Does anyone have a good resource for acquiring plumage? I'd like to get a variety, peacock feathers, those big bushy feathers I see coming out of people's caps, etc. Is this something that a craft store would carry?
thanks!
Quote from: Master James on August 25, 2010, 12:16:33 PM
Ostrich.com has some good selection but are very expensive. I've always gotten my feathers here: http://www.tonyhill.net/productCat43986.ctlg Excellent prices and fantastic service.
http://www.renaissancefestival.com/forums/index.php?topic=12862.0
The big, bushy feathers are ostrich and can come in a variety of lengths and colors.
Any craft store like Michael's or JoAnn's will carry them, but usually not the big long ones for hats.
Ebay has been a good source for me as well as the local Lover's Lane. Yep. A smut shop. They carry long black or white feathers for a really good price! :D
Thanks for the suggestions! Especially the Lover's Lane one :D
Quote from: Rennigirl on June 28, 2012, 09:18:51 AM
...as well as the local Lover's Lane. Yep. A smut shop. They carry long black or white feathers for a really good price! :D
Hmm, never thought of that! lol
While they won't be the big ostrich ones you want, I've found that Hobby Lobby and Joanns have cool feathers combined with other types of feathers, on a metal stick, which can be added to a hat easily. I've bought a nice green color from Hobby Lobby, in the floral section, that had 3 pheasant feathers with some black shiny...uh, rooster feathers? I don't know what sort the smaller ones are, but they look like the tail of a rooster.
I just this weekend saw a display of clearance ostrich feathers at our Michaels! I was kind of surprised because I had never noticed them there before.
I raided our Hobby Lobby last year because I was making fans and did not have time to order. The ones attached to a stick are pretty good, but you sometimes have to hunt and pick through lots of damaged ones to find nice fluffy long ones. Or maybe that was just our store because they were on sale at the time. They also have smaller packages of feathers usually near the leather working aisle, but these are craft quality or already glued pads, which I used to finish our fans and hide all the gluing.
Hobby Lobby and Michaels near us seem to always have more damaged feathers than good ones.
If you want the big and fluffy look for feminas (ostrich wing feathers) They are fluffiest....take three of these and sew the main veins together this will give you super fluffy....now go and boil a pot of water and use the steam to fluff those babies upp...if you are really ambitious take a butter knife and use the back and curl the fronds (the individual things coming off of the main vein) you curl them kinda like curling a ribbon.
If you want to order a TON I can get you a half pound of feminas (about 36 feathers) for a decent price. PM me if interested
I've always found the nicest feathers at Micheal's in the FLORAL section. I've seen them at Walmart there too. You may even want to try your local florist - they may have a source for you. Other places I have seen them is in bead stores - and I found a few great stores in downtown Toronto - fashion district, in some of the notions stores.
ostrich.com has gone out of business as of Dec 2011. They highly recommend http://fancyfeather.com/ (http://fancyfeather.com/)
I just placed an order with them so I'll let you know how it pans out.
Quote from: Marietta Graziella on July 31, 2012, 09:26:59 AM
ostrich.com has gone out of business as of Dec 2011. They highly recommend http://fancyfeather.com/ (http://fancyfeather.com/)
I just placed an order with them so I'll let you know how it pans out.
Did you receive your order from this site yet? How was your experience?
I noticed that Joann's has a section with nice looking ostritch and peacock feathers. They're not exceptionally long, and there aren't many colors (my Joann's only had black and white, and a single green one), but they could do the trick. I haven't noticed them there before, they might have stocked them due to Halloween. I might pick some up with the 20% off entire order coupons they have now.
Ser Niall
you are luckier than I, my Joanns has no plumage aside from the standard plastic bagged fare
Quote from: Ser Niall on September 19, 2012, 01:02:10 PM
Quote from: Marietta Graziella on July 31, 2012, 09:26:59 AM
ostrich.com has gone out of business as of Dec 2011. They highly recommend http://fancyfeather.com/ (http://fancyfeather.com/)
I just placed an order with them so I'll let you know how it pans out.
Did you receive your order from this site yet? How was your experience?
I noticed that Joann's has a section with nice looking ostritch and peacock feathers. They're not exceptionally long, and there aren't many colors (my Joann's only had black and white, and a single green one), but they could do the trick. I haven't noticed them there before, they might have stocked them due to Halloween. I might pick some up with the 20% off entire order coupons they have now.
Apologies! I should have posted some time ago. I did receive my order in a timely fashion. The plumes are fluffy and full. The colors were what I expected with the exception of the orange. It was a bit brighter than I had anticipated from the picture and description. I will order from them again.
(https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/375669_399182056806474_264814757_n.jpg)
Quote from: Delireus on June 28, 2012, 06:05:57 PM
While they won't be the big ostrich ones you want, I've found that Hobby Lobby and Joanns have cool feathers combined with other types of feathers, on a metal stick, which can be added to a hat easily. I've bought a nice green color from Hobby Lobby, in the floral section, that had 3 pheasant feathers with some black shiny...uh, rooster feathers? I don't know what sort the smaller ones are, but they look like the tail of a rooster.
In Hobby Lobby,look for feathers in the Floral section instead of the Crafts. Crafts sells individually wrapped, rather small (about 10-12" max end to end, including the 1" quill) feathers for 3.99+.
Go to the floral section and you can get large 18" ostrich feathers in a decent selection of colors and mounted on wires for 2.99. They are easy to cut off of the excess wire, and the reinforcement is handy when you go to glue them into a decorative aglet to mount on your hat.
The combo sticks with mixed feathers are in the same area.
Quote from: Rowen MacD on September 20, 2012, 05:32:18 PM
Quote from: Delireus on June 28, 2012, 06:05:57 PM
While they won't be the big ostrich ones you want, I've found that Hobby Lobby and Joanns have cool feathers combined with other types of feathers, on a metal stick, which can be added to a hat easily. I've bought a nice green color from Hobby Lobby, in the floral section, that had 3 pheasant feathers with some black shiny...uh, rooster feathers? I don't know what sort the smaller ones are, but they look like the tail of a rooster.
In Hobby Lobby,look for feathers in the Floral section instead of the Crafts. Crafts sells individually wrapped, rather small (about 10-12" max end to end, including the 1" quill) feathers for 3.99+.
Go to the floral section and you can get large 18" ostrich feathers in a decent selection of colors and mounted on wires for 2.99. They are easy to cut off of the excess wire, and the reinforcement is handy when you go to glue them into a decorative aglet to mount on your hat.
The combo sticks with mixed feathers are in the same area.
Checked out Hobby Lobby, I didn't think we had any around here since I've never seen one, but there happens to be one sort of by my office. Went over there on my lunch, they did have quite the selection of ostritch plumes and peacocks. For some reason, their black plumes were a lot shorter than the other colors, so I didn't get any. I did pick up some reds, greens, whites, and creams, along with some peacocks and rooster feathers. Thanks for the suggestion.
I'm bumping this thread up to see if anyone has new resources for feathers--specifically the Ostrich plumes. I recently came across Lamplight Feather (http://www.tonyhill.net/), which seems to have decent prices and quite a lot of useful information. Has anyone ordered from them before?
But my real reason for resurrecting this thread is to talk about working with feathers--selecting them, caring for them, attaching them to things, etc. I know you can hot glue them together into the little cone holder things, but what about applying them directly to the hats? I'm working on a very feather-heavy hat project, and am a Total Feather Novice.
Any advice appreciated!
Gramercy!
I will second MGs recommendation of fancyfeather.com. I recently ordered and received some very nice feathers in several lengths and colors.
Gina
I get my feathers from http://www.featherplace.com/. (http://www.featherplace.com/.) Good prices, fast shipping. I use their wholesale site, but their retail side is just as good.
As for working with feathers, you can hot glue them, but when the feather eventually wears out, you'll have to try and rip all that glue off of whatever you've glued it to. I try and sew my feathers as much as I can (although sometimes its just not possible, I admit). Doing a sort of blanket stitch up the feather shaft works well to hold it in place (vs just doing a whip stitch around the base of the feather).
Lynn McMasters also describes a great idea called a swing tack to keep feathers from catching in the wind too much - http://lynnmcmasters.com/OstrichPlumes.html. (http://lynnmcmasters.com/OstrichPlumes.html.)
Good luck on your project!
Thanks, Bookwench--that ostrich plumes article was perfect! (I did have to hunt for it, though--go to her home page, click on Articles, scroll all the way to the right, and find the photo of the woman in the huge pink Edwardian hat, and click "How to Create Ostrich Plumes." (There is a similar photo on her home page, but it won't take you to the feathers article.)
QuoteThe swing tack is the same stitch tailors use to keep linings in place but also maintain some slack, basically a chain stitch.
I recognized that tack the minute I saw it! ;) That's a great idea.
I've glued and wired feathers together without great results. I never thought to sew them together. I'm going to try that.
Gina
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://lynnmcmasters.com/claudineandthepinkhat/swingtacksmall.jpg&imgrefurl=http://lynnmcmasters.com/PinkHat.html&h=324&w=432&sz=168&tbnid=05R8o2OP828-1M:&tbnh=92&tbnw=123&zoom=1&usg=__zw6lidjQjwTzLoHr_-iWXSftcUc=&docid=yHj6WwUm7C_aKM&sa=X&ei=lBDgUdTqGIKlrAGA5YGACw&ved=0CDwQ9QEwBA&dur=30 (http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://lynnmcmasters.com/claudineandthepinkhat/swingtacksmall.jpg&imgrefurl=http://lynnmcmasters.com/PinkHat.html&h=324&w=432&sz=168&tbnid=05R8o2OP828-1M:&tbnh=92&tbnw=123&zoom=1&usg=__zw6lidjQjwTzLoHr_-iWXSftcUc=&docid=yHj6WwUm7C_aKM&sa=X&ei=lBDgUdTqGIKlrAGA5YGACw&ved=0CDwQ9QEwBA&dur=30)
Here's a pic-feather to hat brim. Ingenious.
Quote from: bookwench on July 10, 2013, 08:42:44 AM
I get my feathers from http://www.featherplace.com/. (http://www.featherplace.com/.) Good prices, fast shipping. I use their wholesale site, but their retail side is just as good.
Do you know how they size the feathers--if, say, a 13-16" feather includes the shaft? I'm guessing that it does, because that seems obvious... but I'm looking at an ostrich feather from a hat I bought at Fair, and it's 14" of feather
fronds. The bottom part of the shaft has been cut off, and I have no idea how to guess what the "original" size of the feather might have been.
It does usually include the shaft, but quite often the shaft isn't very long. You usually get a variety of frond sizes in a batch. Every once in a while you get a real clinker (long shaft, few fronds), but I've found that to be fairly unusual.
Quote
Do you know how they size the feathers--if, say, a 13-16" feather includes the shaft? I'm guessing that it does, because that seems obvious... but I'm looking at an ostrich feather from a hat I bought at Fair, and it's 14" of feather fronds. The bottom part of the shaft has been cut off, and I have no idea how to guess what the "original" size of the feather might have been.
Excellent, thank you!! I looked at feathers locally today, and Joann had theirs attached to looooong wire stems. Hobby Lobby had the best selection, at $4.99 each for decent (12-15") sized ostrich feathers (I guess the drabs? The smaller fluffy ones). Hoping they'll go on sale in the next few weeks.
New question! I'm trying to get the most bang for my buck, of course, and I've been reading up on layering feathers, etc. I'm making a giant Saxon-style hat with a big ring of white plumes all around the circumference. I'm wondering if I should go for more large feathers to fill in the circumference, or if I should double up on layering the feathers so each plume looks thicker? I probably can't afford to do *both.* Which will have the most impact (keeping in mind that you really only see the ends, and from below)?
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XvC9Hp8YK8g/TlOYjawcc_I/AAAAAAAAs5I/RelPyFzv93U/s640/1530s%2BLucas%2BCranach%2Bthe%2BElder%2B%25281472-1553%2529%2BJudith%2Bwith%2Bthe%2BHead%2Bof%2BHolofernes%2B%25283%2529.jpg)
I made a hat similar to that this past season and used *huge* plumes for it. I ended up only using 4 or 5 I think, but each one was easily 25-30" long and absolutely decadent - like these guys: http://fancyfeather.com/feathers/ostrich-feathers/ostrich-wing-feathers-plumes/25-up-ostrich-wing-feather-dyed-any-color. (http://fancyfeather.com/feathers/ostrich-feathers/ostrich-wing-feathers-plumes/25-up-ostrich-wing-feather-dyed-any-color.) It's the fluffy droop at the end that really captures the look.
Quote from: gem on July 18, 2013, 07:59:53 PM
Excellent, thank you!! I looked at feathers locally today, and Joann had theirs attached to looooong wire stems. Hobby Lobby had the best selection, at $4.99 each for decent (12-15") sized ostrich feathers (I guess the drabs? The smaller fluffy ones). Hoping they'll go on sale in the next few weeks.
New question! I'm trying to get the most bang for my buck, of course, and I've been reading up on layering feathers, etc. I'm making a giant Saxon-style hat with a big ring of white plumes all around the circumference. I'm wondering if I should go for more large feathers to fill in the circumference, or if I should double up on layering the feathers so each plume looks thicker? I probably can't afford to do *both.* Which will have the most impact (keeping in mind that you really only see the ends, and from below)?
(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XvC9Hp8YK8g/TlOYjawcc_I/AAAAAAAAs5I/RelPyFzv93U/s640/1530s%2BLucas%2BCranach%2Bthe%2BElder%2B%25281472-1553%2529%2BJudith%2Bwith%2Bthe%2BHead%2Bof%2BHolofernes%2B%25283%2529.jpg)
OT comment on this picture...Do you think that the collar the girl is wearing is actual jewelry, or a jeweled cloth collar? that is some serious bling, I don;t think I've ever seen anything like that.
I'm not sure. On the one hand, this is a depiction of Judith, so it's a fantastical picture, not a true-to-life portrait. So it might be just Cranach's imagination. OTOH, his portraits of the princesses of Saxony (http://theredlist.fr/media/database/fine_arts/arthistory/painting/premiere_renaissance/lucas-cranach-the-elder/038_lucas-cranach-the-elder_theredlist.png) are of wealthy, wealthy, wealthy women indeed. The Period Patterns German Puff & Slash Gown pattern has historical notes that talk about how pricy some of these outfits were (evidently one noblewoman sold a village to afford a blue velvet gown). If those reports are to be believed, then I would think that the collars are all jewelry--although they'd be terribly heavy. We've seen analogous gold collars in other eras of history (and have found them in archaeological digs), so we know they're not out of the realm of possible manufacture.
That said, here's a terrific tutorial for making one out of velvet & beads, if you don't have your own court jeweler and a village to sell! How to Make a Cranach Collar (http://historicalpatterns.wikispaces.com/file/view/How+to+make+a+Cranach+Collar.pdf)
Quote from: gem on July 09, 2013, 07:45:59 PM
I'm bumping this thread up to see if anyone has new resources for feathers--specifically the Ostrich plumes. I recently came across Lamplight Feather (http://www.tonyhill.net/), which seems to have decent prices and quite a lot of useful information. Has anyone ordered from them before?
But my real reason for resurrecting this thread is to talk about working with feathers--selecting them, caring for them, attaching them to things, etc. I know you can hot glue them together into the little cone holder things, but what about applying them directly to the hats? I'm working on a very feather-heavy hat project, and am a Total Feather Novice.
Any advice appreciated!
Gramercy!
I don't know much about all this, but my lady has a hat which has sewn into the brim a small pocket that she can use to tuck feathers into it. So she doesn't need the cones, she just needs the feathers bound together and tucked into that pocket.
For the German hat, make the hat base first. Put the feathers on top of the hat base (the crown and brim) and sew them downs. Then put another velvet "circle" over the feathers. This will give you a proper German hat.
As for the collar, yes, it's all gold - which would be a lot lighter than it looks. I have a few bracelets made in a similar way. I'll take pictures of them later.
This is not for Gem's particular project, but last week I was trying to figure out a way to mount a LOT of feathers onto a tricorn for our Pirate Festival, and I came up with an idea that you might find interesting... My tricorn was made from a giant straw sun hat (black) that I added lace to, and stitched up the sides. then I took a small block of floral foam - intended for artificial flower arranging, and used that to arrange my feathers. The foam was cut small enough to fit in the space between the crown and the pinned up brim, and a hat pin keeps it from sliding out. Overall,it was FAR faster than stitching or wiring each in place, and less of a commitment than glueing. Now, due to the fact that I used a LOTof feathers, the hat did tend to tilt a bit to the side (and the wind had fun flirting with all those feathers!), but if your crown fits close enough, or you don't go quite as overboard as I did, the foam itself it quite light, and is easily trimmed......Depending on your project, you may find it helpful, so I thought I would share!
Orphena, that is very clever! I know that they sell rings of floral foam here, meant to go in wreath frames. I wonder if something like that would be narrow enough to fit in the space between the crown and the brim (my hat is also made from a straw sunhat base). The foam is pretty easy to cut, isn't it? (I know there's the oasis kind, meant to hold water, but there's also the green styrofoam kind just meant to hold dry flowers.)
I was already trying to think if there was something to use--like a mesh or plastic canvas--that you could kind of weave the stems of the feathers through.
I placed my order, and with shipping, a dozen 15-18" plumes ended up being around $35.00. Not a fabulous bargain, but not entirely unaffordable, either. (shrug)
(//URL=http://s203.photobucket.com/user/Gina3102/media/20130815_1622591.jpg.html%5Dhttp://%5Bimg%20width=600%20height=450%5Dhttp://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa108/Gina3102/20130815_1622591.jpg)[/URL]][/img]
Plumage assembled.
I did not have any luck with sewing the feathers together. This method didn't seem sturdy enough for the rigors of faire. I used very small clear colored zip ties to join the feathers at the base. The I used a larger black zip tie to join them to the cone pin. I was able to hide the zip ties under the cone pin. This pin will slip into the fabric loop on my cavalier and tri corn hats.
Gina
So I have my feathers; they look awesome (although when I arrayed them on the hat, Milord looked at it--keep in mind that you cannot see the hat through the profusion of feathers--and said, "Do you need more?" ;D). They're nicely fluffy and weren't damaged or bent at all in transit.
Some of them have pretty curved shafts, though. Should I cut the shafts off or trim them shorter? Should I bend/flatten them somehow? (Iron them, maybe?)
I have twelve, and they're going around a large, German-style "platter hat" (like this (http://research.fibergeek.com/img/Profoss.jpg)). The size they are now, they fit perfectly arrayed in a circle around the crown (sort of like the strings in this picture (https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/--QGnOSBayo4/TjW-54-YVeI/AAAAAAAAKYY/o-lRUhAM4V8/s640/IMG_0152.JPG)), but that's a lot of feather shaft on top of the brim. If I trimmed off the shafts, I could put them in so they point straight out, like the rays of the sun (http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQtbky600Aq7m2jXAyQo_fGccFpjh1ck_RsQw85af0jmc90Km5uTA). Milord thinks the "string art" way will offer more stability, but it also seems like it will be really, really bulky. Not sure what's the best approach.
ETA: I found a great tutorial on Powwows.com (http://www.powwows.com/2011/10/12/straightening-and-trimming-feathers/) for ironing feathers (a totally fascinating look into a different hobby!), which convinced me my first efforts were too gentle. I held the feather in one hand with an oven mitt, and then pressed the heck out of the shaft (the naked, unfrondy bit) with a hot iron for about 30 seconds. It was easier to press the convex curve downward toward the ironing board, than the other way. Once the shaft was hot enough, I then straightened it by hand (the oven-mitted hand--they get HOT and don't cool down right away). I put the straightened feathers under a stack of heavy books to cool overnight.
I have also found some good quality plumes at http://www.eventswholesale.com/ostrich-feathers/ (http://www.eventswholesale.com/ostrich-feathers/)
Just make sure you know the difference between drabs and plumes before you place your order. The plumes are nice and full, while the drabs are a little less plush but still very nice if you are on a budget.