30th October 2011

Katniss Everdeen costume DIY: Arrows

The Hunger Games will always be connected to archery in my mind, because of Katniss’s incredible skill with a bow and arrow. When I decided to be Katniss Everdeen for Halloween this year, I knew I needed something that would pay tribute to her skill but most of the accessories I need to pull it off aren’t carried in your normal costume store. That’s why I took the DIY route for the majority of my costume. Here’s how I made the arrows.

You need:

5 - 1/4” wooden dowels
2 rolls of tape (1 standard Scotch and one roll packaging tape)
1 package Super Glue
Scissors
1 piece gray or silver cardstock
1 package of feathers
2 three yd packages of ribbon (Thin, velvet ribbon is what I used for mine.)
20 minutes

1. To start, cut 10 identical triangular shapes out of your cardstock. Simply line them up in pairs and tape them to your dowel. Then glue them together. Repeat for each dowel.

2. Put down a three inch strip of packaging tape. Gently place 5-7 feathers in a row on the tape. You need to leave about 1/2 inch on each side of the feathers and the bottom. Repeat for each dowel.

3. Slowly roll the tape with feathers on it around the other end of your wooden dowel. You may want to put another layer of tape around this to secure the feathers. Repeat for each dowel.

4. Cut 5 - 24” pieces of ribbon. Tape one end of the ribbon to the top of the dowel in the spot where your tape is visible. Part of the effort here is to try and cover up the tape seams where you put the feathers. Gently start to roll the tape around your tape until you are satisfied with the coverage. Continue to roll the ribbon as far down the dowel and you can. When you get to the end, put a small drop of super glue on the dowel and a small drop on the end of your ribbon and secure in place. Repeat for each dowel.