My sewing tops out at beginner to intermediate, which is exactly why a butterfly and butterfly catcher costume is my kind of couples costume: there isn’t a stitch in it. One of you wears the wings and antennae, the other carries the net, and the joke does the rest of the work. It’s no-sew and budget-friendly, and unlike a lot of easy Halloween costumes, this one still gets a reaction at the door.
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As I mentioned, this costume project is inexpensive and easy to recreate as you can find most of the clothing in your closet or buy them in thrift stores. There are no complicated steps or skills required to make these last-minute costumes. All you need is a little bit of creativity, hot glue, and fake butterflies.
You can find the fabric butterfly wings and fake butterflies online, but if you can’t find them, you can easily DIY them. This outfit is absolutely fun and comfortable to wear all night long. If you still don’t have any ideas what to wear to a Halloween party or themed party, go for this outfit idea. People will love it.
How to Make Fabric Butteflies Without Sewing
You will need: organza fabric, fabric scissors, butterfly patterns, candle or lighter, and pipe cleaner.
Simply trace butterfly patterns on the organza fabric and cut them out using your fabric scissors. Then, heat the edges using a candle or lighter to keep them from fraying.
Next, measure the center height of the butterfly and then add the length of an antenna. Double that measurement. Cut a pipe cleaner to that length. Fold it in half, glue the fabric butterfly in between, then twist the ends to make the antenna.
Organza is the whole reason this works without a machine. It is a synthetic, so the cut edge melts instead of unraveling, which is why the candle step exists. Cotton would fray into a mess within a day of wearing. If organza is not on the shelf, chiffon and most cheap polyester sheers behave the same way, and a scrap of tulle will do for a smaller wing.
Do the heat sealing fast and keep the fabric moving. You are passing the edge near the flame, not holding it there. Hover too long and you get a hard brown lip that curls, or a hole. I keep a bowl of water on the table when I do this, which has never once been needed and always makes me feel better.
The measuring step trips people up, so here it is slowly. Measure the butterfly from top to bottom through the center. Add however long you want the antennae. Double that number, because the pipe cleaner folds in half, and cut to that length. Fold, sandwich the fabric in the fold, glue, then twist the two loose ends outward into antennae.
How to Make a Butterfly Costume
Learn how to make a butterfly and butterfly catcher costume with this easy tutorial.
Step 1: Butterfly Catcher – Net
Take the fake butterflies and the net. Plan how you want the net to look with the butterflies, and make sure they are spaced properly. Once you decide on the placement, glue the butterflies one by one. Hold each butterfly until the glue dries completely. To make sure they won’t fall off, flip the net and apply hot glue to the back of the butterfly. Allow it to dry completely.
Lay every butterfly out on the netting before the glue gun is even plugged in. Once hot glue hits mesh it is not coming off cleanly, and you will pull threads trying. I like odd numbers and uneven spacing, with one butterfly halfway down the net bag rather than all of them ringing the rim, so it looks like they landed there instead of being installed.
Gluing the backs after you flip the net is the step nobody wants to do and everybody should. Netting flexes constantly while you carry it, and a butterfly held on one face only will peel off in the first hour. A small dot on the reverse side locks it in place.
Step 2: Butterfly Catcher – Top and Bottom
To complete the butterfly catcher look, glue butterflies on the hat and cargo top.
Step 3: Butterfly – Top
Plan the arrangement of the butterflies. Make sure to use butterflies in different sizes and shades to make the top look more interesting. Once you’ve decided, glue them one by one.
Hot glue soaks through thin knit, so slide a folded piece of cardboard inside the top before you start. Otherwise you glue the front of the crop top to the back of it, which I have done, and there is no fixing it.
If you want the top back afterward, skip the glue and use small safety pins from the inside, or a few stitches of clear thread. Fake butterflies from the craft aisle often come on tiny wire clips already, and those grip a knit hem beautifully with nothing permanent involved.
Cluster the butterflies densely at one shoulder and let them thin out as they travel down. An even scatter reads as printed fabric from a distance. A drift reads as movement.
Step 4: Butterfly – Head Accessory
For the hair accessory, glue a big butterfly on the side of a headband.
Step 5: Butterfly – Full Costume
To complete the look, wear a black skirt, attach the fabric wings to the back of your top, tie an orange scarf around your waist, and wear black heels.
Attach the wings high, right between the shoulder blades, and check them in a mirror while sitting down. Wings mounted low catch on chairs and car seats all night. Two or three anchor points across the back hold better than one big glue blob, and they let the wings flex when you move.
Swap freely here. A rust or gold scarf works as well as the orange one, and blue organza with black bodies gets you a morpho instead of a monarch. Black flats beat black heels if the night involves grass or a long walk, and nobody is looking at your shoes anyway.
The catcher half scales down easily for a kid, too. A bucket hat, any tan or olive button-up, and a toy net from the dollar store, and you have a family group without making a second set of wings.
Butterfly and Butterfly Catcher
DIY Tip
Be creative!
Store the wings flat, not folded. Organza holds a crease and heat-sealed edges do not forgive being crushed under a bin lid. I slide mine into a large paper bag and lay it on a shelf, and the fake butterflies go into an egg carton so the wire antennae stop tangling.
Between costume nights the pieces work on their own. The butterfly net hangs on a wall as spring decor, and the headband gets worn to birthday parties by a five year old who has strong feelings about it.
Butterfly and Butterfly Catcher Costume FAQs
Do I need to sew any part of this costume?
No. The butterflies are cut from organza and the raw edges are sealed with a candle or lighter instead of hemmed, and everything else is attached with hot glue. Both costumes are built on clothes you already own, so there is no pattern and no machine involved.
Why do I have to hold a candle to the fabric edges?
Organza frays badly the moment it is cut, and passing the edge near a flame melts it just enough to seal it shut. Keep the fabric moving and stay a little away from the flame. Lingering scorches the edge brown or burns straight through.
How long should I cut the pipe cleaner for each butterfly?
Measure the butterfly through its center from top to bottom, add the antenna length you want, then double the total, because the pipe cleaner gets folded in half. Glue the fabric butterfly inside that fold and twist the two loose ends out to make the antennae.
Will the butterflies stay stuck to the net all night?
They will if you glue both sides. Position each butterfly on the netting and hold it until the glue sets, then flip the net over and add glue to the backs as well. Mesh flexes constantly while you carry it, and a one-sided bond peels off quickly.
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