How to Make Feather Pins
Human beings have been using bird feathers to adorn our clothing for many centuries. One of the most subtle forms of feather decoration is a feather pin, suitable for wear by both men and woman on clothing like lapel jackets or hats. Creating your own feather pin is a simple craft, but one that requires a little careful handling for the best aesthetic arrangement and attachment of the feathers.
Things You'll Need
- Small decorative feathers, two or three sizes and patterns
- Beading floss or dental floss
- Tacky craft glue
- Black craft foam
- Bar pin
- Hot glue gun
Instructions
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1
Choose three or four feathers and arrange them into a bundle you like. Place large flowers in the back of the bundle and short flowers in the front so all colors and textures will be visible. Also, the more busy and intricate the pattern of the feather, the better it will look in front, against a backdrop of solid-colored feathers. Line up the feathers so the bottoms of the center shafts are at the same height. Trim the bottoms and plumes of the feathers as needed with scissors to get the shape you want.
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2
Tie the bundle together using the beading floss. Make a double knot about 1/2 inch from the bottom of the feather shafts, and then wrap the floss around the bundle at least four more times. Make another double knot to secure it and trim away the excess floss.
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3
Secure the bundle with a couple dots of glue. Apply these from the back of the bundle and try to ooze them through the base of the feather shafts to soak in between them. Use as little glue at a time as you can to avoid getting any on the fluff of the feathers, since this will destroy their look.
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4
Cut a small, long and thin oval of black craft foam. Make it small enough that you can easily hide it behind the feathers.
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5
Coat the foam in tacky craft glue.
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6
Mount the feathers to the foam. Position it so that part of the foam is touching the bundled portion for added security.
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7
Glue the foam to the bar pin using hot glue. Use enough glue that it will ooze through the holes in the bar pin a little.
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References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
