DIY Thanksgiving Feather Garland

Are feathers still in? I don’t even know, but I will tell you…I still like them. This kind of decoration may be so three years ago, but I decided it was the perfect thing for our Thanksgiving mantel this year.

It seems trends come and go so quickly these days, who could keep up with them all? Is social media to blame? Too much Pinterest, Facebook and Instragram in our faces, that nothing has time to linger?Ahh well. Such is the world these days, I suppose? That is why I have been making a pointed effort recently, to just do what I love and stop fretting over what’s still in and what’s out.

If it makes you happy or your family happy it’s definitely in.

Last year, my Uncle Chris gave me several turkey and pheasant feathers along with some deer antlers and other interesting finds from nature. He knows that I like them and it makes me happy that he thinks of me. It was past Thanksgiving when he gave them to me, but I knew just what I would do with them. Today, I am sharing it with you: an easy feather garland for the mantel.

This tutorial is likely not something you haven’t already seen from a plethora of other bloggers and crafty sites, but I decided to share it anyways just in case it might inspire someone else. Plus, this was an easy dive back into the crafting/diy world that I have felt a bit out of the loop of since having our baby Violet. Other than random projects with the little ones! Those seem to never stop around here. We are always making something crafty.

This one was for me though.

It was a quiet afternoon, while Hazel and Owen were at school and Violet was taking an extra long nap. I sat in our cozy chair, watched holiday movies on TV and put together this simple garland.

Here is what you will need (this post contains affiliate links. I may receive a small commission for any sales made through them. Full disclosure.)

Supplies:
Large Feathers – mine are natural turkey feathers similar to these ones
Sturdy string or hemp cording – cut longer than width required for wrapping around feathers (a kind that does not easily fray or break)

Time:
About 15 – 20 minutes – depending on the number of feathers to be tied

I knew that I wanted to make this for our mantel, so I started by laying them out in front of our fireplace to see about how far they should be and what arrangement I wanted them in. I varied them with the largest near the center. It definitely doesn’t have to be perfect, just what looks good to your eye as you lay them out.

I kept them in this order as I tied them. Beginning at one end, I wrapped the string around the end of the feather several times and then double knotted it.

Then, I left a few inches of string in between and tied the next feather, again looping it around several times and then double knotting it. I continued this for each one down the row. This part can get tricky if the string gets tangled, so be careful to keep it neat as you go along.

Once each feather has been added to the string, I cut off the end pieces of string to be the same length (about 12 inches) and then put it up on the mantel. I simply put the string from each end under heavy objects to keep it in place: heavy books on one side and a brass vase of branches on the other. So easy!

Once the garland was in place, I was able to adjust any of the feathers that had turned backwards or sideways during the tying phase and have them all hang straight.

I finished decorating our mantel for Thanksgiving and framed a printable I made last year, that I will be sharing with you later this week. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and will consider sharing on social media if so! Also, be sure to subscribe above so you never miss out on a new post!

Till next time…

~Alice W.