The Fall and Winter months are when I feel most inspired to make things with my hands. The smells in the air, the turn of the leaves, the festive holidays on the horizon, all give me endless ideas for ways to explore nature and make the most of what I have around me. This year, while roaming around, I was inspired to make a wreath not from the traditional things I’ve used in year’s past, but from all of the feathers we have collected from our guinea hens and chickens as well as our pheasant hunts. So I thought I would show you how to make this epic feather wreath so that you can go on your own foraging journey to see what spin you can put on your own version. If you make one that you like please share it with us on social media using the hashtag #modernpioneering so we can find you!
How to Make This Epic Feather Wreath
To start, watch this video on how to make a wreath base:
Here are some of the feathers we have collected. The spotted ones are from our Guinea hens who are loud but who do a great job eating ticks. The white is from a white chicken.
We also saved some pheasant feathers from a hunt and even better we had a big flock of turkeys that roamed around Tulipwood for years so we have been saving those as well.
I also pulled some fake berries tied to wire for pops of color. You could of course use fresh berries, they just don’t last as long.
These big feathers are the turkey feathers, aren’t they glorious?
Another fun element to consider is small ornaments. Gold with feathers and smaller green and red were what I had on hand.
And gold wired ribbon! I like having lavish wide ribbon on hand, it is useful for garlands and just wrapping around your body to feel fabulous if you want.
You have two options:
- You can secure these feathers with green florist tape or wire. This will keep the wreath stable and store more easily for years to come.
- Or you can just stick the feathers in between the wreath base vines and let them be a bit more haphazard. This second option will make it easier to reuse the wreath base and try something new with it next year.
Here is a simple classic version of the wreath. But like I said, you could jazz it up with ornaments, berries, you name it.
Obviously, the frame of my wreath is very, very large. But this would be beautiful as a small version too. It would make a wonderful hostess gift in fact.
And the best thing about this? It was FREE! I got everything I really needed from Mother Nature. And it doesn’t get any better than that. Go outside and try this, I think you’re going to love it.
What are your favorite holiday projects to make by hand? Share with me in the comments!
