Need Help with Bustle Back

[Summer_Rain]

How Hot?

Yeah, I was wondering about that. How hot should I make the iron when I go to iron the feathers? I was so scared that I would make it too hot and mess the feather up?? Do I put it really hot (Like for ironing jeans) or kinda low for Delicates?

[billyjoejimbob]

yes definitely 'crimp' or heat and bend those puppies straight!!! nothing looks worse than a bustle with feathers goin every whichaway.

keep the base of the feather, where they attach to the board in a circle or oval, not a square.

make sure you have the outside (top) of the feather facing the right way....like they do on the birds (wings...i know they are turkey tails, but in that case....backwards)

I would avoid hanging heavy things on the trailer.

otherwise, your doing good. you learn as you go. tweak it over and over.

My first bustle was PERFECT....a perfect statue! becuase i did it so tight and secure that it didnt move!

[Summer_Rain]

Bustle Upate

Hi Guys sorry I havent been able to post my progress, but here's what I have ...

Its been so busy with the Holidays... But I open to Suggestions. Also, any suggestions on what to do to attach the Felt Flaps and also how to put a Belt attachment on, so that he can attach it to a belt?

[WhoMe]

What WhoME is talking about is known as straightening the feather. Straightening can be done a number of ways. You can iron the quills, or run them back and forth over a light bulb to reverse their natural curve. Another method of straightening you use your fingernail or as WhoMe said a pair of plier to put small crimps in the quill, working from the large end to the feather tip. You also need to straighten the feather left to right. When you are done it will lay flat on your table and when you look down the quill it will be a straight line. This allows the feathers to lay on top of one another evenly.

spotted and summer,

I go with crimping/straightening with a plyer because if you put several hundred crimps with your fingernail, It Hurts.

I also don't go with the lightbulb because the feather will relax and regain some bend.

[spottedeagle]

What WhoME is talking about is known as straightening the feather. Straightening can be done a number of ways. You can iron the quills, or run them back and forth over a light bulb to reverse their natural curve. Another method of straightening you use your fingernail or as WhoMe said a pair of plier to put small crimps in the quill, working from the large end to the feather tip. You also need to straighten the feather left to right. When you are done it will lay flat on your table and when you look down the quill it will be a straight line. This allows the feathers to lay on top of one another evenly.

[Summer_Rain]

Crimping the Stems

Okay when you say Crimp the stems, do you mean the entire hard part that runs through the center of each feather? (Even the part under the tape) or just the uppper exposed part? Is that to "flatten" out the roundness of the vein (not sure of the correct word) of the feather?

I just wanted to make sure I understand completely before I attempt to do it?

[WhoMe]

So, please tell me what you think so far guys.. Im open for suggestions
( I think if you click on the images, they will enlarge, if not let me know and I will re-post them larger)

Summer,

You need to crimp the stems so that they are straight. Crimping can be done with a plyer. It will not break the feather if you grab the stem with a plyer and bend it until it crimps. Each feather will have about 20 crimps depending on the length. Look at bustles closely and you will see these crimps. If you do not crimp the feathers you will have a drastic bend and uneveness - especially if you use turkey spikes.

After you crimp the feathers, restring them according to size - longest on top and shortest on the bottom.

I hope this helps.


___

Anish,

You do some nice featherwork! Thank you for sharing your pictures.


___


I started and finished a bustle last Saturday, for a 9-year old that would not otherwise have the resources to enter the dance circle.

I gifted it to him on Saturday night and it made my heart feel good to see his excitement!

[spottedeagle]

Looks like you are on the right track and have made quiet a bit of progress. One suggestion, if you are going to cover the base, you should do it prior to putting on the feathers. You don't have to cover it, your center piece is going to hide the wood anyway.

Also remember, it does come apart. If you don't like something take it apart and change it. It might be a pain, but it's worth it. A little trick I use is until I am completely finished with everything I use yarn as my primary lace and chocheting thread as my secondary lace, which I just loop around the quill instead of running it through. If I need to put the feathers on to lay out a design on the extentions, I can string it up quickly, mark everything and with a few quick snips, have it back apart. Once I have everything done and I'm happy with it, then I string it up for real. It might be a little extra work to string it up with the yarn, but it allows me to make sure everything how I want it, without being too big of a pain to tear down.

[Summer_Rain]

Here's what I have so Far :o)

Okay guys, here's what I have so far:


I really like the idea of putting one on at a time, that was SOOO much easier for someone diong this for the first time.


Also, I have a picture of some other turkey feathers (my dad hunts) that I wanted to possibly incorporate onto to an inner layer.

I attached them with some Wired thread. I know that wasnt the "best" choice, but Im going to do like one of you suggested with putting the leather cover over top once I've attached all of the feather (before I attach the final rossettes, and ect...)

So, please tell me what you think so far guys.. Im open for suggestions
( I think if you click on the images, they will enlarge, if not let me know and I will re-post them larger)

[spottedeagle]

The width on my son's is 5 1/2" on top and 4 1/2" on the bottom and the height is 6".
His has 34 feathers on his and I didn't run into any problems with crowding. I could have put maybe 40 feathers on and still been ok with this base.

[Summer_Rain]

OH Boy!

I think Ive figured something out tonight, while trying to lay the feathers down... By chance could either of you tell me what the diameter/dimesions of the board or leather is that you are using for the backing?

I get the ...S-t-r-a-n-g-e Feeling, that the one that came with this kit is making my job Really difficult hhaaahhh (its only 5x6" . Is that small.. cause it SURE appears to be to me?)

[spottedeagle]

The base I bought from Nocbay is probally pretty similar to the one used by Crazy Crow. The one I bought already had the wire for the uprights on it and had some holes already drilled. I think it had about 13 holes drilled in it. Basically it had a hole at the top so you could tie a loop for hanging it up when it isn't worn. A couple holes to run the laces for your feather loops, a couple hole for your center piece and a couple holes to tie on your trailer. These are pretty generic bases. Nothing wrong with them, just some people add more holes, some don't use all the holes, etc.
How I did my son's was similar to what Anish decribed. I ran a lace through the top hole on the left from back to front. laced on the left half of my feathers ran it out the hole in the bottom and tied it off. Then I repeated it with the right side. Connected the secondary lace to the uprights using fishing swivels for ease when it comes to tearing it down.
My big bustle on the other hand isn't ment to be broken down and fit into a suitcase. I laced each individual feather to a latigo base. I normally use those heavy leather boot laces from Wal-Mart as my primary lace. Then simulated sinew as my secondary lace. I'll email you some pics, because I have to many pics in my loomwork tutorial to post them here.

[anishtradish]

lol the first bustle I ever made, I musta been about 13,

and I used turkey buzzard feathers, and used a cool-whip lid for my back board lol.

glad I could help u, and dont forget to take some pics when you get it all put together :)

[Summer_Rain]

Wow! Thank You!

Wow, your pictures are Very good and your explanation is wonderful. Im so greatful. To answer the other question, Since this was my first Bustle, I just ordered the kit from Crazy Crow, and as I got better at it, (Along with Hopeful guidance from others) I would start working with other materials. However, I do have access to extra turkey feathers, that I was going to use to make it more personalized.

But the kit comes with a piece of wood, Im not sure exactly what kind of wood it is?

Also, thanx for the hint about drilling the holes. I had drilled a few like the instructions said, but I like your idea about drilling them into a Circle! thats a Fantastic Idea, especially for someone like me who's just learning.
Thank You!

[anishtradish]

What I do is, you have all of your feathers strung up on a shoe lace at the ends of the feathers/extentions if ur using them, where you have the loops (people call these boots).

Then on your backboard, you drill 2 holes, probably right below where the wires come out, that you put each end of the shoelace thruogh, and tie them together in the back, that hooks the feathers onto the backboard, then you hook your first feathers, onto the spikes that are on the wires.

So then your feathers should be hanging upright suspended from your two spikes, and some people just leave it like that,

but what I do is on the backboard, I drill a bunch of small holes in the form of a circle, however big the circle of feathers strung up makes, then I take a seperate string, and i go in and out of the holes in the back, locking the strung up feather bases down.


This pic shows how the feathers are strung up to the base, and are just hanging loose from the 2 main spikes, the bases arn't tied down, but you see 2 rows of holes, becuase it's a double row bustle, and I take it appart and fold it up for travel, so I use wax string everytime I hook it down to the base, and just cut it loose again when I travel.



This is the back of one of my oldstyle bustles, you can see where I used the wax thread to tie down the feather base, and I just string my belt right through the wires, then I tie my spreader right through the belt.





thats the front of that one.


then this is the big bustle put together, with both rows,


then this is my other big one