Making a feathered headband
Adapted from Colette Malouf
Time: About 45 minutes
Note: Feathers are available at Matoska Trading Co., 611 W. Chapman Ave., Orange; (714) 516-9940; www.matoska.com. Headbands are available at www.goodhairdays.com; felt, glue, chalk and glue guns are available at craft stores such as Michael’s; tubular satin ribbon and satin velvet ribbon are available at Mokuba, www.mokubany.com.
Materials: One 3- to 4-inch length of strung hackle feathers; a one-eighth-inch-wide metal or plastic headband; one 18-inch length of one-eighth-inch wide tubular satin ribbon; two 8-inch-by-11-inch rectangles of felt; glue gun; craft or fabric glue; white chalk for marking. (You can substitute an additional 1-yard length of three-eighths-inch wide velvet ribbon for the tubular ribbon. Just wind it around the headband to cover completely, gluing it securely as you go.)
1. On a piece of stiff paper (such as a Manila folder), draw and cut out a teardrop pattern about 4 inches wide and 5 1/2 inches long. Using the chalk, trace a teardrop on one of the squares of felt. Trace and cut out another teardrop, about one-eighth-inch larger all the way around than the first.
2. Trim the bottom ends of the feathers to remove any discoloration or tough quills, and carefully pull off the loose fuzz, dropping the feathers in a glass of water so they don’t fly everywhere.
3. Place the smaller felt teardrop rounded side up on a work surface. Apply dots of craft glue a third of the way from the top. Glue the feathers, quill side down, in a row, leaving no space between them, and following the arc of the teardrop. (They won’t make a straight line; they’ll be higher at the midpoint.) The ends of the feathers will extend well beyond the top of the felt. You will need two points of glue to hold each feather in place, one at the quill tip and another an inch up. Start the second row halfway down the remaining portion of felt, and again make it an arched row. Make a third row about an inch-and-a-half from the point of the teardrop.
4. Now fill in the little triangle at the bottom. Cut off the bottoms of feathers for this row so you’re using the cleaner tops, not the fuzzier bottoms. Continue until the entire teardrop is covered, and then add smaller, cleaner feathers to fill in any gaps.
5. Thread the headband through the tubular ribbon, leaving an extra inch of ribbon at both ends. Trim one end to one-fourth inch. Using the glue gun, dab a dot of hot glue on the overhanging ribbon, fold it under the headband to secure and press to set. Pull the overhang tight on the other end, trim it to one-fourth inch, fold it under and glue in the same manner.
6. Measure for placement by putting the headband on and holding the feathered piece on one side (feathered side out); the bottom of the felt should meet the top of your ear, maybe one-fourth inch from the bottom tip, but this will depend upon the wearer.
7. Using the glue gun, draw a thin line of glue down the unfeathered side of the teardrop. Glue the headband along the line and press until set.
8. Use the glue gun to draw a line one-fourth inch around the periphery of the underside of the feathered teardrop. Fit the larger felt teardrop over it and press until set.
