Butterfly Crafts

When you think of butterflies you probably think of spring, but don't let that stop you from displaying them any time. These versatile crafts are great every day of the year and can be utilized in any room in your home or given as gifts.

Jean Butterfly Pillow

If you are looking for a quick, inexpensive activity for a girl's birthday party or sleepover, then a jean butterfly pillow could be just the right project. This craft is suitable for pre-teens and teenagers as long as they have the motor skills necessary to handle a hot glue gun safely. If not, adult supervision is required.

Things You Will Need

• Blue jeans, adult-size
• Ruler
• Scissors
• Straight pins
• Embroidery needle and floss
• Stuffing
• Craft wire
• Wire cutters
• Hot glue gun
• 1 1/2" wood ball

What To Do

1. At the crotch, cut off the legs from a pair of adult-size blue jeans. Cutting along the edge of the inner flat-felled seams, open each leg.
2. Open the legs and lay flat on your work surface. Cut two 14" squares with the other seam in the center of each square.
3. Stack the squares together with the right sides facing out. Match up the center seams and the edges of the squares. Pin the squares together.
4. Using an embroidery needle and floss, sew a running stitch around all four sides of the square 1/4" from the edge. Leave the last 4" unstitched. Lightly stuff the pillow. Continue the running stitch to close. Knot and fasten off.

   

5. Position the pillow with the center seam running from top to bottom. Approximately 1/3 of the way up, use your hands to gather from one side to the other. Secure the gather at the center using craft wire. Gather from top to bottom along the center seam in the same way. Secure with craft wire. The larger wing sections are the top of the butterfly.
6. Cut along both long edges of one flat-felled seam from the jean legs. Wrap the jean seam around the horizontal gathers and hot glue to secure on the back of the pillow. Trim off the excess. Wrap the remainder of the seam around the vertical center of the butterfly and hot glue in the back to secure. Embellish the pillow as desired. Note: The watch pocket from the jeans was hot glued to the pillow in the example.

   

7. Hot glue a 1 1/2" wood ball to the top-center of the butterfly, between the wing sections.
8. Cut two 1 3/4" lengths from belt loops. Hot glue them to the top of the head for the antennae.

Butterfly Tie Back

Even the smallest accents to a room's decor can add a big punch. This easy butterfly tie back is romantic enough for a bedroom, yet subtle enough for any room in your home. This craft is suitable for ages 10 and up, but adult supervision may be needed when using the glue gun.

Things You Will Need

• 2 1/2" wood hearts, two
• 3" wood hearts, two
• Old book page or sheet music
• Mod Podge
• Paintbrush
• Scissors
• Nail file
• Hot glue gun
• White floral wire
• Wire cutters
• Ruler
• 4 1/2" craft stick
• 2" mini craft stick, painted or raw
• 1 yd ribbon, any width desired

What To Do

1. Place a book page face down on your work surface. Apply a thin layer of Mod Podge to one side of each wood heart. Turn over and press onto the page. Carefully turn the page over with the hearts attached. Using your fingers, firmly press the page over the hearts. Smooth out bubbles as you press. Allow the Mod Podge to dry.
2. Cut the hearts apart. Using a nail file, sand along the edges of each heart to remove the excess paper and provide a crisp smooth edge.
3. Using the photo as a reference, hot glue the two smaller hearts together at the points. Repeat for the two larger hearts. Hot glue the larger hearts over the smaller hearts. This is your butterfly shape.
4. Turn the butterfly over. Apply hot glue to one side of a 4 1/2" craft stick. Place the stick across the back of the butterfly.
5. Fold a 36" length of ribbon in half to find the center. Apply hot glue to the craft stick. Place the center of the ribbon over the craft stick.

   

6. Turn the butterfly over with the front facing up. Cut a 3" length of white craft wire using wire cutters. Fold the wire into a "V". Using needle-nose pliers, curl each end of the "V" to form the antennae. Hot glue the bottom of the antennae just below the gap between the top wing sections. Apply hot glue to the back of a mini craft stick and place over the bottom of the antennae and the center of the butterfly.

   

Chairback Butterfly Wings

Chairback butterfly wings are wonderful decorations for a child's birthday party or spring tea gathering, but available colors and price can make it difficult to acquire the amount you desire, especially if you would like to send them home with your guests as party favors. Make your own using hangers and lace fabric. This project is suitable for ages 10 (with adult assistance) and up.

Things You Will Need

• 2 wire clothes hangers, white
• Wire cutters
• Needle-nose pliers
• Craft wire
• Duct tape
• 1 1/2 yds lace fabric or lace curtain panel
• Ruler
• Scissors
• 6" wide tulle ribbon, 5 yds
• Safety pins

What To Do

1. Using your hands and pliers, shape two white, wire clothes hangers into circles. Remove the hooks using wire cutters.
2. Lay one hanger on your work surface. Place your hand directly across from the neck of the hanger. Move your hand two fingers to the right. Push the circle toward the neck. Use pliers to bend the wire at the neck. This will form two oval-shaped wings. One oval will be bigger than the other. Repeat with the remaining hanger.
3. Place your wing sections together and overlap the necks. Wrap duct tape around the necks to attach the wing sections.

   

4. Cut four 20" squares and one 4" x 40" strip from lace fabric or a lace curtain panel.
5. Lay one lace square on your work surface. Place one oval wing in the center of the square. Fold the lace over the oval and gather at the bend next to the center of the butterfly. Wrap the gathers with craft wire to secure. Trim away the excess lace next to the craft wire, leaving about 1". Repeat with the other wing sections using the remaining lace squares.
6. Determine which side will be the front of your butterfly. Using a safety pin, pin one end of the lace strip to the back of the body. Wrap the body vertically and then horizontally to cover the gathered ends of the wing sections. Pin the end of the strip to the back of the body.

   

7. Cut two 2 1/2 yard lengths from 6" wide tulle ribbon. Holding both lengths together. Wrap around the center of the butterfly and tie into a large bow. Fluff and arrange the bow as desired.
8. Pin or tie the wings to a chairback.

Recycled Crafting

Wait! Don't throw that out! Each of these crafts uses recycled supplies, which make them very cost effective for making multiples. Re-using and repurposing materials is a fantastic way to give discarded things a new and beautiful life, while keeping them out of landfills that are already overflowing.