So many feathers!I have been collecting feathers for years. Whenever I find them on my walks on the beach, in the woods, or in my yard, I pick them up. I always feel that they are a treasure left for me to find. They are so beautiful, detailed, and each one is unique. For years I have put them in various containers, cups, vases, jars. Most recently I bought a large gallon mason jar that I arranged them in. It was nice but you could not really see the individual feathers. I spent lots of time looking on Pinterest for what to do with feathers. There are beautiful feathers in shadowboxes or hung by string on the wall. In each case these displayed only a few feathers at a time and I had so many. How could I possibly pick just 3 or 5?! I did see that people created feather wreaths. They tended to be made of lots of downy feathers which I didn't have many of. Most of mine are wing feathers. I decided to give it a try anyway. I looked at wreath forms and decided on a grape leaf wreath. I thought I would be able to cover it all up and it would give me plenty of places to hot glue the feathers to. I laid out all of my feathers on my table and semi-sorted them. I wanted to have a variety. I began gluing them in place, on multiple sides at the same time. I realized that I needed to select feathers that curved all in the same direction. It's a good thing I had so many! I propped the wreath up on a folded up towel. This helped my arm take a break and let me look at it without it sitting on the table. I also needed the hot glue to be semi-dry before I turned it and added more feathers. After working for a while, I realized I really needed a whole layer of larger feathers in the back. I had gaps in my larger feathers that I felt looked odd. I tried adding more feathers in the gaps but it was not so easy to get them to fit. I wanted them to be evenly spaced and allow all the other feathers to be "on top" of them. So I flipped it over and worked on the back side. I placed feathers and adjusted them, and then glued once I had the placement correct. Once I had the back completed I worked on filling in gaps on the front side and making sure the feathers in the center hid the wooden wreath underneath. I added smaller feathers in between larger ones, keeping mind colors and patterns. The feathers I used are primarily, white, black, grey, and shades of brown. There are some turkey feathers which have an iridescent bronze or greenish color depending on the light. I had some Blue Jay feathers that I wanted to use but I wasn't sure how they would look. Luckily it is pretty easy to slide them into a few places to see if you like the placement. I ended up adding three blue feathers. Gluing them into place without messing up other feathers was not so easy! Here is the final wreath. I hung it up on my coat rack to see how it looked, it needs a nail or hook that sticks out a lot in order to properly support the weight and because the feathers curve backwards and some will touch the wall. This whole process took me a few days (and my whole dining room table!). I needed to take breaks so I didn't get frustrated or rush. I ruined a few feathers by accidentally getting hot glue on them. Sometimes I could trim it off or cover it up with another feather. Other times I had to remove the feather completely. I also needed the time to think about how it looked. If I thought it was terrible, I wanted to be able to stop before using too many feathers. My family helped, giving suggestions and encouraging me. It was definitely a learning experience and I'm sure if I did it again it would be easier. That's what is fun about DIY projects, trying something new!
I love the way it turned out and I think it is a beautiful way to display my feathers so I can appreciate all of them.
3 Comments
Bethany
12/31/2021 09:55:25 pm
It looks so good! My son and I were planning on doing this with the feathers we have collected over the past year. I was going to use a foam floral wreath, but I like your idea better.
Reply
Renee Lawson
12/5/2022 05:11:52 pm
This is a great way to display your collection. I have bottles and cups full of feathers that I’m looking for a way to display. I feel the same way when I find a feather. It’s there just for me because I think of it as a treasure and will surely pick it up!
Reply
Joan
1/8/2023 08:56:48 am
Thank you so much for sharing! I also have so many feathers from guineas and chickens. Love this idea so much.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorAna is a designer and maker. She has a Bachelors in Art from Lewis & Clark College and a Masters in Education from Portland State University. Ana has worked as a graphic designer, color designer, footwear developer, elementary teacher and media specialist. Her passions include books, outdoors, and creating. Ana enjoys sewing, photography, painting, collage, embroidery, jewelry making, gardening and being outside. ArchivesCategories |