How to Make Turtle Dove Costumes

Making your own turtledove costume doesn't have to cost a lot of money. To create the illusion of being a turtledove there are two main pieces: the headpiece and the wings. The body of the turtledove may be created by wearing a white turtleneck top over a pair of white tights. For the face area a little face paint will do. Pull some white socks over a pair of shoes and your turtledove costume is complete.

To create the headpiece, hand stitch a row of long white craft feathers to a stretchy white headband along the frame of the face only. Be sure that the feather is pointing away from the face and toward the back of the head. Attach a few short feathers facing forward toward the forehead and cheeks.

Measure the arm length of the person wearing the costume and add six inches. Cut the poster board, white side up, into two oval shapes the length you measured. Using a pencil to mark the pieces as right wing, left wing, top and bottom.

Hold the oval shape up to the wearer's arm. Leave three inches overlapping the shoulder with the other end covering the hand. Mark with a pencil at the top of the hand and the bicep area. Punch two holes at each of these points and thread a shoelace through. Leave the ends of the shoelace hanging through the underside of the wing and glue it in place.

Lay the wings together on a flat surface. Feathers should be attached with each wing's feathers facing the direction opposite those on the other wing. The right wing will have the feather points facing right while the left wing will have the feather points facing left. Glue the feathers on a downward angle onto the poster board beginning with the underlayer. Allow glue to dry the allotted time according to instructions.

Once the person is wearing the costume top and tights, paint the face, ears and exposed neck areas with white face paint. Add a black triangle area on the tip of the nose using a dark black eyeliner pencil. Draw large ovals around the eyes and carefully fill them in with the eyeliner.

Place the headpiece so that the hairline is covered with feathers. Tie the shoelaces to the upper arm and tie the lower shoelace around the inside of the hand, like a handle. Pull a pair of white socks over the shoes and "coo."