How to Dye Ostrich Feathers and DIY Anthropologie Inspired Shoe Clips for Fall

Feathers scream fall to me and I am so ready to add them to my closet! I saw these feather slides at Anthropologie and loved the modern color palettes with the feathers. I was all set to make feather ribbon trims and glue them down when I found these white ostrich feather clips at Michael’s. And well, this is a no-brainer. Short of telling you to clip on feathers to your shoes, this DIY led me down a rabbit hole of dye research and styling feather shoe clips with all my denim.

These premade clips are all ready to go but keep reading after the dying instructions for how to make your own!

How to Dye Ostrich Feathers

You’ll Need
ostrich feather clip
or
ostrich feather trim

all-purpose dye
paper towel

In a non-reactive container, add your dye to a bath of near boiling water. The feathers will only be in for a few minutes so maintaining the temperature isn’t very important. Dip a paper towel into the dye bath to test the color. Your feathers will be a few shades lighter than the damp towel.

Do not use the dye for synthetic fabrics. I tried mixing a green all purpose with a blue synthetic and the feathers only took the green and the felt only took the blue. Which is a cool effect, but not what we’re after.

Dunk your feathers in and gently swirl for 2-5 minutes depending on how saturated you want the color. Pat dry with paper towels.

At this point you might be thinking this looks more like a nightmare from your drain, but trust! Rinse the feathers under water until the slippery feel is gone and well after the water runs clear.

Use a hairdryer to dry. (Or if you’re a curly girl like me who doesn’t own a hairdryer, the fluff setting on your dryer works too 👍) If the thin tendrils still look clumpy when dry, rinse again. All the delicate texture come right back when the feathers have completely dried.

A little before and after. Also an example of a not completely dried clip. I thought the clip was fully dry (using the dryer method) but the long tendrils didn’t reach full fluffiness until about an hour into wearing them.

And if you can’t find a premade feather clip, don’t worry! The DIY is crazy easy. I’d say cost wise it’s worth buying pre-made if you want 2 pairs but for anymore go the DIY route.

DIY Ostrich Feather Shoe Clips

You’ll need
ostrich feather trim
felt
shoe clips
hot glue

Make a ring with the ostrich feather trim and glue to a circle of felt. Glue the felt to the clip making sure not to glue the clip shut. (you can slip a piece of wax paper in between the teeth)

Any kind of small plastic clip will work! Some people use clip-on earring backs or cheap barrettes from the dollar store. I like how the curved clips that came with the feathers conform to my feet.

And much like the hand-painted bandana DIY, what good would an accessory DIY be without some styling options?

I love how the ripped, white denim accentuates the white feathers clipped to the top of flats. Try to place the clip in between your toes for max comfort. I’ve been wearing these to work all week and have to say they’re much easier to walk in than they look. Does not play nicely with rolling chairs however…

Saddle brown and emerald greens get me every time. Emerald green feather straps make these basic wedges a show stopper.

Millenial pink, monochrome, heeled mules and cuffed jeans. Feeling very Madewell meets Anthropologie when I step out in these. I think the feathers on the side are a super playful twist.

And that’s a wrap! I think I’ll have a stash of these in every color right next to my scarves. What colors are you going to try?