Tag Archives: how to care for feathers

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!

 

Category: Feather Care | Tags: ,

Peacock Feathers For Arts And Crafts – Symbols and Facts

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Feather Jewels at The Feathered Egg

These tiny peacock body feathers are ideal for feather jewelry. They are sometimes hard to find, unlike the more common tail fan feathers.

Although I did not raise peacocks in my flock, I knew a woman who did, and kept her birds in the same way I did, resulting in cruelty-free feathers.

Her male peacock had fallen in love with her Rhea, and every year he molted. Every year, I bought his fallen feathers.

In this way, I had plenty of peacock feathers for arts and crafts.

The peacock tail feathers are the best known. The eyes on the feathers can turn away the “evil eye” and can symbolize all-seeing wisdom.

I loved the body feathers, because some of them were miniature versions of the tail feathers, complete with eyes, or with rainbow edges – which I used to make delightful small feather jewels.

The long feathery fronds that run up the edges of the tail feathers are called “herl” and I think they are great for mixed media texture, or grouped together for a different kind of feather jewel.

Peacock feather care is similar to our own hair care, except when blow-drying, it is easy to burn the floaty ends of the feathers, so be careful. They can be lightly soaped, washed, and then if you spread citronella or cedar oil on lightly on your hands, you can groom the feathers back to their natural shape. Clean and protected from bugs.

Peacock feathers are included in the feather sampler collections I have on my site. Gorgeous feathers from happy birds.

 

Category: Feather Facts | Tags: , ,