Upcycled denim feathers

I found an Instructable on the weekend for making denim feathers!!!!  How cool was that!!

I did a bit more research and found several people who have published instructions for making them. 

I have taken suggestionas from several of the tutorials to create denim feathers for putting on cards.

I had several feather templates so I printed them to be about 4" or so and then cut them out.

I found a few small pieces of denim which I ironed flat so I could trace my patterns onto them.  I was able to trace some in both directions - with the shaft going across and also some with the shaft going up and down.  Depending on the direction the feathers will be a different colour because of how denim is woven - two different colour threads.  The light blue ones were cut with the shaft going up and down and the dark blue ones were cut with the shaft going across.  Not sure if it would be the same for all denims but that it how it worked for the denim I cut.  I traced my pattern onto the denim and cut them out with scissors.  It is not necessary to be very precise as any ragged edge disappears when you remove the threads.  After my feathers were cut I drew a line from the tip to the bottom of the feather to use as a guide for my shaft. 

I decided to use wire for the shaft of my feathers because I wanted to be able to shape them. 

Others have used twine or cording. 

 I cut a piece about 6" long and threaded it through the center of my feather using it sort of like a needle using the line I had drawn as a guide.  To keep the wire from pulling out I folded over about 3/8" at the tip which captures the denim and I used a pair of pliers to really press the wires together.  

I decided to hand stitch the shaft of my feathers.  Others have used glue or zig zag machine stitching to secure their shaft material. 

I chose coordinating embroidery floss and inserted my needle just at the end of the feather leaving a length along the spine to avoid using a knot.  I started stitching at the tip and ensured that I captured the end of my thread and the end of my wire in each stitch.  This process makes it neat on both sides.  I kept adding small stitches right next to each other until I had completely captured the wire in the process of creating the shaft of my feather.  At the base of my feather I tied a couple knots and inserted the end of my thread into the stitching to hide it.  

Once you have finished stitching your shaft you start removing the threads from each side.  Simply start pulling the threads that are parallel with the shaft from the outside edges and continuing towards the shaft.  Depending on how well you have aligned your shaft with the threads you might find that some threads are captured in your stitching.  If so, simply cut them the same length as those that are going in the other direction and giving shape to your feather.  Once you have removed all the free threads you will have a beautiful soft and textured feather with a sturdy moldable shaft in the center.  

You can see from my top photo that I have some made from black denim as well.  I stitched the shafts for those in bright embroidery thread for a bit of a different look.  The threads were black in both directions so the feathers were black no matter which direction they were cut.  

The dark blue feathers were horizontally on the denim and the light blue ones were cut vertically on the denim.  I would consider stitching those in lighter thread next time.  I did not know until I made several which ones were going to be dark or light.  You might want to cut one of each and make them into feathers so you can be sure you will be creating feathers the colour you want.  Might be good to add a tag with notes on the feathers in indicate the direction you put the shaft for future reference. 

I am super happy with how these turned out and I expect any heavy weight woven fabric in any colour can be used to make feathers so I will give that a try next time!!  

I have a few made ahead that only need stitching.   A slow stitching project in the making!!  It will be interesting to see how much the wear on these ones will be left on the feathers.  It would be good to have a few that have a bit different colour texture than the others.  

Have fun and create some feathers!!  Check on line for ideas of where you can use them.  You can make them any size you want so they can be used in anything from jewelry or home decor.            Therese