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Hand dyed, naturally molted, cruelty-free
goose feather earrings from ursusarctosana on Etsy.com |
The flock and I have an Etsy.com store called The Lucy Goose listed under username ursusarctosana where we've been selling our feather earrings and hair accessories for about a year and a half to help cover costs of veterinary care, food, and bedding for the ducks and geese. In early spring Lucy and Wee-Woo molted a ton of white feathers that I have been holding onto. After cleaning them thoroughly in the hottest water and a mild, bio-degradable detergent, they've been dried and packed into bags. Yesterday I had a brain fart and thought, "Why don't I dye some of these white feathers with stuff I can find around the house?"
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| Big wire wrapped feather earrings. |
I was able to dye pink, blue, yellow, and a light caramel (rattan) color with various leftovers and food items. I will tell you that I used some coffee grounds, masala curry, and a drop of leftover punk rock hair color, but the rest is a secret. I know that many feather earrings are made with pre-dyed feathers that earring makers order from suppliers, but our dyed feathers are different. I'm now on a mission to try new things and since we're now receiving feathers from a couple of wonderful waterfowl sanctuaries across the country, there will be more opportunity to work with white goose and duck feathers and natural dyes.
Here are a few of the earrings I made today using the new dye technique. Some of the ear wires I've hand hammered using 20g sterling silver or red brass wire. Enjoy! And make sure to visit The Lucy Goose (ursusarctosana) on Etsy. To see our shop you can click
HERE!
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Cruelty-free feather earrings using dyed goose feathers, duck feathers, and wild turkey feathers (naturally molted). Ear wires are hand hammered.
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