Famous Feathers – A Feather In The Hat For Downton Abbey

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downton Abbey at pbs.org has fantastic feathers

Famous Feathers In Art, Literature, and Film. My series begins with, of course, Downton Abbey season 3 at www.pbs.org

For anyone interested in feathers for arts and crafts, being able to recognize the feathers worn by famous people throughout history is a fun skill.

My blog series about Famous Feathers is designed to do just that. Although most of the historical feathers I will spotlight are probably not cruelty-free feathers, we can hope that modern artists are keeping that in mind as they create new ones.

This series had only just begun – (this is the first post) – when Season 3 of Downtown Abbey provided me with enough gorgeous, astounding, amazing, exciting feather headpieces to keep me going for a year!

Feather headgear in the 1920s and earlier was big business in the United Kingdom. It was not only fashion, it was also politics. Status, influence, public relations… it was huge. And the kind of feather, placement in the hat or bad, height, color, reach… conveyed a language all of its own.

The 1920’s, which is the setting for Downton Abbey’s third season, would be known as the Roaring Twenties in America, but for England, it was a time of change for the aristocracy – wearers of the famous feathers.

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 had outlawed some of the feathers that used to be used in making the headpieces, so milliners had to be more creative with the legal feathers. They did this by shaping, dyeing, trimming, and using different parts of the same species over and over again.

We kick it off with the Lady Crawley and her elegantly understated wedding rehearsal hat. A dark cloche with a pinned up brim, secured by a floating froth of tan, beige, to dark brown – whatness? I’m guessing Ostrich floss feathers. The floatiest of frothiest plumiest floss that comes from underneath the wing.

I don’t currently sell ostrich feathers, because the cruelty-free feathers for arts and crafts for sale at www.TheFeatheredEgg.com are from our own flock of humanely-raised pheasant, partridge, quail, chickens, geese, ducks, and turkeys.

But someday, ostrich, emu, rhea!  I do have emu… which is a foreshadowing of the next Famous Feathers post. Who is wearing emu at Downton Abbey?

 

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What Are The Best Feathers For Jewelry

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the feathered egg feather jewelry

While peacock feathers are a clear choice for beautiful feather jewelry, there are many other kinds of feathers that top my list.

Choosing feathers for jewelry making is the fun part. The birds themselves wore their feathers for jewelry, as well as for lifesupport – and we can see why. The feathers are gorgeous.

Cruelty-free feathers are getting more and more important to feather jewelry makers, because the artists use a small number of carefully-selected feathers, and put a lot of time and thought into the art. Good karma feathers are an expression of their art.

Pheasant feathers lead the feather jewelry market, but chicken feathers for arts and crafts are a close second. Chickens have an amazing variety of beautiful feathers and there seem to be more breeds every year, giving pheasants a run for most beautiful status.

Short wing feathers are a good place to start when planning feather jewelry. Layering the feathers on top of each other is popular, with the longest and strongest in the back.

Feathers with a wide body and strong color pattern are also a good back piece. These can be long body feathers, short tail fan feathers, or wide crest feathers.

Topping the piece with a smaller, brightly patterned body feather is my favorite part.

I use fluff feathers for texture throughout the piece, or as a backing to set off a single brilliantly colored feather.

The ornamental pheasant: Lady Amherst Pheasant, Silver Pheasant, Golden Pheasant, and Reeves Pheasant are a good place to start for feathers that make a centerpiece to the work.

Guinea Fowl have polka dot feathers, Chukar Partridge have black and tan barred feathers. Chicken roosters are the source of most hair feathers, and Buff Polish Chickens have feathers that suit every kind of jewelry project.

Turkey feathers and goose feathers are an excellent source of background or long feathers, and are the main source of feathers for feather fans.

Most of the feather jewelry for sale in stores and at craft fairs have these kinds of arts and crafts feathers in their construction.

For a mix of all the feathers mentioned in this article, check out the Feather Jewelry Sampler at www.TheFeatheredEgg.com. I put together these samplers out of my best feathers, reserved for my own jewelry making. But then I looked around at the, literally, thousands of feathers I’d put aside for myself and realized that not even an entire army of crafters could use them in a lifetime. I created the sampler kits and listed them as a group. Pictures of the feathers that are included in the sampler can be found throughout the site with the individual feathers – like the links in this post.

Even a single feather with a single bead can be breathtakingly beautiful. That’s the nature of feather jewelry. It’s already a natural jewel. We just put it where it can be admired.

 

 

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Golden Pheasant Crest Feathers for Arts And Crafts at TheFeatheredEgg.com

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Golden Pheasant Feathers for Sale The Feathered Egg

These Golden Pheasant Feathers for arts and crafts are available over at www.TheFeatheredEgg.com, and they come from our own flock.

Golden Pheasant are one of the ornamental pheasant breeds that we raised in our flock that gave us our cruelty-free feathers for arts and crafts.

Their plumes and feathers are an exceptionally fun resource to use as feathers for crafts.

They are a charming and funny breed. Our two males spent most of their time dashing in front of every hen, no matter what kind of hen, and stopping them in their tracks for a dazzling feather display.

They would display for us as well, they were not exclusive in their attentions.

The Golden Pheasant joins a variety of Red-Gold, Yellow-Gold, and other mixes of this kind of pheasant… and breeders have a challenge sorting out the varieties and keeping them pure. Ours is probably more correctly named a Yellow-Golden Pheasant, but I’m sticking with the generalization of Golden Pheasant

The crest feathers are spectacular. They form a kind of helmet at the back of the Pheasant’s neck. These crest feathers are limited only to the neck, and I have them packaged in two sizes, medium and small. The tips are encrusted with special iridescent clusters of different feather texture, so they are kind of naturally bejeweled.

The bird is native to the forests of China, and it is hard to believe that their vivid coloration is consider camouflage, but they are hard to see in their home habitat.

Golden Pheasant are not difficult to raise and were not dangerous, even during mating season. That is not always the case with Pheasant. The Goldens were funny, gentle, and almost affectionate. But they also needed their hens – they would not have been happy alone or with only other males.

It was as important to be admired for their beautiful feathers as it was to have food and water. We continue to cherish the Golden Pheasant in having their feathers for arts and crafts,

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Lady Amherst Pheasant Feathers at www.TheFeatheredEgg.com

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Lady Amherst Pheasant Cruelty Free Feathers

These are the green crest feathers of the male Lady Amherst Pheasant. Our own pheasant, cherished for his whole life, is the source of these cruelty-free pheasant feathers.

The Lady Amherst Pheasant was THE pheasant that inspired me to order a batch of day old pheasant chicks from a hatchery and raise them myself.

The story of that adventure is available at www.TheWestchesterPress.com – and it is kind of hilarious.

When we ordered the chicks, we knew there was no guarantee we would get a Lady Amherst Pheasant, and if we did, it might not be a male.

But we got one. Exactly one. No hen, just this beautiful boy with green on green neck feathers, black edged crest feathers, crimson head feathers, and so much variety, iridescence, shape, and texture that there was no end to the wonder.

Lady Amherst was a British countess who spent some time in India and brought a breeding pair of these pheasant back to England. I saw my first Lady Amherst pheasant in a zoo.

The feathers in the photo are the green neck crest medallion feathers, and my stock is entirely cruelty-free. We cared for our boy throughout his life, and cherish his feathers today. We loved to watch his display behavior and his pride in his feathers.

These feathers are ideal for jewelry. The round end is about the size of a quarter, and the edges flash deep teal and green in bright light. Small to large, they are only found on the pheasant’s neck.

All of the Lady Amherst Pheasant images on www.NaturalFeathers.com and www.TheFeatheredEgg.com are from our one male, who we named, with great creativity, Mr. Lady Amherst Pheasant.

 

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Use Tiny Feathers As Doll Eyelashes!

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Silver pheasant feathers are graphically beautiful. They were part of our first flock at www.TheFeatheredEgg.com, and are amazing.

One of the most rewarding parts of having www.TheFeatheredEgg.com is learning what my customers do with the arts and crafts feathers that I sell.

I wasn’t totally sure what the smallest feathers would be used for, but they were so perfectly beautiful that I couldn’t resist collecting them when I had my flock of chickens, pheasant, partridge, quail, ducks, and geese.

These cruelty-free feathers were mostly from the shoulders and neck, and were tiny replications of the gorgeous patterns and shapes from the rest of the bird.

Then one day, I had an order from a lady in Maine who was making dolls. She told me that she was buying the feathers to use as doll eyelashes. I was amazed and delighted. I had learned something new about the uses for feathers, for arts and crafts, and for other things.

The care that crafters and artists put into their work makes it totally worth the niche market that I’ve found for my cruelty-free feathers. I don’t have large numbers of the feathers – because the mission I have for raising the birds and collecting the feathers doesn’t produce them in large quantity, but they are perfect for the purpose they serve.

And in this case, it was doll eyelashes – which I never would have thought of on my own!

 

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Feather Artist Spotlight… Chris Maynard

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Feather Art Natural Feathers

Chris Maynard’s feather art is simply amazing. Some of the kinds of feathers he uses are for sale here, but he goes much farther into the medium than I’ve ever seen before. I spent more than an hour at his amazing website.

The uses of feathers for arts and crafts is endlessly fascinating, and gives me many ideas for uses for my cruelty-free feathers.

Chris Maynard’s work on feathers came to my attention through a friend. I was amazed by Chris’s shadowbox feather art and spent hours cruising his website.

I learned there that Maynard creates his feather sculptures using eye surgery cutting tools. The birds cut out from the feathers are the birds that produced the feathers.

Some of his feathers are exotic, obtained legally from zoos and curators.

Maynard’s feather photography captures the elusive iridescence that I am so amazed by, and that I know is difficult to photograph.

There’s a hummingbird feather on a copper penny. That’s a must-see.

This feather art is inspirational. One of the best things about having a big inventory of feathers for arts and crafts is access to these amazing materials.

I’m very pleased to be able to view Chris Maynard’s feather art, and look forward to bringing more art to this blog about feathers of www.TheFeatheredEgg.com

 

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Black Feathers Are Not Always Black

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Cruelty-Free Feathers at Natural Feathers

Black Feathers are mysteriously elusive… and symbolic!

I often get requests from feather artists for cruelty-free feathers that are truly black, not blue black, not purple black, but … just… black.

The first time I heard this, I thought “Sure, I have black feathers… no problem!” but then I pawed through my feather inventory and had a hard time finding feathers that were just… black.

Black feathers are often iridescent. Indescribably beautiful. Shimmering teals and greens and turquoise and cobalt and indigo and every kind of purple. But these feather artists didn’t want that. They just wanted black.

And those feathers usually come from the underneath or sides of  the bird, or are secondary feathers in wing or tail. The supporting cast of feathers, not the stars.

It turns out that birds can see into the ultraviolet, and the iridescent feathers send messages, usually love notes. The black feathers have more melanin granules, and are often stronger than lighter-colored feathers. This is why birds have black-edged feathers, the black resists wear and tear longer.

I’m still not sure why the artists want simple black, rather than spectacular black… because they are artists and they do not explain, they create! But the rest of my research indicated that black feathers are considered to be messages… maybe from angels, maybe from ancestors.

And a crow feather in your path is considered a warning. Of what, I don’t know, other than a warning not to pick up that crow feather because keeping crow feathers is illegal… warning from fish and game?

Anyway, black feathers are awesome, and harder to find than I thought they were!

 

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Natural Bug Repellents For Protecting Arts and Crafts Feathers

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Pheasant Feathers for sale at Natural Feathers

Cruelty-Free Feathers need to be protected and several aromatic herbs will work very well… and smell nice!

Feathers for arts and crafts, and feathers for fly-tying, need to be protected when stored or displayed. Especially if they have been collected, washed, and sterilized without using toxic commercial processes.

There are bugs that live on the birds and in the feathers, but there are also bugs that literally eat the feathers no matter if they are on a bird or not.

These are the bugs we have to guard against.

Herbal essential oils work so well to repel bugs from feathers that they are used in the formulas of commercial bug repellent products. But we can use them in their essential oil form, and therefore enjoy their aromatic effect without exposing ourselves to the commercial products.

When I pack my feathers for sale, I have a light touch of citronella oil on my hands, and I keep a citronella-soaked pad of cloth in the feather storage box.

I have also lined my feather storage boxes with cedar planks, the same planks that are available at hardware stores for lining cedar closets.

Many of the aromatic herbs and plants that work well to ward off bugs are the same herbs we already use in aromatherapy. We love the smell, and the bugs don’t. One of nature’s balances that works in our favor.

Citronella is a good essential oil to use, and so is cedar – either the wood or the oil. Eucalyptus works well, as does Clove, and Patchouli, and Cinnamon, and Lavender. Neem oil is also considered a good bug repellent, but I haven’t snarfed that one, so I’m not sure how good it smells.

Just dab the oil on a small cloth and put it in with your feathers. Put another dab of oil on your hands when you work with the feathers. Refresh the oil every so often, which gives you an excuse to pet your feather artwork. Frustrate those bugs, and preserve your arts and crafts feathers!

 

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Wild Bird Feathers Are Illegal… Even If You Use The Feathers For Arts And Crafts

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Natural Feathers From Domestic Birds Only

Feathers from wild birds are very very illegal. Even if you find a feather on the ground in the woods, and even if it was molted from a live bird.

Feathers for crafts, even for your own use, must not be wild bird feathers.

Even if you found them outside, on the ground, from a molt.

Especially if the feathers are on, under, or even near… an eagle.
Or a Hawk, falcon, kestrel, or owl.

Crane? Run away…

There are very few exceptions to the feather laws so it’s better to just consider all wild bird feathers as illegal.

The laws are vigorously enforced by both private citizens and government officers, because it is a way to protect our wild bird populations.

Pheasant, Chukar Partridge, Rio Grande Wild Turkey, and Grouse are birds that live in the wild, but are also farmed throughout the USA. A farmer must have a permit to raise those birds, and a hunter has to have a permit to hunt them, but with those permits, the feathers are legal. All the cruelty-free feathers for sale on my site were raised with permits, for sure… because I did it myself.

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 prohibits anyone from even chasing a bird, much less hunting it, killing it, capturing it, or selling it – dead or alive. It also covers the feathers, eggs, and nests in the same way.

The Bald Eagle Act of 1940 added special protections for both the Bald and Golden Eagles, who were on the brink of extinction. It also made room for certain Native American feather uses.

The Endangered Species Act of 1973 added the third whammy to bird protection. With these laws, people were able to protect a bird’s nesting and migration grounds in addition to its body, feathers, eggs, and nest.

These are some of the most powerful environmental laws in our country, and they make sure nobody wants to mess with wild birds. It simply isn’t worth it. But not everyone knows that these laws cover every wild bird feather, egg, and nest you may come across.

The exceptions, which are pigeons, European starlings, and English house sparrows, are hard to identify, and Fish and Game doesn’t care if you make a mistake or if you are just planning a project with arts and crafts feathers.

One good solution is to work with domestic feathers for your crafts and make them look like the bird species you are admiring. There are some very talented artists who do this, particularly in the wild bird faux egg world.

Feathers for arts and crafts, especially cruelty-free feathers, are one of nature’s most fantastic craft products. I think it’s a great thing that wild bird feathers are illegal. The laws really have helped bird populations stay healthy. There are plenty of domestic feathers to meet our artistic inclinations… and I haven’t even started to look into domestic parrot feathers!

 

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A Flock Of Feather Craft Types!

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NaturalFeathers.com is TheFeatheredEgg.com

Natural Feathers is the feather dedicated site of The Feathered Egg. These cruelty-free feathers are from our own flock… and now are a part of feather craft worldwide!

My favorite part of offering cruelty-free feathers for sale is getting involved in the various different feather crafts that people are doing.

Sometimes it’s through conversations with customers shopping for just the right kind of feather.

Sometimes its research I’m doing for my own feather art.

But always it is amazing what people are making with beautiful natural feathers.

My flock’s feathers have joined the biggest flock in the world, and craft by craft, I’m determined to watch them fly… my Feather Craft Flock!

  •  Feather jewelry
  • Hair feathers
  • Feather butterflies
  • Feather masks
  • Prayer fans
  • Dreamcatchers
  • Decision feathers
  • Feather birds
  • Feather trees
  • Feather fans
  • Feather wreaths
  • Feather painting
  • Wall art

And more… featherloads of ideas… I’m really fluffed over the fantastic potential.

 

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