind the plastic wing) is to give the wings a bit more bulk and durability.

Use clamshell scissors to cut out the plastic wings. If you don't have a pair of these scissors...get some! They are a valuable item to add to your itinerary and very useful on quests.



Thinking ahead, you'll need to attach your wings to things somehow, so at this point, you're going to take one left and one right pleather wing and attach some loops to them. Through these loops you can put shoelaces, wire, hair clips, the list is almost endless!
Taking some of your scrap, leftover pleather, cut out little rectangular pieces, and position them along the (good) side of your wings. Next sew (or glue if you do not have sewing materials) the two short sides of each of the rectangular pieces to the wings. Check the little illustrated diagrams to see exactly what I mean!

Now you get to glue all of your wing pieces together. They will be layered like this:
- Pleather Wing (good side out)
- Craft foam wing
- Plastic wing
- Craft foam wing
- Pleather wing

I glued my plastic and craft foam pieces together first (with hot glue) and then glued on the pleather wings (with Weldbond). I used both hot glue and white glue for the various sections of my wings, but I recommend using Weldbond for the entire project.

After your wings are fully assembled and the glue has dried, paint swirls (and/or an outline and/or feathers) onto one side of your (pleather) wings (onto the side without the sewn loops).

Seal your wings with Mod Podge.

Why all this sealing?! If you live in an area prone to rain, you want to make your projects somewhat waterproof (or at least water-resistant)

All you need to do now (after the paint swirls have dried) is put the wings on!
An easy way to attach them to shoes is simply threading a shoelace through the back loops and tying them around your shoe. You can make a more complicated contraption of sorts if you like...like one seen in the diagram I drew.

Enjoy your wings!