You can make practically anything with a little creativity and simple craft supplies! I made a phoenix costume for my daughter using sheer red fabric, strips of glitter tulle, ribbon and a hot glue gun. I created the phoenix’s wings and tail using flowing strips of colored fabric to represent feathers. Both my daughter and I love how this phoenix costume turned out. It’s so fun to work together to make something awesome out of scraps!
The amazing mythological creature known as the phoenix was on my mind because our family had recently watched some of the Harry Potter movies and the 2020 Disney live-action MULAN movie. The phoenix is a creature that inspires hope, courage, and innovation. At the end of its life, the phoenix is reborn by rising from the ashes. Whatever this metaphor means to you, there’s certainly always reasons for hope and perseverance in our own lives.
I think the idea behind the phoenix is pretty awesome!
To do this DIY kids phoenix costume justice, I wanted to use lots of warm colors and textures. I mixed varying widths of materials to give the phoenix wings and tail an ethereal design. To make this costume, you will likely use different materials than I did, but you could follow the same general design principles. You will need a variety of sheer fabric, ribbon, warm colors of felt, tulle, artificial maple leaves, 1/4 inch wide elastic, scissors, and a hot glue gun.
Materials:
- sheer red fabric
- red ribbon
- sparkle tulle (warm colors)
- red & orange felt
- 1/4 inch wide elastic
- scissors
- hot glue gun
- maple leaf garland
Create the Phoenix Tail & Wings
First, make the phoenix wings by cutting a length of fabric into connected strips. Measure the arm span of your child and cut the fabric long enough to span from wrist to wrist. The fabric I used to make the phoenix wings for my 8-year-old daughter was 45 in. long by 24 in. wide.
Cut the fabric widthwise into strips using wavy lines. Leave 6 inches uncut at the top of the fabric to keep the strips connected together. Cut the loose ends of the strips into points. The wavy cut lines will give the wings a fire-inspired design.
Next cut the phoenix tail, using the same method. I used a long piece of fabric and cut the strips lengthwise. The tail should be narrower than the wings, but extend past the bottom of the wings, about twice as long. Attach the tail to the wings at the back using the hot glue gun. Use parchment paper as a workspace. Apply a line of hot glue, and use a piece of parchment paper to press the fabric layers together, to prevent burning your fingers.
You can also sew the phoenix tail onto the wings, if you want to turn this no-sew tutorial into a sewing project!
Add Elastic Bands
Cut 4 lengths of 1/4 inch wide elastic that are long enough to go around your child’s arms and wrists. Hot glue the ends together to make elastic circles. Using the hot glue gun, attach the elastic bands along the top of the phoenix wingspan. Attach two bands at the ends of the wings to go around your child’s wrists, and two bands spaced out along the wingspan to go around your child’s arms near the shoulders. Use enough hot glue to secure the elastic bands in place on the fabric.
Decorate the Wings
Once you have the phoenix tail attached to the wings, it’s time to decorate! You can use long strips of tulle and ribbon in warm colors to embellish the tail. Cut out leaf and flame shaped pieces of felt and hot glue the pieces onto the ribbon and along the top of the wings. You can also glue on artificial maple leaves in vibrant colors. Be as creative as you’d like with this no-sew DIY phoenix kids costume!
Make a Matching Headband
Finally, you can design a matching phoenix-inspired headband using some of the same materials you used to make the wings and tail. Use a plain headband or length of elastic as the base. Tie on fabric, attach leaves, fall flowers, foliage-inspired accents and more. Use a hot glue gun to secure all the accents in place.
Make this DIY phoenix headband look fiery and vibrant with bright sheer fabric, tulle and artificial leaves.
Most importantly, have fun! This is a crafty project you can work on with your kid. My daughter helped design this phoenix costume and watched me do the finer detailing. After all, it takes some practice to effectively use a hot glue gun! She was absolutely thrilled with how this fun DIY kids phoenix costume came together in the end.
Pair these fiery wings with a simple tunic and fun leggings, and your child will be ready to fly!
Hi, I’m Katie! I live with my husband and 3 kids in beautiful Coeur d’Alane, Idaho. I love Jesus, coffee, DIY projects, photography, homeschooling my kids, traveling, and serving people. I’ve previously worked as a graphic designer, web designer, journalist and barista. I started Create. Play. Travel. to share some of our creative projects and family adventures. I hope you enjoy the highlights of our creative family life!
