How to Make a Feather Hair Clip – Craft Tutorial

How to Make a Feather Hair Clip – Craft Tutorial

This project uses the new popular hair clip as the way to fasten feathers in your hair. Small domesticated bird feathers can be used for the feathers. These are from farm grey goose.

Materials needed:

  • 2 feathers that face the same direction
  • 8 Pony size 5/0 beads
  • 8 4mm metal beads
  • 2 Spaghetti beads (Ultra thin bone or horn hair pipe can also be used.)
  • 1 Ten inch length of 20 gage stainless steel wire
  • 1 Hair Clip

Thread the wire through the hole in the closed end of the hair clip to the half way point. Twist the wire about three turns, leaving a loose loop in contact with the hair clip. (Figure 1)

Feather Hair Clips
Figure 1

Thread the beads on the wire ends according to your pattern. (Figure 2)  Working on a towel spread on a table helps keep the beads from falling all over. When you have the beads on bend the wire so they don't fall off when working with each feather.

Feather Hair Clips
Figure 2

Trim the quill of each feather right at the base of the feather's blade. (Figure 3) This is the spot that you plan to have the beads meet the feather.

Feather Hair Clips
Figure 3

Cut the first wire so you have at least 2 inches of wire past the beads. (Figure 4) Using a pliers, test the length of the wire needed by forcing the wire up the quill until it is snug. (Figure 5) Pull out and measure the length of wire that went into the quill. Using that measurement, cut off the wire so that the distance from the beads to the end will fit into the quill tightly.

Feather Hair Clips
Figure 4
Feather Hair Clips
Figure 5

Put a strip of tacky glue on the wire length. (Figure 6) Force the wire into the quill and remove excess glue. (Figure 7)

Feather Hair Clips
Figure 6
Feather Hair Clips
Figure 7

Complete the same process with the other feather. Let everything dry. You can then snap open the hair clip and put your new decoration in your hair. (Figure 8)

Feather Hair Clips
Figure 8


Copyright 2004 by Loren Woerpel, Noc Bay Publishing, Inc.

Last Updated on August 6, 2018 by PowWow Articles


20 Comments on “How to Make a Feather Hair Clip – Craft Tutorial”

  • Avatar for Little Feather

    Little Feather

    says:

    I am trying to make a feathered hairpiece, but with a round medallion and a feather glued to that….then a way to put thread thru the medallion to be able to tie it to the hair.

  • Avatar for lulu

    lulu

    says:

    hey there! I love feathers and also did some feather-hairclips. the only problem I have is that they tend to get frazzeled after a while in my hair… do you have any idea to make them less fragile and more lasting? 🙂 thanks a lot! cheers!

    • Avatar for Sherri Conley

      Sherri Conley

      says:

      You can seal them with either spray adhesive or a heavy duty hairspray, and it keeps them from separating and getting all funky looking. Just give them a good spray, front AND back, and let them dry COMPLETELY before placing in hair. Also, store the clips on something that allows them to hang and not just shoved in a drawer or something. A really easy and inexpensive way to store them is to get an embroidery hoop, or something similar and half-hitch a length of grosgrain ribbon to it. Then you have something to clip your hair accessories to. 😊

  • Avatar for nickybird

    nickybird

    says:

    Hi I make dream catchers and am wanting to make moccasins and muclucs can you e-mail me the instructions to do that thank you

  • Avatar for Sue Wilson

    Sue Wilson

    says:

    Just wondering where you get the clips with the holes in them. I have looked everywhere I can think, but cant find any with the holes in them. Can anyone steer me in the right direction? Thank you.

      • Avatar for Sue Wilson

        Sue Wilson

        says:

        Thank you Paul. I had not heard of that sight before. Again Thank you. Have a blessed day. 🙂

  • Avatar for Ines

    Ines

    says:

    Thanks, this is very nice, I have few raven feathers, I will try it.

  • Avatar for CINDY MILLS

    CINDY MILLS

    says:

    COOL !

  • Avatar for Debra W

    Debra W

    says:

    Beautiful hairclips. Thank you for sharing. Being taught in the traditional ways that to break or cut the quill of the feathers drains its spirit, like Tibiki, I appreciate the workaround of protecting the integrity of the feather.

  • Avatar for Bzystpn

    Bzystpn

    says:

    Thank you for this tutorial. I made a hair clip, with this as my basic guide, for a young Kwe and used embroidery floss on the quills in a straight wrap around pattern. I hope it stays together well and she can dance with the feather clip on…never tried it before. I am most concerned that the wire will come unattached but my project looked beautiful when completed.

  • Avatar for DreamWeaver13

    DreamWeaver13

    says:

    wonderful idea, I have made many feathered hair clips but not like this… This looks great, thanks.

  • Avatar for Shilo Tennya

    Shilo Tennya

    says:

    Nice, I will be makeing some of these.
    You showed this well, got anymore?
    Thanks
    Shilo

  • Avatar for Tibiki Kinew

    Tibiki Kinew

    says:

    I make these as well but I use fishing leaders to connect it to the clip, this way the feathers can rotate and move better as people dance. As well I use leather lace and beads that can hold the quill inside it so I do not have to cut the quill at all! You can also use the pinch clips that look decorative and use more strands of lace and feathers to really showboat your fav feathers.

    • Avatar for Loren

      Loren

      says:

      There are a lot of special tricks to attaching feathers to get the “dance” you are looking for. Yours is a good way too Tibiki. Any other ideas out there?

    • Avatar for Dahvie

      Dahvie

      says:

      I like your idea that you have on using fishing leaders.
      When I think about it and try to picture it I see what you would call a crappie rig. Is that what you mean?? Unless your talking about a plain wire leader.I cat fish off and on so if you can be more frank about it I’ll be able to do it.
      I’m also wanting to get into what they call, Hair Sticks,
      “Chop Sticks” I want to by some different size doll rods cut it at what ever length, then use a dremel for some wholes. Only thing I need help with, big time is, chop sticks are real rough and I need to make them smooth. Can you please tell me after I sand them what would I coat them with to make them smooth?

      • Avatar for Loren Woerpel

        Loren Woerpel

        says:

        I think Tibiki was talking about using a small leader that comes with a swivel. You would attach the swivel to the hair clip and cut the leader so you would wrap it on the quill of the feather and not cut the quill as we showed in the article. To get a smooth wood stick you might look at using Clear Polyester Casting Resin or a Clear Enamel.

  • Avatar for MaileenasDad

    MaileenasDad

    says:

    cool

  • Avatar for Tsalagi_Phoenix

    Tsalagi_Phoenix

    says:

    Cool. I’ll be making a few of these for myself at some point.

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