For this Friday we thought we’d send you off crafting with a sweet DIY project from Ez of Creature Comforts. Below she’ll explain how to make fabric feather boutonnieres. She’ll also show you how to dress feathers up as wedding favors and slip one or more into your hair for a carefree bohemian look. But once you have mastered how to create the feathers the possibilities are as endless as your imagination!
Supplies:
Download feather template
Cotton Linen and linen-look fabrics in 1/8 yd strips
Jute Twine
Corsage Pins
32 Gauge White Cloth Floral Wire
Avery Permanent Glue Stick
Craft Scissors
Fine-tipped fabric scissors
(optional) Vintage buttons
(optional) Cardstock paper and pen for writing tags
(optional) Decorative Bird Nest
(optional) Bissinger’s Salted Margarita Caramels
Step 1: Download and print the provided feather templates onto cardstock or standard-weight paper. Cut around each shape leaving the notched portions uncut.
Step 2: Protect your work surface with a piece of clean scrap paper. Lay down a portion of fabric correct-side down (if using a patterned fabric) that is at least 2″ wide x 9″ long. Test to be sure that your feather template fits onto one half the length of your fabric. Apply glue stick liberally to one half of your fabric leaving the other half untreated. Place a length of floral wire that is at least 6″ long into the middle of the glued portion, taking care to keep it as straight as possible. Leave several inches of wire hanging off the edge of your fabric (this will be trimmed later, if needed). Once you are happy with the position of your wire, fold the non-glued side of your fabric down onto the sticky side, sandwiching the wire inside. Rub the back of your thumbnail firmly over the surface of the fabric to adhere. For best results allow wired fabric to dry before proceeding to the next step. If you will be making a lot of feathers, it is a good idea to prepare them all at once to minimize your waiting time.
Step 3: Place desired feather template onto your prepared fabric. With a pair of sharp scissors, cut around the outside of feather template leaving notched portions uncut.
Step 4: Once satisfied with the feather shape, cut out notched portions of your feather using the template as your guide. You can also cut these shapes out freehand, or cut multiple slits around your entire feather for a look that has more texture. You can even dress your feathers up with dots using the tip of a fine-tipped permanent marker! No two feathers in nature are ever the same, so have fun with it and don’t worry about making them perfect.
Step 5: Once all your feathers have been cut, choose which feathers you will use for your boutonniere. Just remember that there is no wrong arrangement.
Step 6: Once feathers have been selected, place them together as you would like them arranged in the boutonniere. Then starting at the base of the feathers twist the wires together tightly until you reach the end of the wires. Fold the twisted wires upward and to the back of your feathers, so that it forms a loop at the bottom end of the feathers. This wired loop will become the “stem” of your boutonniere and can be any length that you would like. Anywhere between .75″ to 1.25″ looks great. Twist at the top like you are closing a twistie-tie (behind the feathers) to secure and use craft scissors to trim excess wire ends.
Step 7: To wrap the end of your boutonniere, begin by cutting a length of jute twine that is approximately 14″ long. Tie the twine in a tight knot around the top of the exposed wire, leaving one length of twine of approximately 4″ length hanging out at one side.
Step 8: Grasp the short end of twine in one hand and use the other hand to begin tightly wrapping the longer length of twine downward and around the exposed wire loop.
Step 9: Once you near the bottom of your boutonniere, continue to wrap back up towards your starting position (you do not need to use all the twine if it doesn’t fit). Finish by knotting your two ends together with a double knot or a bow. If you’d like to attach a button, thread it onto the ends of your twine, secure ends in back with a double knot and trim off excess. Pin onto lapel with a boutonniere pin.
Can’t you see this project as a great theme to carry throughout your wedding? We can see them also being used as napkin rings, tucked within your bouquet or if you’re really ambitious you could create some feather garlands.
Thanks Ez for sharing this project and happy crafting everyone!
