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crimp beads

How to Make Feather Earrings with a Crimp-Bead Finish

A beginner-friendly guide to bundling feather shafts around a headpin, crimping them securely, and attaching lever-back earring wires.

By ThatPainter Team 3 min read
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To make these feather earrings, gather three to six feather shafts around a headpin, slide on a large-bore crimp bead, and compress it carefully so it holds the bundle. A second large-bore bead helps position the feathers before crimping. The 2009 Make: tutorial by Sara K. Woll treats natural variation and movement as part of the finished look—not flaws to eliminate.

Materials and tools

  • Two pairs of pliers, including one small-nose pair
  • Crimping pliers and wire cutters
  • Headpins, or 24- or 26-gauge wire if making your own
  • Large-inner-diameter crimp beads and a large-bore holding bead, such as a porcupine quill bead
  • Feathers: plan on three to six for each earring
  • Lever-back earring wires
  • Optional decorative beads or an extra feather headpin

The tutorial specifies large inner diameters so the feather shafts can pass through the beads together. It does not name particular brands or bead dimensions; choose beads that fit your shafts and wire.

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Prepare the feather bundle

  1. Select three to six feathers for one earring. Clip away excess fluffy afterfeather near the top. Pull remaining fluffy fibers upward and away from the central shaft (the rachis), taking care to preserve the colored barbs. The rachis becomes thinner and weaker farther from its base, so avoid stripping or trimming more than necessary.
  2. Arrange the feathers with their bare rachis ends aligned. Set the flat head of the headpin at the transition from bare shaft to barbs. Keep the straight pin section aligned with the bare spines and away from the barbs.
  3. Slide the large-bore holding bead over the headpin and feather spines. Use this bead to adjust the position and spread of the bundle until it looks right, then slide a large-bore crimp bead over the bundle.

Crimp the shafts without cutting them

  1. Use the inner jaw of the crimping tool to compress the crimp bead into a moon shape.
  2. Rotate the tool 90 degrees and use its egg-shaped jaw to close the crimp shape.
  3. Trim excess bare rachis above the crimp.
  4. Gently tug each feather to confirm it is held securely and that the crimp edge has not cut its shaft.

Crimp edges can sever a rachis, so Woll recommends practicing on less valuable feathers before working on a finished pair. When the crimp works well, it holds the feathers without tying or glue.

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Make the wrapped loop and attach the earring wire

  1. Using two pairs of pliers, bend the headpin wire down parallel to the feathers and form a sturdy loop above the crimp.
  2. Orient this top loop perpendicular to the lower loop on the earring finding so the finished earring hangs facing forward.
  3. Wrap the wire end around the loop twice and trim the excess.
  4. Open the finding’s lower loop gently to the side—not outward—so it stays round. Attach the earring’s top loop, then close the finding.

The tutorial’s author favors lever-back findings because their clasp helps keep lightweight earrings in place.

Optional headpin and design variations

Make a simple wire headpin

Woll describes cutting a 1½-inch piece of 24- or 26-gauge wire and turning one end into a swirl of about 2½ turns. A ready-made headpin avoids this step.

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The tutorial also describes an optional method of melting the end of copper or sterling wire into a ball with a culinary torch. It calls for good ventilation, cleaning the wire, and cooling it in water. This heat-based method is not needed for the project; use it only if you already know how to work safely with a torch and the materials involved.

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Change the silhouette

  • Layered fullness: Add an extra feather headpin or layer two feather bundles.
  • Wide, V-shaped spread: Attach bundles at both ends of a V-shaped headpin.
  • Spiky loop: Loop a long feather back through the crimp.

These are the tutorial author’s suggested adaptations, not tested comparisons. Woll also notes that the basic fastening approach can be adapted for items such as hats and barrettes.

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What to expect from a natural-feather pair

Feathers differ in shape, color, and shaft strength, so two earrings may not match exactly. The crimp can also twist or flare the feathers. Arrange each bundle individually and treat that organic variation as part of the design rather than expecting a perfectly mirrored pair.

Woll’s invitation is simple: “I invite you to play with feathers.”

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Read Sara K. Woll’s original Make: tutorial, published April 20, 2009.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.
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