Create your own pair of Star Butterfly Boots to complete a Star vs. the Forces of Evil costume!
Have you ever watched Star vs. the Forces of Evil? My daughter absolutely loves it, and plans on dressing up like the main character, Star Butterfly, for Halloween this year. Before I show you the complete Star Butterfly costume, I wanted to share how to make some of the parts of the ensemble so that the costume post isn't too long. I'm so excited with how our Star Butterfly boots turned out and to share how you can make your own if you want to dress up like her, too!
In case you've never seen the show, Star Butterfly is the main character of Disney XD's Star vs. the Forces of Evil. She is a teenage princess of the dimension/Kingdom of Mewni that has been sent to Earth by her parents in order to learn how to use the royal magic wand. Here, you can see Star wearing the fabulous boots that we are going to recreate today!
To make your own Star Butterfly Boots, you will need these supplies:
- Suede/Faux Leather Boots
- Fabric Paint - Purple (or Wine), Black, White
- PlaidFX Paint - White, Black
- Round Sponge Brushes - 2" and 1"
- 1" Paint Brush
- Cricut EasyPress Mini
- 3D Printed Horns (2")
- Gorilla Glue
Find a pair of boots. I would recommend an inexpensive pair (since they will be painted) of faux leather boots, or check out your local thrift store for even more savings. In the show, Star Butterfly's boots go up to her knees. We could only find some shorter ones, and I think they will work just as well. Rain boots would also work great for this project, but you would need to use a different kind of paint.
Paint the boots with fabric paint in a purple or dark fuchsia color using a 1" paint brush. Paint the entire boot, including the seams. I found it easiest (and less messy) to keep my hand inside the boot while painting. The darker your boots are originally, the more paint you will need to use for a brighter color pop. Our boots were grey to start out with and we needed 2-3 coats. Let each coat of paint dry for 15-30 minutes before adding another coat.
Both of Star's boots have eyeballs on each side. Dip a 2" round sponge brush into some white fabric paint and practice making a solid circle on a silicone mat or a scrap piece of fabric. That way you get a feel for how the sponge brush works and do a few practice runs before putting on the boot. Once you're ready, hold the boot with your hand on the inside, and press the sponge brush down around where the ankle bone would be. Use your paint brush to smooth the paint out, if necessary. Add white circles to both sides of each boot. Let the paint dry for at least 30 minutes.
Next, use the 1" round sponge brush and black fabric paint to practice making solid circles on a silicone mat or a scrap piece of fabric. Add a black circle to the center of each of the white circles. Smooth out the paint using a paint brush, if necessary. Leave the boots to dry for at least 24 hours.
Make the horns for the boots while the paint is drying. I decided to make my horns using my 3D printer. Print two copies of the Horn Design (FREE) at 2" tall using white or gray PLA filament. Like the Star Butterfly Wand, use a Dremel tool and/or some sandpaper to get the pieces as smooth as possible.
If you don't have access to a 3D printer, you could carve your own horns out of styrofoam or epoxy clay!
Because it's almost impossible to hold the horns while painting them, I stuck some miniature mixing cups to the bottom of each horn with an adhesive dot. That way I could paint the horns and turn/hold them in place without getting paint all over my hands. Plus, you can easily set them down to dry!
Use the 1" paint brush to paint a light coat of white PlaidFX Paint on each of the horns. Let each the paint dry for at least an hour before adding another coat. I needed to paint about 3 coats for full coverage.
Paint the sides of the sole of the boots with white PlaidFX Paint. Again, let each coat dry for about an hour before adding another coat. I painted 2-3 coats on each boot.
Use the tip of the 1" paint brush or a small detail brush to paint "v"s out of black PlaidFX Paint around the soles of the boots. They don't have to be perfect! You probably won't need multiple coats, but if you do, be sure to let the paint dry for about an hour before adding another coat.
After 24 hours, you need to heat-set the painted fabric. I found it easiest to use my EasyPress Mini for this project. Heat it up to the highest setting. Lay a pressing cloth over the boot, and press down for 30 seconds. Move to another area and press again until the entire boot is covered. If you put on a heat-protective glove, you could put your hand inside the boot and add pressure to the other side of the EasyPress.
Once heat-set, the boots can be machine washed on the gentle cycle (if your boots say that's possible on the tag). However, I would recommend to always hand-wash the outside of the boots in cold water and allow to air-dry to keep your boots in their best shape.
Once the boots are pressed and ready for wearing, attach the horns to the toes of the boots. I tried a variety of strong adhesives on this project, and the only one that actually worked was Gorilla Glue. Mark the center of the front of each boot with a marker where you want the horns to be placed.
Dampen both the mark and the bottom of the horn with water, and add a SMALL drop of Gorilla Glue to the bottom of the horn. It's VERY important that it is a small drop, because it can expand about 3 TIMES the size of the drop and will make a mess if you use too much. Place the horn down over the marker and hold in place until the glue becomes tacky and the horn stays in place on its own. Leave the boots somewhere that they won't be disturbed for the glue to completely set overnight.
That's it! My daughter is thrilled to have her very own Star Butterfly boots, and can't wait to wear them everywhere she goes! If you decide to make your own pair of boots to wear for cosplay or just for fun, I would LOVE to see them! Please tag me on Instagram and Facebook, or leave a comment/photo on the project pin on Pinterest to show off your amazing work!
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