Ever since my mother-in-law and I made the set of bird wings for Immy’s dress up collection, it has been on my mind to make a bird beak mask to complete the ensemble, after all I am always looking for easy-to-make handmade costumes to add to our dress up wardrobe.
This one was quick and easy to make, with very limited sewing that can easily be done by hand. Of course, if you need a less permanent version for a costume, you could easily use cardboard instead of fabric.
How to Make a Bird Beak Mask
You will need:
- A print out of the bird mask pattern. Available to download and print here.
- One piece of fabric in your choice of colour suitable for the base of the mask
- One piece of fabric suitable for the beak
- Scraps of fabric to cut into feather shapes
- Child friendly PVA glue
- (Optional) Iron on interfacing – enough to back your mask and beak shapes
- A stretch fabric headband or length of wide elastic
To make:
1. Print out the mask pattern, cut out, trace around base and beak pattern pieces onto your selected fabric. Cut out pieces from fabric.
2. To stiffen the base and beak fabric either;
- Paint the reverse side of the fabric with child friendly PVA glue and allow to dry. Repeat. Or
- Iron interfacing (cut to shape) onto the reverse of the fabric.
3. Cut out small leaf shapes from fabric scraps and glue all over the front of the base with child friendly PVA. I left a space where the beak would be attached to make stitching it into position easier.
4. Lightly press (with a cool iron) the beak along the dotted lines as shown on the pattern pieces.
5. Stitch the beak into position onto the mask base.
6. Cut the stretch headband in half. Measure the circumference of your child’s head and subtract the width of your mask from this measurement – this is the length of stretch fabric (or elastic) that you will need to form the strap that goes across the back of your child’s head. Cut your headband fabric (or elastic) to size and then stitch one end to each side of the mask base.
And if you haven’t yet, don’t forget your little bird will need their very own set of wings to fly away home 🙂
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- Simple Dress Up or Birthday Crown
- Is imaginative play just a waste of time?
- Dramatic Play in Our Home Corner Play Space
Christie Burnett is an early childhood teacher, presenter, writer and the editor of Childhood 101. More importantly, she is a Mum who believes wholeheartedly in the value of children learning through play, the importance of quality early education, and the togetherness of family.
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