Feathercraft

Today I was a plumassier! I put down my pencil and Wacom pen, picked up a needle and thread, and finally sewed together the feather headdress I’ve been planning to make for years.

I was originally inspired by a headdress (rather gaudy, in hindsight) I saw in a boutique window many years ago, but it was only when I came across this sequin trim in a $5 grab-bag of fabric scraps and sundry beaded goodies that I finally laid my plans.

Taking advantage of the Spring Racing Carnival (when all kinds of millinery accessories are readily available in haberdashers) a couple of years ago, I stocked up on several bunches of feathers, a strip of sinnamay, and some mauve satin ribbon.

It’s my birthday this week, and since I am going to the Spiegeltent for a burlesque circus show on Saturday night, I decided I wanted something fun to wear – a deadline is always motivating! So I spent a good part of the day stitching feathers to the back of the sinnamay (stabbing myself in the fingers several times), then the sequin trim to the front. This was tricky, as the width of the sinnamay varied. Lastly, I stitched the ribbon to the reverse side of the band. I’m not a talented seamstress by any stretch of the imagination, but sequins hide all manner of sins!

Check out a few more pictures of the process on my Facebook page.