diy tutorial: feathered clutch

I didn't forget about the tutorial, I promise! It's just taken me a ridiculously long time to post it up. So here it is, in all its glory:


The Black Feathered Clutch (inspired by this beautiful ASOS bag)

What you'll need:

• sacrificial clutch - ideally, it should have a seamed opening (you'll see why in a minute)
• feathers
• thread (should match the shade of your feathers)
• sewing needle
• optional: beads, sequins, other decorations

Step One:

Pick out feathers of similar lengths; the ones with a thicker shaft and a 'downy hair' appearance work the best (left)

Step Two:

Find an opening on the seamed portion of the clutch, and slip the shaft of the feather inside (don't force it, otherwise you'll ruin your feathers!)

Step Three:

Stitch feather shaft to clutch; reinforce by wrapping the thread around the shaft a few times.









And now you have the basics!  From here on, it just takes a little patience, good tunes to pass the time, and a tolerance for little feather bits floating around a one metre radius of your DIY project.  Best of luck! 

Let's fast-forward to the finished product...

Et voila!

birds of a feather flock together

DIYs always make for good study breaks. My studding (as witnessed here) has been put on hold until I can thrift a leather barrel bag and get my hands on a super-sized bag of rounded studs (I've got A. Wang's Rocco in mind). Right now, my DIYs have taken a detour into the land of our fair-feathered friends.

The ingredients? A package of feathers from the local Michaels and an old clutch in desperate need of a makeover. I'll put up a tutorial later in the week. But for now, I've got to clean up all the little feathery bits stuck in my bedroom carpet.

Who would have thought that this...

...could come from this?