Feather Scarf Part #1

1)  Cut fabric in the scarf shape you like and arrange the feathers by length and the direction to which they bend.

2) Use the longest feathers for the first layer. Tallest feather in the middle and place the ones that bend to the right on the right hand side and left bending on the left side.

3) Add a dab of glue to each feather to hold it in place for the next step.

4) Sew the feathers to the fabric.

5) Repeat, using shorter and shorter feathers for each layer until the fabric is covered.

6) Add a trim to the bottom in order to cover the feather stems and keep them from irritating your neck.

Some of my favorite memories are of trying to communicate with birds. I remember sitting on the dilapidated fence in our side yard, looking up at doves on the telephone wires and trying to speak to them in what I now call "bird talk." Which was actually just human talk in a cooing birdlike voice. Eventually I actually became good at emulating their twittering and was even able get them to respond back.

Now, as an adult, I tend to twitter and chirp (literally, not electronically), while thinking. It's something I don't even notice doing until someone points it out. And, of course, my love of feathers has never faded.

In the summer, I wear feathers in my hair almost daily, but in Winter, scarves and jackets tend to damage them. So, they hang on the wall among my necklaces until Spring when it is warm enough to shed my outerwear.

Lately, I've been trying to find a way to incorporate feathers into my winter wardrobe in some non-destructive way. So, I thought, why not a scarf?

This is the first step, which is repeated until the entirety of the fabric is covered. Feathers are somewhat difficult to sew through, even with a sewing machine, and there is quite a bit of hand sewing that must also be done. Despite this, the design is relatively simple. All together, with the gluing, sewing by machine and by hand, it took almost 10 hours, so give yourself a couple days and prepare to be patient.