- Age Guideline: 5 Years and Up
- Time Required: 30 minutes (Does not include drying time)
The above age and time guidelines are estimates. This project can be modified to suit other ages and may take more or less time depending on your circumstances.
Materials Needed:
- Shrink Plastic
- Butterfly Template (optional)
- Permanent Markers, Colored Pencils, or Acrylic Paint
- Chenille Stem
- Clear Monofilament (compare prices)
- Hot Glue Gun and Glue Sticks
- Scissors
Instructions:
Before you use your shrink plastic, make sure you read through the manufacturer's directions. To make my butterfly wings, I actually didn't use purchased shrink plastic; instead, I used a lid from a take out container. You can learn how to make your own shrink plastic by reading this tutorial.Start off by drawing the two wing shapes onto your shrink plastic. If you want some help, you can print out this butterfly pattern to use as a guide. Size them so they are about twice as big as you want your finished wings to be. I drew mine so they were about 6-inches tall and colored them in to be mirror images of each other. Color in your wings however you like. If you used permanent markers or paint, let them dry before moving on.
Cut the wings out and place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Place the cookie sheet in a 325 degree oven and watch the wings as they shrink. During this process, which only takes 2 to 3 minutes, the wings will curl up and then flatten out again. Once it is lying flat again, give it a few more seconds in the oven and then carefully remove the hot pan. Let the wings cool.
Cut a piece of chenille stem 6-inches long. I used a bumpy chenille stem and used a two-bump section. Fold your chenille stem in half and then open it up a little. Use a hot glue gun to attach the wings near the center of one of the halves of the chenille stem. Try to glue them so that each wing angles up a little bit like a real butterfly's wings would. Fold the chenille stem in half again so that it hides the ends of the wings.
Now all you need to do to finish your sun catcher is to add a piece of string you can use to hang it in a window. Cut a piece of monofilament about twice as long as you need it and tie the ends together to make a loop. Glue the middle of the loop to the underside of the butterfly. Once the glue cools, you can hang it in your window!