How to Make Angel and Fairy Wings

There are many crafts which require the use of fairy or angel wings, but to purchase them at a craft store, be prepared to pay top dollar for the delicate creations. There’s no need to throw your money away on expensive wings for your crafts, though. You can make the wings yourself using old knee hi’s and craft wire. Your fairies and angels will look just as beautiful as if they were wearing the expensive craft store wings.

The type of wire you use for the wings must be very pliable yet hold its shape when positioned the way you want. There’s no particular pattern for fairy and angel wings. Copy the design of a butterfly’s wings, shape the wings like feathers, or make your own design. Bend and shape the wire until it is in the design you like, according to the particular craft you’re doing.

Before attaching the wings to the craft lay them on a knee-hi and draw a pattern. Cut the knee-hi slightly larger than the wire shape to make it easier to glue. Spread glue onto the wire wing shapes then lay the knee-hi shape on the wire. Allow to dry well. When the glue is dry trim the knee-hi very close to the wire.

Knee-hi’s have a tendency to wrinkle after laundering but there’s a trick you can use to flatten the nylon stocking and make it appear smooth and wrinkle-free. Lay the stocking out on a flat surface, cover with a wash cloth or hand towel, then iron. The iron should never touch the nylon stocking but should just be used on the towel. Reach under and stretch the stocking out while ironing and it’ll come out smooth and perfect for crafting angel wings.

After you’ve attached the nylon stocking to the craft wire you can use all sorts of things to decorate the wings. Sequin will give a real sparkle to the wings. They can be stitched on by hand but it’s much simpler to glue them on instead. Glitter is another way to give angel or fairy wings lots of bling. Simply spread white glue onto the stocking and sprinkle with glitter. Cover the wire with glitter as well, or just cover the stocking and leave the wire as a border.

Glitter paints make it even easier to add elegance to fairy and angel wings. Squirt some of the paint onto a piece of paper and use a small paint brush to spread it onto the nylon wings. Glitter paints come in gold, silver, white, blue and other colors that are perfect for any angel or fairy craft.

Instead of nylon stockings you can also use a piece of lace that has been trimmed to fit the wing shaped wire. You can also shape the wire then attach white feathers to the wire to serve as wings. Contact cement works great for attaching the feathers.

If you’re tired of paying high prices for delicate angel wings, pay no more. Try one of these techniques and you’ll be impressed with how beautiful the wings look on your fairy or angel craft.