How Make a Feather Stick Flower

I sat in the park last weekend, reading a book and minding a sleeping baby James. I saw some sticks laying around the bench on which I was sitting, and got to thinking.


I picked up a stick, pulled out my Swiss army knife, and carefully and slowly carved down the diameter of the stick.


At the end of each knife draw, I tilted the blade slowly out about 90 degrees to open up the feather.


I carved feathers over and over again, until most of the stick had been transformed into thin slices, and soon I was almost done with carving a feather stick. I cut off the bottom (which was pencil-lead thin by this time) and trimmed off the top.


Looking around for something to dye the flower with, I saw some American Winterberry (Ilex verticillata). I grabbed a branch full of them, cut a pop can open and mushed it all up.


Then I coated the flower in the berry juices, and carved a flower stem out of a piece of beech.


I dyed that green by rubbing some dill leaves over it.


I pieced the two together with a hole and sharp tail, and voila!