Little Monarch Butterfly Wings

Little Monarch Butterfly Wings by Little Squirrel Designs

Project Overview

The Little Monarch Butterfly Wings is a crochet toy pattern designed to create wearable butterfly wings inspired by monarch butterfly coloring. This intermediate-level crochet project combines traditional crochet techniques with wire frame construction to produce structured, dimensional wings suitable for costumes, dress-up play, or decorative display.

What is Being Made

This pattern creates a pair of butterfly wings featuring the distinctive orange, black, and white coloring of monarch butterflies. The wings are constructed by crocheting worsted weight yarn over bent wire hangers that form the wing structure, resulting in a lightweight yet sturdy wearable accessory. The two wings are joined together and taped to create a unified piece.

Construction Technique

The wings are built using a wire frame foundation method. Standard wire hangers are bent into wing shapes using a provided template as a guide. Needle nose pliers are recommended to assist with bending the hangers into the correct shape, though hand-bending is possible. Once shaped, the hanger ends are twisted or cut off and the two wings are joined together using duct tape or electrical tape, with careful attention to covering any sharp edges created during the cutting process.

Crochet Stitches and Techniques

• Back Loop Only Work: Unless otherwise specified in the pattern, all stitches are worked into the back loops only, creating a textured ribbed appearance
• Single Crochet Decreases: Standard decreases throughout the pattern involve working 2 single crochet stitches decreased into 1 stitch
• Yarn Attachment: Yarn is attached to the wire frame at specified points to begin crocheting sections
• Stitch Spacing: The pattern includes guidance for smoothing out bunched stitches on the frame to ensure even distribution around the wire structure
• Finishing: Ends are woven in as work progresses to maintain a clean appearance throughout construction

Materials Required

Yarn: Worsted weight yarn in three colors—black, orange, and white—provides the monarch butterfly's characteristic coloring and markings.

Tools: A 5.00mm crochet hook is used throughout the pattern. A yarn needle is essential for weaving in ends. Needle nose pliers are optional but helpful for bending the wire hangers into shape.

Hardware and Fasteners: Two standard wire hangers form the structural foundation of the wings. Duct tape or electrical tape joins the wings together and secures any sharp wire ends for safety.

Difficulty Level

This pattern is rated as intermediate difficulty, making it suitable for crocheters with foundational knowledge of basic stitches and techniques who are ready to tackle projects involving structure, shaping, and multi-part assembly.