Dyeing Chicken Feathers with Food Colouring

Feathers dyed by microwaving with food colouring

At the start of the year my sister-in-law showed me socks knitted from wool dyed with food colouring. They were BRIGHT. I was sceptical. Food colouring is water soluble. Right?

Not so much when you microwave the heck out if it. I found an excellent tutorial on How To Dye Yarn with Food Colouring, over at Instructables

Knitting is not my thing, but when my chickens started moulting I wondered if the Food Colour Dyeing trick would work on feathers, why because then I could trim me some hats 'o plenty 19th century style for very little $$$

Long story short, yes, you can dye feathers with food colouring.

I followed the wool dyeing tutorial above with only two variations. Firstly I didn't really measure how much colouring I put it. Secondly after microwaving it the stated amount of time, I totally forgot about it and left it in the microwave over night. Did that extra time help the process? I can't say.
The main difference when doing the chicken feathers was the water didn't turn clear like it's meant to with the wool method.

But as you can see the colour took to the feathers quite well. Of course adding blue colouring to brown feathers has resulted in a greeny-blue, which I probably should have expected. I imagine if you use pure white chicken feathers the colours will be very true and BRIGHT.

Blue Food colouring dyed feathers on left, before dyeing natural brown on right

A word of warning, a little colour will come out of the feathers if you get them wet again, so I would be careful not to place them on white fabric.

Liebster Award

Apologies! The lovely Nessa from SewingEmpire asked me these questions via the ‘Liebster Award’ months ago, but I have been too damn useless soo busy...

- What is your favorite historical period?

For sewing, Victorian, specifically the bustle era periods, but really anything between about late 1860s – to early 1890s.

- How long have you been sewing, and how did you get into it?

Just under 2 years. I have a background in jewellery and I came interested in making Steampunk accessories - goggles and rayguns - but forgot those entirely once I saw the bustles and hats people were wearing.

Vintage sewing machine in perfect condition I bought for $40

About a month after I attended my first Steampunk event – wearing a mish-mash of stuff I already owned – I stumbled across a near-perfect vintage sewing machine in the Salvation Army Op-shop for only $40. 

But things really kicked-off when I ran into a Dunedin group of ladies who sew Victorian and Edwardian clothes. 

Dunedin Victorian and Edwardian costumers group

 - Which historical person would you like to meet and why?

Jack the Ripper - from a safe distance, or protected by a shark cage, admittedly. It bugs me not knowing who he was.

- Do you have a favorite kind of fabric you enjoy working with?

I find free fabric is the best kind.

- What will be your next project?

I’m taking a detour from strictly historical and venturing into cosplay – gasp – in the form of Spanish Inquisition outfits, ah la Monty Python.

Spanish Inquisition costumes as per Monty Python.

- Which place, in space and/or time, would you love to travel to?

I recently saw an engraving of the first manned hot-air balloon flight across Paris, 1783. For me, it captured the thrill of the moment. People climbing onto their rooftops to witness the impossible made real! That’s what I’d go see if Time-machines ever get their act together.

First manned flight 1783

- Where do you wear your sewing creations? Are you a regular at historical events or do you sew it just for yourself?

Alas, historical events are few and far between where I am. Over in the town of Oamaru (an hours drive from where I am) there's one main Steampunk event, and one Victorian event each year, but I figure something has to turn up actually held here in Dunedin one day, so I might as well prepare. >>Speaking of, word has reached me of a 'Jane Austen' Ball planned for Dunedin in Spring/October

- Do you have a favorite clothing item, historical or modern?

In terms of a piece on general, I like pocket hoops/ paniers. I think they’re funny. [In case you haven't heard of paniers, they were worn tied on your hips, as pasrt of the underclothes of the 18th century, their purpose was to make the dress-skirt puff out]

Paniers/Pocket hoops I made using the Dreamstress' instructions

- What is your favorite book?

In terms of sewing, “Hecklinger’s ladies garments” by Charles Hecklinger. It’s circa the 1880s and has sewing patterns, tips on construction, how to make trims etc, and general fashion advice, it’s an awesome resource and available free through archive.org. Read my review of this book HERE

- What are your other hobbies?

Sewing and thrifting pretty much covers it, unless Pinterest counts. You’ll always find me there :)

Expect Much? - Updated

If I tell you I have tickets to the Monty Python reunion show (in London, baby!) and have just bought 5 metres of scarlet fabric, can you guess what costume I'm making next?

No one will be expecting what this fabric is made into...

UPDATED - since clearly no one does know what the heck I'm talking about...

So as I'm going to the Monty Python reunion show I thought I'd make the iconic Spanish Inquisition outfits, as per piccie below,

who appeared on the Monty Python skit shows way back when. Their catch phrase is "No One expects the Spanish Inquisition"...

Button Hoarding: an Incurable disease?

I was recently given a very generous gift: the button collection that belonged to a friend's mother.

I am sure anyone with a crafty bent, or who is like myself, quite possibly part magpie, can imagine the afternoon I spent spreading them all out, stacking, sorting and admiring. The experience positively brought out the Gollum in me. My precious!

Among the notables (pictured below) were Bakelite, glass and metal filigree (possibly Edwardian??), which was my fav. *sigh* So sparkly...

My Vintage button collection  - One thing is fer sure, they don't make 'em like they used to!

Because I make historical costumes I am sure I'll be able to make good use of these tiny treasures.
But true to the nature of button collections there were a lot of singles. It got me wondering,  what else can you make with buttons?

Here are a few cool things I found via the interwebs.

Almost Unschoolers: Clothespin Button Racer: Clothespin Button Racer

Source: Izzwizz Creations

Decorate Cards -  this tutorial also shows you how to turn plain buttons into decorative ones!

source: The Dreamstress

The Dreamstress has an excellent tut on aging modern metal buttons

Tutorial: How to ‘antique’ cheap gold buttons & jewellery

Lilly Pilly Blog - Make a Button Necklace

If anyone else has some clever ideas for button up-cycling please let me know :)

Op-Shop Score! Vintage Umbrellas

I've always like the concept of taking an ordinary umbrella and recovering it so it looks more like a Victorian era parasol, but I've always been too wussy to try.

I've read a couple of good tutorials on how to do it, one from the Steam Ingeniuos blog here,
and the other most recently appearing in an article from issue one of the New Zealand steampunk magazine: AetherNZ.

And then I came across this piece of curtain(??) fabric in Toffs op-shop and I thought it looked very suitable with its fringe etc for a parasol cover.

fabric to use for covering a parasol

With that in mind I've been on the lookout for brollys to makeover. I got these two from Restore, for under $6.

The red one was made in Hong Kong, the brown stripey has no markings. And then I found this neat blue one, from Mosgiel Hospice Op-Shop for the grand total of $3.

It looks like a poor drowned bat when collapsed, but when you put her up! Delightful. And it still has a paper label "Gili box 205 Napier". Can anyone tell me if that was a shop or maybe a manufacturer? It would be nice to think I've found a vintage 1930s umbrealla from NZ's Art Deco capital!

The only trouble is I still need to find a suitable umbrella frame to makeover with my fringed fabric. These 3 are in great condition and I'd prefer to restore something rather than destroy something perfectly good.

Yes, I know, wuss talk.

Op Shop Score! Vintage craft tools for Tambour Embroidery

Have you ever read these lines from Jane Austin's novel Northanger Abbey

Dress is at all times a frivolous distinction, and excessive solicitude about it often destroys its own aim. Catherine knew all this very well; her great aunt had read her a lecture on the subject only the Christmas before; and yet she lay awake ten minutes on Wednesday night debating between her spotted and her tamboured muslin, and nothing but the shortness of the time prevented her buying a new one for the evening.

Did you briefly acknowledge the word tamboured and have no clue what it meant? Well get ready for enlightenment.

While reading some library books researching I came across 'Tambour Embriodery' a popular 18th century pastime. It involves a net-type fabric stretched over a drum or hoop (think Tambourine and the names makes sense) and the embroiderer passes a tiny hook through the front of the fabric, hooks a thread from underneath and draws up a loop through the net, repeats, drops the first loop onto the second in a crochet action, carries on to form a row of chainstitches.

Although I have never done any embroidery - or crochet for that matter - it occurred to me, here was a potentially super easy historically accurate method for embellishing garments.

I trotted off to my local craft and sewing stores to inquire if they stocked Tambour embroidery hooks. Oddly enough they did not. Only one store had even heard of them, announcing no-one had asked for Tambour hooks for twenty years. Well, what can I say? I'm decidedly retro.

Fortunately being decidedly retro I don't stick to the beaten path and in Butterflies Hospice Op-shop on Hanover Street I scored these awesome vintage craft tools that look like tiny crochet hooks. See how tiny the hook is? OK, now these aren't officially Tambour hooks, but they should do the business.

[If anyone can tell what these hooks were really meant for (lace making??) Please let me know.]

And after scoring an embroidery hoop from Restore, (whoop only cost a $1.50) I've been experimenting with differtent types of thread to create the chain stitch, which, just as I hoped is super easy satisfyingly historical.

Tiny hooks (they have their own caps! too cute) used for my Tambour-style embroidery

If you're keen to learn more I've set up a pinboard Embriodery DIY which contains Tambour Embroidery How-Tos amoung others.

PS.  Also known as 'Aari' this style of embroidery is used today for attaching beads to fabric in the couture garment industry. And final fact for the day: Tambour Embroidery was the inspiration leading to the invention of the sewing machine. Neato!

Wait, wait, I forgot to say how much the hooks were. 50 cents each! Score!!!



Linking up this week with other thrifters: Black Bird has Spoken, and Sir Thrift Alot.

The Perfect Apron

My handmade birthday present of choice this year has been aprons - partly due to getting a ruffler foot for my sewing machine, and what could be better suited to ruffles than an apron?

I came across "The Perfect Apron" by Robert Merrett at the good old Dunedin Public library and for my sister-in-laws B'day whipped up (10 hours! ack! I'm so slow) an apron based on the Hot Lips cocktail pattern. My only change was to add a pocket - using the pocket pattern Floral Dance from the book.

the apron I made for my sister-in-law

My youngest niece just loved it and wanted one too (not the niece who wants the Marie Antoinette dress). I gave her the book and she picked out Gypsy Spirit.





My only change was to make the design reversible and again use the Floral Dance pocket. It took me about seven hours to complete - not including the pocket.

She loved it, wore it all night as we played 'shop'. And when my hubby went around to their place the next day, she was still wearing it.

reversible apron for my niece

Success!

Golf Punk

My hubby has developed an interest for golf and so the first thing he and his co-workers wanted was a trophy cup to play for. I got the task of prettying up the one they bought.

Golf-punked Trophy

It was strangely satisfying sewing tiny pants.

Spring Pin - In orange

Orange stick pin 'Spring Pin'

Here's a Spring Pin brooch in orange. It's not a traditional brooch , but stick pin brooch, you can see the construction detail better in the image than then pinks ones which I had 'planted' for display in a pincup I made.

Spring Pins

Spring Pins - Brooch Design

Here are some brooch pin designs I've been crafting to celebrate the return of Spring.

Kanzashi Inspired Fabric Flower Brooches

Kanzashi Inspired Brooch

Here's a selection of some Kanzashi inspired fabric flower brooches, which  I've been making for a couple of years now.

There are plenty of tutorials online how to make them, but if people are keen I'd be happy to share my methods. 

Pincups - It's a teacup for your pins and needles.

I love old china. I have a shelf full of "nana" cups. But I never really make use of them, not even for a cup of tea. Then about a month ago I had this idea to turn my beautiful but essentially only decorative "nana" cups into practical and useful pincushions.

I'm no sewer. I can't knit or crochet or weave either, so I was actually planning on laser cutting the flower petals and leaves, but due to technical hitches that kept on delayed my project I just decided to cut the damn shapes out myself.

Yesterday I sourced materials and today I hand-cut and hand-stitched this prototype old-school style. And I think it looks fantastic.