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DIY Halloween Bat Decorations

These wire hanger Halloween bat decorations are a fun craft, and simple way to add a little spooky flair to your house this fall.

Wire hanger bats make the perfect DIY Halloween decorations.

I've never been one to go all out for Halloween decorations. A few pumpkins and ghosts scattered throughout the house, and I call it good.

But this year, I'm going a little bit crazy. See, I've figured out an easy, cheap, and fun way to make really cool-looking flying bats, and I cannot stop making them! Seriously, my house might be covered in bats by the time Halloween comes.

It all started when I was fiddling around with a wire hanger, trying to bend it to fit into the trash can without stabbing myself.

Earlier that day, I'd been brainstorming ideas for inexpensive DIY Halloween decorations, and suddenly, right before my eyes, that hanger transformed into a potential bat.

bats-step-2

I happened to have some black tights in my girls' drawers, so I started playing around. And within minutes, I was congratulating myself on my new simple masterpiece:

DIY Halloween bats

Video Instructions:

Step by Step Instructions:

Using a table, or another sturdy surface, fold the hanger as pictured below, slipping the hanging hook behind the long wire to keep it secure.

bats-step-1
bats-step-2

Then fold the top of the hanger down to form the head.

Take an inexpensive pair of black microfiber tights (I found a bunch in the children's section at Target for $2/pair) and cut them in half at the top, so the two legs are separated. *I recommend checking children's stores for tights since they will be cheaper, but if you use adult tights, you can most likely get two bats out of each leg. 

Place one end of the wire bat frame into the "foot" part of one side of the tights. Gently stretch the tights over the wire bat frame. Pull until it's taut (but not super tight) and then tie into a knot at the other end.

bat-collage

Cut off any excess fabric attached to the knot. To conceal the knot, snip a little slit into the tights next to the knot and tuck the knot inside.

finished-bat

Voila! You've got yourself a bat! Eyes are optional, but if you'd like to add eyes just attach some googly eyes with tacky glue.

There are a million things you can do with these bats, but I love to make them fly. To do that, I recommend using Stretch Magic (affiliate link) or a similar type of clear, stretchy jewelry cord.

flying-halloween-bats-DIY

It's traditionally used for making beaded necklaces and bracelets, but it also works perfectly for hanging a bat. :) It's stretchy and it's clear, so unless you're up close it really looks like the bat hovering in thin air.

wire-hanger-bats-2

The other nice thing about Stretch Magic is that you can poke it right through the through the tights without needing a needle, unless you're using a very thick pair of tights.

wire-hanger-bats-4

I love how the bats look on my bookshelf, but you can also hang them on mirrors, from the ceiling, doorknobs, windowsills, and lots of other places.

You can stick them to tree trunks (I'd recommend using a tiny nail) or hang them on tree branches. Dangle one from the mailbox or hang a dozen from the rafters. I'd love to see your wire bat creations, so if you make them, please post a photo on Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to tag me @goodinthesimple!

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Emiy Conner

Saturday 30th of October 2021

This is really cool!!

Dee

Saturday 17th of September 2016

What a great DIY! Thanks for sharing at Merry Monday! :)

Audra @ Renewed Projects

Tuesday 13th of September 2016

That's a super cute way to reuse dry cleaning hangers. :) i showed my 7 year old son your picks and his first response was, "For my room?" Its a hit!

Botanic Bleu

Tuesday 13th of September 2016

These coat hanger and black tight bats are just the cutest things AND so clever!!!!! I pinned this post to the group board DIY Rock Stars on Pinterest.

We would love for you to share this post and others each week at our new linky party, Monday Social, still live at http://botanicbleu.blogspot.com/2016/09/monday-social-1a.html You can link photos from Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook, as well as from a Blog. This is a great forum for sharing social media addresses so others can find you there.

Judith

Carole

Saturday 10th of September 2016

What a great idea! Talk about recycling !

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