Shading from dark to light colors is the result of submerging one portion of the feather in the bath and withholding the balance. Great care and not a little skill is needed to produce a satisfactory result. There are various ways of handling the goods, covering up the portions to remain the light shade or holding them out with the hands. Spotted or speckled feathers are produced by first dyeing the light shade that you desire to be spotted, and then wrapping around a round stick with cord, according to the size you desire to have the spots, you will regulate the weight of cord used. After having bound the cord tightly around the feather and stick, which must then be tied firmly to keep from slipping, pass through boiling water for a few seconds for the purpose of expanding the wood and contracting the cord, thereby making the cord much tighter. After you have made them whatever dark color you desire, take out, starch and pass through dry starch; then remove cord and dry your feathers, when you will find that the portion covered by the cord will be the light shade, and the feathers have the appearance of being dotted all over.
Natural blacks or grays can be speckled as follows: Go through the same preparations of binding around stick with cord and degrading or bleaching them white. The result will be that the portion covered with cord will be same as before entering the bath, a black or dark brown, and the body of the feathers will be white. Should you desire the feathers dyed any light color to contrast with the dark spots; before removing the cord, mix your bath and dye as per recipe, dry as before directed, and the result is very beautiful. Some very nice effects are produced in shading by taking natural grays or bioucs, that is, feathers that are one portion white and the balance in spots, black.
PARING, STEAMING AND CURLING.
Feathers that have just come out of the dyehouse for the first time require paring, which consists in removing the quill from the inner portion of the feather, thereby making the feathers more elastic. The feathers must first be thoroughly dried; they are then taken, one at a time, held between the thumb and two fore fingers of the left hand, while, with a knife held in the right, the inner quill is rapidly removed close to the flues or fibres. This branch of the business is in itself a trade, and requires a great amount of skill and caution to prevent cutting through the quill. The feather can be made still more limber by scraping the quill with a piece of glass. Of course, this process of paring the quill is only used in new work. In re-dying old feathers it is never needed; in old work it is only necessary to dry up thoroughly, steam and curl. A great many have no knowledge of what relation steaming has to the finishing of feathers. It has the effect of making all the flues lie perfectly straight beside each other, and also dampens the feathers just enough to assist the curler in her work.
It is necessary to have a steamer made as follows: get a kettle that will hold about one gallon or more of water, made out of plain tin, with a spout commencing at the base about two inches in width and tapering up to a half inch in width at top. The spout should be about eighteen inches in length; the total cost should not be more than one dollar. Never have it more than half full of water, and you can boil it on either an ordinary stove or common gas or oil stove.
You may ask why steam from the boiler, or out of an ordinary tea-kettle would not answer? It is too wet. Instead of having the desired effect it wets the flues, while the other dampens it just enough. The steam emitted from the steam kettle is drier than any other.
When the steam is passing through the tube take hold of the feathers by either end and pass backward and forward for a few seconds about two inches above the top of pipe, and lay down perfectly flat, one on top of the other. Curling is a trade that can only be thoroughly mastered by practice; the principles can be taught, but only practice will make perfect. It does not, however, require a great while. I have known persons that within three months had become first-class curlers, practicing a short time each day.
The feather is held between the first and second finger and thumb of the left hand and a few flues taken up at a time with the knife held in the right hand, and gently drawn along the round dull edge of the knife, and allowed to drop in a half circle; begin at the bottom of the right hand side of the feather, work up to the top and around and down the other side; and in laying up take up about three flues at a time, skipping about six. Feminine fingers are generally better adapted to this work than others, and, in fact, it is more of a woman's work than a man's.
Tips are generally bent and branched. You can give the feathers a nice droop by taking the quill between the thumb and fore-finger, and with the thumb pressing the quill through between the first and second finger. Begin about the middle of the feather, and, shifting about a quarter inch at a time, pass swiftly up towards the top, when the feathers will have a very beautiful droop. Plain wire stems can be used. Take thin wire, cut about five inches in length, and twist one end of it on stem or quill of your feathers so as to hold; then take tissue paper, cut in strips about a half inch wide, and in color corresponding with the shade of feathers; wrap it around wire to entirely cover it up, and then branch tips, two or three in a bunch, as suits your fancy.