Some time ago we went to a birthday party and in the party bag we took home a cardboard butterfly mask which Immy loves. Being cardboard however, it wasn’t long in the hands of a toddler before it looked somewhat worse for wear!
I decided to use the cardboard version as the template to make a felt butterfly mask for Immy’s dress up box. I decided to use felt so it felt soft on the face and I knew it would be durable. It really was very simple to make – and if you are not up to the sewing (though it is really very simple hand sewing), you could try a glue gun instead.
How to Make a Butterfly Mask For Kids
You will need:
- One square of felt in your choice of base colour
- Felt in contrasting colours for decorating and head strap
- Sequins and beads for decorating
- A needle and thread
- Elastic- I used 1.2 centimetre wide elastic
- Iron on fusible webbing
To make:
1. Cut TWO basic mask shapes from the base colour felt.
2. Cut one mask shape from the fusible webbing.
3. Decorate one of the base mask pieces by hand sewing into place contrasting felt shapes, sequins and beads. You could also use fabric paint to decorate. This will form the front of the mask.
4. To make a strap to secure the mask around the head: Measure the circumference of your child’s head, subtract the width of the butterfly mask and then add on 3 centimetres. Cut a length of felt which is this length. The width should be double the width of your elastic plus one centimetre. Fold felt in half and then stitch along long edge with 1/2 centimetre seam allowance. Turn tube right side out. I used a safety pin attached to one end and pushed it through the middle of the tube to do this.
5. Thread elastic through the tube. Again, I used a safety pin, this time attached to the end of the elastic, to push the elastic through. So that the mask fits snugly, cut the elastic slightly shorter than the felt strap.
6. Sew the strap securely to the second felt butterfly.
7. Place the fusible webbing between the two felt mask pieces and iron the two butterflies together. Be careful not to iron your sequins, ironing instead from the back!
More simple, homemade costume ideas…
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.
The mask that you've made is lovely... your daughter is going to have lots and lots of fun as a butterfly!