Our Feathered Friends: Wear Them or Free Them?

It all started with Charlie (named after my brother who is a pilot), my little one-legged, parakeet. I had no control over the heat in my apartment in Chicago, so even on the coldest days, I had a couple of windows cracked open a bit. Charlie flew in through the kitchen window on a frigid winter day. Mitchie, my dog, cornered him. I knew nothing about caring for birds, so I got Charlie a cage, bought him some food, went online and read about parakeets. I took him to the gallery. Soon, one of our customers who knew a lot about birds, brought Charlie a companion. Then she brought two more. I got a bigger cage. She brought a box and told me to put it in the cage. Babies came. Another customer was moving and had a cockatiel with a broken wing, Pecky. She couldn't take him. Did I want him? Pecky was 14 years old at the time. Sure, why not? So, Pecky came. The bird lady felt sorry for him and brought a young female. The female turned out to be a male, Sebastian. Without ever intending to, I now have 9 parakeets (I took the box out. Enough is enough!) and two cockatiels. Although I feel a bit weird about having birds in captivity, none of these would survive in the wild. And, it seems like we will have to put most Nature behind bars to keep it alive.

The birds molt and drop feathers, which got me to thinking about how feathers have been used throughout history in adornments, clothing, and art. Feathers have had a central place in native ceremonial costumes and ornaments for centuries. Theresa Mitopoulou has a good article on The Decoration of the Head with Feathers that illustrates how feathers have been used throughout history and in different cultures. The photo at the left, for example, is from the Mexico City Museum of Anthropology of an Aztec head gear for emperors and priests. It was made with tail feathers of one hundred male quetzal birds, the national bird of Guatemala. She states, "The arrangement of the colored feathers had astronomic and calendar meaning." I found a traveler who photographed a Hawaiian cape he saw at a museum:


He said that it took five years to gather the feathers and another seven to sew them into the cape. He didn't state where he took this photo, but Sothebys has a similar one from the collection of the Niagara Falls Museum, estimated in worth at over $250,000.

The British Museum states that capes were made for Hawaiian and Polynesian nobility. They were used in ceremonies and in battle and many were gifted in the early 1800's to sea captains and their crews, the earliest outside explorers to the region.

James W. Reid wrote a book, Magic Feathers, Textile Art from Ancient Peru, which is illustrated with beautiful Nazca capes and details on the feathers and techniques used in the region.

Pathways to the Sun
Nazca culture, south coast of Peru, c. 400-800 AD
97 x 76 cm, cotton with applied feathers

The famous photographer, Edward Curtis, was the first to comprehensively document the life of Native Americans in the late 1800's. This photo of a Nez Pierce man with his head dress was exhibited at the Hall of American Indian Collection in the Hotel Astor.
Curtis and other photographers captured the public's imagination. The Bald Eagle had been chosen as the symbol of freedom and became the national bird in 1782. To Native Americans, the eagle is a messenger to the creator and represents endurance. In all of the United States, the eagle and its feathers were treasured. As the media developed, it made its way into books, magazines, then later in movies.

Bird Lady by Cristina Mittermeir
Highlands performer wearing a headdress made with the feathers of the superb bird of paradise. Highlands sing-sing, Papua New Guinea.

To this day, native people around the world continue to use feathers in ceremonies and dress. The Huli warriors of Papua New Guinea are often photographed for their bright face paint and costumes, feathers topping off their beautiful ensemble. Struggling to maintain identity in the face of a globalized world, these groups often are reduced to objects of tourism, but other efforts also seek to both honor and protect them. The above photo, for example, is available for purchase through Art for Conservation, an organization promoting grassroots conservation initiatives.

The fashion industry, of course, also has had a long history with feathers.

Marlene Dietrich wearing a feathered hat.

Victorian hats sported huge ostrich feathers and other exotic feathers continued to adorn hats and clothing through the 1950's. The following catalog is from a 1901 New York Millinery supply company, Fancy Feathers.

Smithsonian Institution Libraries

At some point, demand for all these feathers started creating shortages. Think of the demise of the passenger pigeon. Once the most populous bird in North America, five BILLION birds were killed off between 1870 and 1890. (Wikipedia) They had a high fat content that was used for cooking oil and to light Eastern street lamps. The last passenger pigeon died in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1914. Demand for bird feathers is not only ornamental, but also functional. Down feathers were and are still used for pillows and bedding. People started to worry and speaking up. Societies and organizations were formed. The National Audubon Society started publishing their Audubon Magazine in the 1880's, about the same time the passenger pigeon was getting killed off.

But, the attraction for feathers is powerful and we still continue to use them in our art and in our fashion. Handbags by Daphne offers this peacock feather bag for $85:

Jean Paul Gautier's wild feather dress was dubbed "Miss Turkey" by fellow blogger, Chanteuse. It's something else, isn't it?


So, there is that famous saying that "birds of a feather flock together"... Actually, we are destroying these feathered friends habitats all over the world. More and more, the chance for their survival will be as pets. Some African Grey parrots have become famous for how much they can learn, how cute they are and for their performance abilities. Here is Einstein performing on a TV show:



Menino, a Brazilian parrot, sings opera. My dogs came to watch him when I was playing his video:



And, Cody, a beautiful macaw, likes to be blow dried after his shower:



As with all of our natural resources, animal and plant life, care for these creatures and their feathers is in order. However, feathers are a renewable material. They do fall off naturally and birds do die. There is at least one organization that distributes molted feathers. Wingwise works specifically with Pueblo Indians and donates collected feathers for ceremonial purposes. Unfotunately, they have such a huge backlog of requests, that no new requests are taken at this time. The San Ildefonso girl at the left is wearing donated macaw feathers in her head dress.

It seems to me that this is really the solution for those of us who would like to continue to use feathers in art or garments. Bird sanctuaries, zoos, and pet owners should come together in some kind of a distribution system.

I also found some interesting trends in the green textile industry which is working on a fabric they are calling "chicken wool". The Independent reported that millions of tons of chicken feathers from chickens who are processed for the food market are disposed of yearly. They are working on a fabric which they consider will be superior to wool. Who knows what the next new trends will bring? We can only hope that they will address the needs of our fair feathered friends. Should we continue to wear them? Should they be freed from their cages and returned to the wild? Each of us has to answer these questions for ourselves. I know that my little companions wouldn't have a chance out there, so they are going to stay here. And, if any of you out there want some little parakeet feathers saved up for you, let me know and I'll start an envelope for you!



History repeats itself, but the special call of an art which has
passed away is never reproduced. It is as utterly gone out of the
world as the song of a destroyed wild bird.

-Joseph Conrad

Our Feathered Friends: Wear Them or Free Them?

A World of Appliqué

Appliqué is a technique shared by many needle workers around the world. A challenging skill to learn, many stay away from it, or at least from the hand-worked version. There are plenty of short cuts out there to help give a similar effect through use of adhesives and the sewing machine. I happen to enjoy the process of feeling the fabric take shape under my needle.

The basic technique involves securing a top layer of fabric on to a bottom one using tiny stitches. This little video on YouTube deomonstrates it quite well:


I actually stitch in the opposite direction from what is shown in this video. I take the needle down through the top layer and come up through the bottom. We each have to find what works best for us, but I feel like I have more control this way.

Hawaiian quilts are a much loved expression of this technique. They normally involve two huge pieces of whole cloth that are attached together, with the top one being the appliquéd design. They are challenging because of their immense size. The design is cut much like a snowflake pattern would be out of paper. Fabric is folded into four or more folds, with the shape drawn out so that it is consistent throughout the piece. One way to control the piece is to cut and secure down as you go. Australian blogger, Anna Spiro, documented some Hawaiian quilts she saw in a trip she took in 2007. Her blog, Absolutely Beautiful Things, is absolutely beautiful and a must visit! She is an interior designer with an eye for the truly lovely in life. Here are a couple of her Hawaiian quilt photos:


The Hmong of Laos and Vietnam have long used appliqué in their garments and textiles. Thousands came to the United States as refugees after the Vietnam war and their needle work soon became visible at festivals, church bazaars and quilt shows. The pandau is a gorgeous example of appliqué at its best:

Nebraska Folk Life

When the Hmong first began selling their needlework here in the West, many found their colors garish and loud. The above example is the result of their understanding of the American preference for a softer palette. I have a vintage baby carrier that has faded with age, but which shows the intensity of work in their traditional pieces:

Available for sale on Etsy, $58

I saw a booth similar to this one by Hmong Needlework at the quilt show.

I desperately wanted to buy from them as their work was top quality with great colors. The American taste for bland colors is changing. The pieces I saw were vibrant and absolutely gorgeous. They were made locally by Hmong living in Michigan. Unfortunately, buying from local artists for re-sale is not feasible as the market would not bear the prices. Those of us who carry these textiles for sale need to make our profit margin, so we still depend on sources overseas for our supply. Most local vendors don't have the computer skills to get their wares to larger audiences and show fees have increased yearly, making it harder for them, too. A Catch-22.

Another Australian blogger, Melanie Gray Augustin, lives in Japan and documents her life there with her excellent blog, Kimono Reincarnate. Those Australians sure are a creative bunch! Melanie visited North Vietnam in 2007. She has a nice piece on indigo work done by the Hmong there:

The indigo fabric is hand spun, dyed and decorated with appliqué. Visit her blog for more photos and the description of her trip.

The Learning Support Services of the University of Wisconsin/Madison has a nice section on Hmong Textile Arts. This illustration shows some of the symbolism in their needlework:

Many other needle workers around the world use their skills to make products that cater to the Western market. I buy these pillows from a friend who imports from India:

Available in my eBay store for $15

These pillows are made by cutting into the top layer of fabric and stitching it down. This is often referred to as cutwork appliqué. Buying from these artisans helps them continue to maintain their traditional village life, working at home or in groups with other women.

When thinking of appliqué, we refer to the design being added on as fabric on fabric. Another appliqué technique involves revealing the fabric underneath as the design. This is called reverse appliqué. Molas from the Kuna People of the San Blas Islands off the coast of Panama are the best example of this technique.

In this example, the top layer of fabric is the orange:

The green is the bottom fabric. The other colors are appliqued on top as accents. Molas are wild in color and theme. I love them and have a bunch listed in my Etsy store and will have many more there soon.


They are often humorous:

Appliqué is definitely time consuming and labor intensive. But, if the stitches are done well (close together and tightly), the textile becomes durable, able to wear and wash well. I have seen poorly stitched pieces from Pakistan that fall apart if washed. I learned that many of the ones I saw were made by elderly widows with poor eye sight.

Just be informed of what you purchase and what you will use it for. And, if you sew, do not be intimidated by appliqué! It goes quickly once you get the rhythm.

A World of Appliqué