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OSTRICH FEATHERS Lauren Stowell
Ostrich feathers are not as straight-forward as one would think. There are three different types of feathers you should know about:
Plumes
The elusive Ostrich Plume is the most desirable of all feathers. We often use "plume" to describe any ostrich feather, but it is specifically the feathers that come from the wing of the bird. They are typically 20-30 inches long, very full, and have lovely heavy ends that dip gracefully. They're also the most expensive and hard to find.
Drabs
Ostrich Drabs are the most common ostrich feathers found in craft stores. Drabs come from the ostrich's shoulder, and are about 10 to 22 inches long. Compared to plumes, the fibers are much shorter, but are typically full. Drabs make good, affordable hat decoration.
Spads
Spads come from the tail of the ostrich, are about 18 – 22 inches, and are somewhat thin and spindly through the fibers. Spads are the cheapest, but are the least attractive, although several spads can be combined and shaped to create a fuller, more drab or plume-like appearance (which I will be showing you in a moment). This is a spad:
So…9 times out of 10, when you buy feathers at the craft store, you will be purchasing either drabs (if you're lucky) or spads. These can be rather uninspiring, but luckily, you can work with them to create something that looks more like a plume.
French Plume – The most elusive and expensive of all ostrich feathers, French Plumes are not readily available today, and must be "built." French plumes are constructed of many feathers stacked together and shaped through the quill to create the characteristic droop. The ends are curled with a blade (similar to curling plastic ribbon), and the whole look is heavy and luxurious. Vintage French plumes can sometimes be found on Etsy, eBay or RubyLane.com.