Lovely Ladybird
YOU WILL NEED
✤ 10 x 90cm wide black felt
✤ 150cm square red net
✤ Child’s hairband
✤ Two black pipe cleaners
✤ Two large black pompoms
✤ Bodkin or safety pin
✤ 160cm of 1.2cm-wide black elastic
✤ All-purpose household glue
✤ 140cm of 2mm wire
✤ Wire snippers
✤ Strong black sticky tape
✤ red tights
1 Cut two 6cm-diameter circles and fourteen 4cm-diameter circles from the black felt. From the red net, cut one 60 x 150cm, one 50 x 150cm and one 40 x 150cm rectangle for the skirt.
2 To cover the headband, cut a 5 x 40cm strip of black felt. Fold lengthways in half and stitch close to the long edge, making a tube. Oversew one end closed. Insert the hairband into the tube. Trim the open end to fit over the hairband then oversew closed.
3 To make antennae, wrap one end of each pipe cleaner tightly around a pompom and fluff out. Wrap the other ends around the top of the headband, 5cm apart. Twist the ends around the pipe cleaners to secure.
4 Fold each skirt piece in half widthways and pin, then stitch the short edges together with a 1.5cm seam. Press seams, then press the skirts in half lengthways to make a double layer with the seam inside. Slip the mid-length skirt over the longest one, then slip the shortest skirt over the top. Pin the folded edges together.
5 Make a channel for the elastic by stitching 6mm then 2.5cm below the folded edges. Snip a hole in the channel in the longest skirt and thread through 56cm of elastic. Adjust to fit, then overlap the ends and stitch. Separate the layers and fluff out the skirt. Glue eight 4cm felt circles to the top layer.
6 Snip the wire in half for the wings. Bend 4cm at each end at right angles. Bring the straight ends together and bind with strong sticky tape. Squeeze the wings into matching shapes. Cut the legs off the tights and slip one leg over each wing. Pull taut, and tape tightly around the straight ends. Cut off the excess.
7 Glue three 4cm felt circles to each wing. Tape the wire ends together at the centre of the wings. Cut two 50cm lengths of elastic to make straps. Adjust to fit, overlap the ends and stitch. Slip the straps over the wings and glue to either side of the centre tape. Neaten the join at the centre with 6cm felt circles glued on either side.