How To Dye Grizzy Saddle Feathers

I hand dyed feathers this weekend! Want to know how to dye feathers?  read on...

undyed grizzly, cream and grey pelts

The feather craze has hit. While the trend of long feathers worn in the hair and in earrings is just heating up, the sparse availability and sky rocketing cost of feathers is making it nearly impossible to find them anymore. If you have favorite or demanded colors that can't be found anymore, a good solution is to dye the colors yourself. 



Pro Chemical dyes



When dying feathers, or any natural protien fiber such as leather, silk, wool ect you need to use an acid dye.  I went to Pro Chemical for my dye because they have tons of color selection from several brands available and each one will color differently. For this batch I used PRO ONE SHOT and PRO WASHFAST because those lines had the fluorescent dyes such as fluorescent and flavine yellow and rhodamine red that make feather colors really POP.  Be careful when selecting colors not to pick pigments or paints. Those are for surface coating - not dyeing.

The kind of feathers I dyed are called saddle feathers coming from a hybrid rooster. Good luck finding a pelt for under 150.00 these days!  This bird takes a whopping 2 years to mature and there are no more feathers ready until spring 2012.  Expect bidding wars - if you can find them for sale anywhere - and plan on paying 2.00 - 5.00 per feather. Feather prices are suibject to steep increases based on demand.

The stripped pattern is called grizzly. Also there are other saddle feathers that are solid and several grades of quality that effect length and such. The best information on saddle feathers and their grades can be found on the Caddis Fly Shop website.

You can dye any feather. Greys yield deeper darker colors, creams translate brights, and natural grizzly feathers dye vivid while maintaining the black stripes. Badger feathers (they have a single black stripe that travels down the length of the feather shaft) pick up colors nicely and the stripe is retained.

If you want a bright feather color,  I recommend cream, white or palest silvers. If your feathers are dingy or greasy, brighten them up and clean them with some diaper white detergent.  Do a practice batch on cheap feathers to figure out the ratios. It is possible to burn feathers with diaper white and dye. The feathers will become curly and stiff, crunchy and brittle if they are burned.

INGREDIENTS

To dye feathers, you will need:

1 metal stock pot (that is dedicated to use for dyeing)
sink and running water
powdered dye  ( 1-5 TB for half a pot of water amount varies by color, feather quantity and water amount)
stove top
white vinegar
tongs
hair dryer with
gloves or REDURAN (to avoid coloring hands or removing color from hands)
synthropol
a dye journal to write down the ratios so you can repeat any results

DYE THE FEATHERS

Pelts simmers in red dyebath

Fill a pan 1/3 to 1/2 way full of water and heat to simmer on stove top. Once steaming, add the dye. It dissolves better when the water is hot. (fluorescent yellow and aqua shades require more than reds, blues and purples) you can use a color wheel to mix your own shades. Jot down water / dye / feather / time ratios so if you get amazing results you know how to recreate them.

You can dye 2-3 pelts at a time. Gently simmer the pelts for 5 minutes to soften the skins, using tongs to stir the feathers and keep them submerged and  then remove from heat and set aside for 10 more minutes. It is possible to put the vinegar in the simmering dye bath, but it is too smelly for me so I use it during the rinsing.



RINSE THE FEATHERS

Pour a sink with 2 gallons of water and 2 cups of white vinegar.
Put on gloves and use tongs to pick the feathers up out of the cooled dye. If you plan to use the dye for another batch, squeezed the dye liquid out of the pelts back into the pot. Now place the wet pelts into the vinegar/water solution and agitate to rinse to release the dye from the feathers.  Let soak for a few minutes and agitate again.

Pelt being rinsed in vinegar/water solution

In the second sink, have warm water and synthropol to further release over dye from the feathers until the water is clear (some color will always be present due to color release from the skin.  Now squeeze as much water from the pelt as possible - do NOT wring because this will tear feathers from the pelt.

DRY THE FEATHERS

Roll feathers in a towel to remove more water and then dry them on a high heat setting with a hair dryer just like you dry your hair. Keep the heat moving. Once feathers are dry, flat on paper towel over cardboard and pin the skin flat for a day or so to dry the skin completley. Some grease will release from the skin as it dries (thus the towel.)

THAT'S IT!!

I dyed 33 pelts in 2 evenings.  It was so much fun.  What do you think of these colors?

I used fluorescent yellow, hot pink, mountain aqua, rhodamine red, strawberry red, wild iris and brilliant blue.  Using fluorescent and neon colors can make black-light responsive colors and add a bright factor to mixed colors. I chose red/yellow/blue to mix my own spectrum of colors ...

If you enjoy long feathers, check out my Etsy shop to see some feather jewelry - bright colors coming soon ...

Bridge and Buckle feather earrings

Happy faeries use recycled faerie lighting

I hate throwing anything away.  It just seems a waste of resources. I have many little glass objects laying around that I just found a use for and it will make such a pretty fairy wonderland of my backyard - pictures to come I complete it.  Want to do the same?  Here is the project I found:

http://www.cutoutandkeep.net/projects/sweet_n_simple_summer_lanterns

Instructions 

1. 1
   

   METHOD ONE (best for glasses, tea light holders, etc.)
   **NOTE: I'm not sure why I put this one on first, because it's more complicated. You may want to scroll down and start with METHOD TWO.**
   Cut two pieces of wire long enough so they can almost make a full circle (top to bottom) around your container.
   Fold each piece in half and loop them together as shown.
2. 2
   

   Twist loops until each end of the wire is facing in the opposite direction.
3. 3
   

   Next, lay your container mouth-down on your work surface and center the looped wire intersection in the middle.
4. 4
   

   Carefully holding the wire in place with one hand, pick up your container and fold the wire ends in to the mouth and down the side.
   You can cut the wire if it's too long, or to your own desired length. Make sure to keep some length for added support, though. I'd say at least one inch into your container at minimum.
5. 5
   

   Next, cut two pieces of wire roughly the same size as the first, or longer/shorter as you like. These will be the handle, so it's up to you how long you want it to be.
   Using your needle nose pliers, twist a tiny hook in the end of each wire as shown.
6. 6
   

   Taking one lenth of wire, carefully hook the end under the bend where the support wire folds into the mouth of the container.
   Pinch closed with needle nose pliers, and repeat with other end of wire on the opposite side. You should have an upside-down U shape over your container. Carefully twist the top to form a small twisted circle for the next wire to pass through.
7. 7
   

   Take your second length of wire and repeat step 6. Make sure after you hook the first end of the wire and pinch it closed, you pass the wire through the small circle you made with the first wire. You can loop the wire around for added support if you like. Then, hook the second end and pinch it closed.
   This picture is hard to see, but I connected the ends of the wire on this glass dish side-by-side instead of on opposide sides and looped them together at the top.
8. 8
   

   If you'd like, you can fashion a little S-hook out of the wire and attach it to the loops.
   Just add a tea light candle and you're ready to be enlightened! :)
9. 9
   

   METHOD TWO: Glass jars (jam jars, canning jars, etc.)
   Cut a length of wire long enough to circle the mouth of your jar about 1 and a half times.
   Twist a loop in one end, and hold it in place under the lip of the jar, pulling the wire around until you reach the opposite side (180 degrees from the first loop) and make a second loop.
   Next, pull the wire back to the first loop (creating a full circle under the lip of the jar) and hook the wire around the first loop. Pinch closed with pliers.
10. 10
    

    Cut a second length of wire for your handle. This can be as long or as short as you want your lantern to hang.
    Bend a tiny hook in either end of your wire and hook through the loops. Pinch closed with pliers.
    Add a tea light and enjoy!!
11. 11
    

    You can experiment with all sorts of glass containers, try different color themes, decoupage, use different sizes, or even paint them to make stained glass!
    Remember to never leave lighted lanterns unattended! :)

making some new earrings

a rainbow of colors

Joy - Rapture - Unconfined ... A New box of Feathers At Last Is Mine!!

I just recieved a new parcel of feathers in my mailbox and had to run straight to the studio. I have been spending the last few evenings making some new feather earring designs that are so dang cool! I got so wrapped up in having fun that before I knew it I had created about 30 pairs.  Vivid colors, carnival colors, natural colors, Christmas colors -- you name it!!

earring assembly

I am really excited about feathers lately -- I even wear them in my hair! My latest feather earring designs are currently available at my Bridge & Buckle  booth located in Savannah Faire, Grants Pass Oregon.

**custome lengths and color combinations available

now for the earwires and then put them on cards