How to Make a Gargoyle Dragon Bat Wings Costume

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Things You'll Need

  • Long-sleeved shirt

  • Fabric

  • Needle and thread

  • Scissors

  • 6 wire coat hangers

  • Wire cutter

  • Electrical tape

Image Credit: Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images

When Halloween rolls around, people get to pretend they're whoever they want to be, including, sometimes, creatures with wings. Gargoyles, bats and dragons are popular Halloween ideas, but making a set of convincing wings for these creatures can be a problem. Fortunately, with a little guidance, they can be pretty easy to put together, with some things you likely have in your house. The only thing you need to do is choose the right fabrics: green or red for dragons, black for bats and stone gray for gargoyles.

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Step 1

Lay out the long-sleeved shirt on your work surface with the arms pointed up.

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Step 2

Measure and cut two semi-circular pieces of fabric that extend from the end of the sleeve to the bottom of the shirt. The circle should be at least as wide as the sleeve is long.

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Step 3

Sew the pieces together. Try the shirt on and see if the wings open easily and correctly, then lay the shirt out on the work surface again.

Step 4

Cut the wire coat hangers to make pieces that extend from the armpit to the edge of the fabric. Straighten out the wire as much as possible. You need a total of six pieces.

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Step 5

Lay the wires out across the wings to form the bones inside the wings. Place them so they all meet at the armpit, and are spread out evenly around the semi-circular edge.

Step 6

Use electrical tape to stick the wires to the wings. Make a wide, even splash of tape to hold the wings down. Reinforce the tape around the tops and bottoms of the wires so they don't poke out and injure people.

Step 7

Cut scalloped shapes out of the wings, inverted arcs between the pieces of wire.

Tip

You can easily make ears using pieces of felt folded into cones. These ears will work well for all three of the costumes discussed here. To make a more detailed costume, try using two colors of fabric: a darker upper layer, and a lighter underside layer. Make the upper layer match the color of the shirt, and the lower layer will be on the front of the fabric. You will need to sew them together after Step 6. If you want to make removable wings, sew Velcro to the shirt and the wings instead of attaching them directly.

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