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Country living, DIY, & a Dash of Fun!

DIY Strapless Costume Wings


DIY Strapless Costume Wings-Video


DIY Strapless Costume Wings

If you’ve ever worn costume wings, you’ll know that after a while of wearing them the straps that wrap around your shoulders to hold the wings up, get pretty uncomfortable (and they don’t make the costume look very realistic).

Well it’s your lucky day because I’m going to show you a way to finally wear those big, awesome wings and ditching those annoying arm straps altogether!  Oh, and you can simply remove your wings, or put them back on whenever you want in just seconds!

Here are some wings that I wore last year.  The wings were BIG and GORGEOUS but would have been really uncomfortable wearing those dreadful arm straps to hold up the wings for hours on end!  Thankfully I didn’t have to and I was able to show off those magnificent wings the whole night without any discomfort from any arm straps!!!

 

The wings look SO realistic without the straps and I was able to move my arms around freely!

By the way, if you’re wondering where I got these awesome looking wings, (or for a huge assortment of other types of wings) I ordered them Here

 


DIY Strapless Costume Wings-Tutorial

This is how everything works:

Here is what the inside of the corset looks like without the wings attached.  Two pockets are sewn discretely into the inside.  Two hooks that hook to the wings are inserted into each pocket, securing the wings in place

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This is how everything looks when the wings are attached.  Each hook is inserted through the base of each wing strap (the wing straps are normally used to hold the wings up by wrapping around your shoulders) Then each hook is inserted into each pocket on the inside of the corset.

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Tools:

  • Sewing machine & thread (you could hand sew everything but it will take longer)
  • Two pairs of pliers (for bending and making the metal hooks)
  • Hacksaw (for cutting metal rod to make hooks)
  • Grinder (to make tip of hook smooth)
  • Scissors (for cutting the felt)

Supplies:

  1. Corset-or some kind of tight fitting, stiff piece of clothing that wraps around your torso (if you are a guy)
  2. Costume Wings (I bought mine Here)
  3. Sheet of felt (the same color as your corset)
  4. 2 sturdy metal hooks (I made mine out of a 3/16in diameter 3ft steel rod that I simply bent at one end to make the hook. I bought the steel rod at Home Depot)

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Make your hooks.  With the 3/16 metal rod,  cut two 7in long pieces with a hacksaw.  Using your pliers, bend the last inch of each rod back down so it makes a hook, then grind down the bottom tip smooth so it will slide into the pocket easily.  I spray painted mine white to match the outfit.

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Locate where the elastic straps are on your wings.  Normally, these straps are supposed to wrap around your shoulders to hold up the wings…but not anymore! 😉

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Make a small hole at the base of each strap for each hook to go through

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Put your corset on.  Have someone hold the wings up to your back and mark with a pin where each hole you just made (in each wing strap) hits the top of your corset.  This is where you will want your hook pockets to sit

Make the hook pockets:

For each hook pocket you will need to cut 3 strips of felt.  To cushion the hook from poking my back I used 3 pieces instead of two, but you can decide what is best for you.  The WIDTH should be no wider than 1 1/4in, but the LENGTH will vary depending on how long your corset is.  I made my pocket lengths at  11 3/4in

The 1st and 2nd piece will be combined to make the pocket thick on the side that will be in contact with your skin.  This keeps your back cushioned and comfortable from the hook

Sew them together

Now combine thick piece with last thinner piece

Sew them together, leaving the top open so it makes a pocket.

Now make your other pocket following the steps you did for your first one.  You should have two pockets when you’re done that your hooks can slide into.

Take the laces off your corset, and open it up so it’s facing down.  You should be looking at the inside of it.

Find the marks where the holes you made (in the base of the wing straps) touched the back of the corset when you first tried it on.  Place the THINNER side of each pocket down against the corset and the THICKER side of each pocket facing up and away from the corset, so that your skin will come into contact with the thicker side while wearing the corset.  Sew each pocket into place.

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And here is the finished product!  It’s easier to first put on your corset and then have someone help you attach the wings. The excess part of the wing strap can either be cut off or just tuck it into your corset when you have it on.

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8 Comments

  1. tyler durden

    wow corsets are not just fun to look at you can hang stuff on them as well.

    • Tee

      Ahahahaha…I guess I can’t argue with that one Tyler, they are definitely multipurpose! LOL

  2. I would like to say that you are F’in awesome!!!! I have been trying to figure out how to make my wings and attach them without ruining my corset. Your plan is genius!!! Thank you SO much for sharing.

    • Tee

      LOL…Thank you Tiff! Ya I know what you mean, I spent like $70 on my white corset and there was no way I was going take a chance on ruining it! 😉

  3. Lina

    Where could I find a corset like that one for a little bit cheaper? You see I’m a Cosplayer and I loved your way of attatching the wings to the corset but I just realized my corset isn’t going to work for what I’m trying to do. Do you have any suggestions on where I can purchase a similar corset to yours for cheaper by any chance? If you don’t that’s fine, I’m just wondering.

    • Tee

      Hi Lina!

      Oh yes, you can find REALLY affordable corsets that would work just fine HERE
      The only reason mine cost a little more was because I bought mine at Fredricks, they tend to be a little more pricey LOL Good luck with your costume and I’d love to see a pic once you get it all together! You can download pics in my comment section now! Fun! 😉

  4. Deborah

    Thanks for the wonderful instructions! I found a white corset at a thrift store for 15.00! I work for a dental team and teach kids as a tooth-fairy. My wings flop around and the kids are always pointing out my straps. So attaching them to a corset is a great idea for securing them and fooling those smarty little ones.
    Thanks again!

    • Tee

      AWWWW!! What a cool thing to do for the kids!!! I wish the tooth fairy had visited me at the dentist when I was a kid 🙂 I’m so glad you liked the tutorial!

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