How to Make a Bandana Flying Bat for Halloween

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A Halloween DIY Craft Project

Looking for a Halloween sewing project that’s a little different from the usual pumpkins and ghosts? Meet the Bandana Flying Bat: a hanging Halloween decoration made from classic bandana fabric, complete with pointed ears, a fang-filled face, and flapping wings.

This beginner-to-intermediate sewing project takes about 2–2.5 hours to complete. You can sew it by hand or use a sewing machine for some of the seams, and you don’t need advanced sewing skills.

The finished bat works as a hanging decoration, but there’s a little surprise built into the design. Wooden rods hidden inside the wings and body give it structure, and the strings let you gently raise and lower the wings.

Below is a quick look at how the project comes together. For measurements, pattern placement, diagrams, and the complete construction process, use the printed Bandana Flying Bat instructions or follow along with our full video tutorial.

What You’ll Need

The Bandana Flying Bat DIY Kit includes the main materials for the project:

• Bandana or fabric
• Felt
• Fusible interfacing
• Safety eyes and nose
• Needle and thread
• Sewing clips
• Stuffing
• Wooden rods
• Glue dots
• Printed patterns
• Step-by-step instructions

You’ll also need scissors, an iron, and a cotton cloth for ironing. A fabric marker, pen, or pencil is optional.

The project is recommended for ages 11 and up with adult supervision, and an adult should complete the ironing step. The finished bat is intended for decorative use.

Step 1: Cut the Bat Patterns

Start by cutting out all of the printed Flying Bat pattern pieces.

The patterns include pieces for the wings, ears, felt face, left and right sides of the body, top body, internal rod compartment, and fangs

Before cutting your fabric, look over the pattern markings. The thin solid lines show where to cut, dashed lines show where to sew, and double lines indicate folds.

For the fusible interfacing fangs, first cut around the square that contains the two fang shapes.

Step 2: Choose Your Bandana Print and Cut the Fabric

One of the fun parts of this project is deciding which sections of the bandana print will appear on your finished bat.

Look over the bandana before you cut and choose the print you would like to feature on the wings, ears, and body.

The wings and ears are cut in matching pairs. You’ll also cut one left body piece, one right body piece, one top body piece, and one small rod compartment that will later be hidden inside the bat.

Next, cut one round face from felt.

Finally, fold the fusible interfacing in half and cut the two fang shapes.

Once everything is cut, lay out all of your pieces and check that you have everything before moving on.

Step 3: Make the Bat Face

Now it’s time to give your bat some personality.

Position the two fusible interfacing fangs on the felt face using the pattern as your guide. The rough adhesive side should touch the felt.

Cover the face and fangs with a cotton cloth and fuse them in place with an iron.

An adult should complete the ironing step.

Once the face has cooled, use the pattern to position the safety nose and eyes. Make small openings in the felt, insert the posts through the front, and secure them from the back with the washers.

At this point, your bat already has its Halloween expression.

Step 4: Sew the Wings and Ears

Place two matching wing pieces together with their right sides facing each other.

Clip them in place and sew around the marked stitch line, leaving the designated opening unsewn.

Turn the wing right side out through the opening and gently work the fabric into shape. A wooden rod can help push out narrow sections and curves.

Repeat the same process for the second wing.

The ears are made in much the same way. Sew two matching pieces together, turn them right side out, and gently shape them.

Then fold each ear outward along the marked fold line and secure the fold with a couple of stitches.

You should now have a completed face, two wings, two ears, and the separate pieces that will form the body.

Step 5: Assemble the Bat Body

This is the most involved part of the project, but it’s also where everything begins to look like a bat.

Start with the finished felt face facing up. Position the ears on top with their tips pointing inward, then place the top body piece over them.

Most of the bat is assembled with the wrong side of the bandana facing out, because the entire body will be turned right side out later.

Clip and sew the top body section around the edge of the face.

Next, position the left and right body pieces around the remaining sides of the face. Gently curve them to follow the circular shape, overlapping the pieces slightly where they meet.

Sew them securely around the face, making sure there are no gaps where the body pieces overlap.

Before continuing, briefly turn the front edge right side out to check that the face, ears, and fabric sections are aligned correctly.

Add the Internal Rod Compartment

Fold and sew the small rod-compartment piece into a narrow fabric tube and close one end.

Check that one of the wooden rods slides easily inside and stops at the closed end.

The compartment is then attached to the wrong side of the top body piece using glue dots. It will hold the center rod inside the finished bat.

Attach the Wings

Position the wings between the body pieces while the bat is still wrong side out.

The wings point inward during sewing so that they will face outward once the bat is turned.

Clip and sew each wing securely between the top and side body pieces, leaving the marked opening needed later for inserting the wooden rods.

Finally, sew the remaining body seam while leaving an opening for turning and stuffing.

Carefully pull the wings and face through the opening until the entire bat is right side out.

Now it should finally start looking like the finished project.

Step 6: Add the Wooden Rods and Stuffing

The hidden wooden rods are what give the Flying Bat its structure.

Insert one rod through the opening in the body and guide it diagonally into one wing until it reaches the position marked on the pattern.

Repeat with the second wing.

A third wooden rod slides into the fabric compartment inside the center of the body.

Once all three rods are in place, begin adding stuffing.

Work with small amounts at a time, starting with the head and gradually filling the rest of the body. Continue until the bat feels evenly filled and fluffy without stretching the seams.

Arrange the edges of the opening neatly and close it using an invisible stitch.

Step 7: Add the Hanging and Wing-Control Strings

The last step turns your stuffed bat into a Bandana Flying Bat.

First, create a hanging loop by passing thread through the top of the body so that it catches around the wooden rod hidden inside.

Then add a second string connecting the two wings. Each end is secured around the rod inside a wing at approximately the same position.

Hang the bat while adjusting the strings so the body sits level and both wings are positioned evenly.

Once everything is balanced, secure the strings.

Your bat is now ready to hang.

And if you want to see it in action, hold the body hanging loop steady and gently raise and lower the wing-control string. The wings will move up and down as if the bat is flying.

Make It Easier With the Bandana Flying Bat DIY Kit

Want to make the project without hunting down all of the individual supplies?

The Bandana Flying Bat DIY Kit includes the main materials you need to complete the project, along with printed patterns and detailed step-by-step instructions.

Inside the kit you’ll find bandana fabric, felt, fusible interfacing, safety eyes and nose, needle and thread, sewing clips, stuffing, wooden rods, glue dots, and the printed project materials.

You’ll only need a few basic tools from home, including scissors, an iron, and a cotton cloth for ironing.

The project is designed for makers who are ready to try something a little beyond a very simple beginner sewing project. The individual techniques are approachable, but assembling the body, positioning the hidden rods, and adding the hanging strings make it a satisfying beginner-to-intermediate craft.

Each kit includes a bandana selected to work well with the project. Colors and prints may vary, so your finished bat can have its own look. If you have a specific color in mind, contact us before ordering and we’ll let you know what options are available.

Watch the Full Bandana Flying Bat Video Tutorial

Some parts of this project are much easier to understand when you can see them happen.

Our full Bandana Flying Bat video tutorial walks through the complete project from beginning to end.

The video is especially helpful during the body assembly, when several pieces are layered together with the wrong side of the fabric facing out.

You can pause, rewind, and compare your project with each stage before moving on.

For the best results, use the video together with the printed instruction booklet, which includes the full measurements, pattern markings, diagrams, and detailed construction notes.

Make sure you suscribe and follow our channel!

Ready to Make Your Bat Fly?

The Bandana Flying Bat combines a sewing project, a handmade Halloween decoration, and a simple moving mechanism in one craft.

And because you get to choose which parts of the bandana print appear on the wings, ears, and body, each finished bat can look a little different.

Hang yours as part of your Halloween décor, then give the wing-control string a gentle pull whenever you want to bring it to life.

Whether you make it with the Bandana Flying Bat DIY Kit, follow along with the full video tutorial, or use this summarized guide for inspiration, we hope your finished bat adds a little handmade personality to Halloween.