Category: Other

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Ombre Green

It’s been a while since I did an ombre plume, but this malachite like set is ready for the stages of Poland with @lolitavavoom!

Set matches Standard 4 – Specialty on DonnaTouch.com.

If you dream in ombre, it’s important to first accept that feathers aren’t ever going to be as seamless as a gradient print or fabric dip. Feathers are natural products making them beautifully unpredictable. Look closely and you’ll notice every part of the feather picks up dye differently. While boas are dipped and soaked in dye at different points, the fluff and overlap helps to even out the sections. With plumes, there isn’t the same luxury! So every feather must be hand dipped, dipped again and dipped again (with multiple steps in between each dip) to achieve this ombre look. Layering then becomes important, overlapping the feathers in ways that even out the ombre and create the end effect. And yes… ombre does add a lot to the cost of a project, but considering the time and expertise needed to achieve an ombre on plumes, I’d say it’s a bargain!

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Blacklight Glow

When Rainbow Feathers Las Vegas asked if I’d be interested in blacklight reactive feathers, my immediate reply was gimme, gimme, GIMME! Limited to these colors at the moment, I hope to test other brights with the specialty dye. But any plume fan configuration can be upgraded to use this dye. 

Thesw sets are 28 single layer staves, bright color pop and 28 25″ plumes. Built by @jahireen in my Chicago studio. 

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Conversion for Dottie

If I had to name this conversion for @dottiemayduitt, I’d call it bright and happy!

Luckily, Dottie had the 200 lady am sidetails (a mix of 27-30″ and then 30″+). This was a perfect amount to do across 8 scallop staves. I used the shorter feathers on the front so they’d add to the density without breaking up the look of the longer feathers. These are ready again to pop off any stage!

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Sepia Boa

I wasn’t surprised how fast this unique set sold from my stories. Even as quick as they go, they always seem to always find their right performer!

I coated the 20″ staves in copper for a rush order that then went a different direction. To salvage them, I asked @fancyfeathercom to do a copper ombre. Those colors are really difficult, so it was a good test. The result was this warm, lovely sepia stunner of a set! It’s a stress when projects fall through, but great when they inspire other cool things.

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Pink Conversion

If I had to name this conversion for @dottiemayduitt, I’d call it bright and happy!

Luckily, Dottie had the 200 lady am sidetails (a mix of 27-30″ and then 30″+). This was a perfect amount to do across 8 scallop staves. I used the shorter feathers on the front so they’d add to the density without breaking up the look of the longer feathers. These are ready again to pop off any stage!

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Martini Hand Fan

Learning that @dirtymartininyc was on the @ditavonteese @glamonatrix_official tour, we took the opportunity to present her with some fan, fan art!

This handfan features custom dyed plumes from @fancyfeathercom, my 8″ staves and the martini plate that was encrusted by @boldburlesquepasties. The show was AMAZING and it was a treat to say thank Dirty Martini in person for all she is to burlesque!

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Custom for Jolie

This color — custom for @jolie.lolita — is even more lovely in person!

Jolie sent a color swatch that @fancyfeathercom used to match for the custom dye batch. The feathers are lovely, the color is delicate and the staves will help this set float in stage!

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Refurbish Boa

Another past project — refurbish + conversion — done for @madelinesinclaire!

This set has new life for years on the stage! Starting with an old set of pink, well loved ostrich and marabou boas, we were able to pop them off and send them back to @fancyfeathercom for a wash and stunning ombre dye. These were then mounted on 24 of my 20″ staves. I at first wasn’t confident these would turn out as good as they did, but goes to show quality feathers are always worth a second chance!

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Unique Aqua Mint

Unique aqua mint

Periodically I have staves done that the color just isn’t a great match with the feathers. It’s too difficult to recoat them, so I put them aside to just do custom matches with the feathers. These sets feature 24 12″ staves and a triple layer of 18-24″ plumes custom dyed to match with @fancyfeathercom

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Unique True Blue

Unique true blue (a bit less purple than the photo capture)

Periodically I have staves done that the color just isn’t a great match with the feathers. It’s too difficult to recoat them, so I put them aside to just do custom matches with the feathers. These sets feature 24 12″ staves and a triple layer of 18-24″ plumes custom dyed to match with @fancyfeathercom

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Unique Midnight

Unique midnight blue (a bit darker than the photo capture)

Periodically I have staves done that the color just isn’t a great match with the feathers. It’s too difficult to recoat them, so I put them aside to just do custom matches with the feathers. These sets feature 24 12″ staves and a triple layer of 18-24″ plumes custom dyed to match with @fancyfeathercom

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Angie Pontani Boas

Fans as exciting as performer Angie Pontani! Designed to match her equally as bright costume, the boas were expertly dyed by Fancy Feather to be gold and have ombre beige tips.This new package option features 36″ 8 ply boas mounted on my 20″ staves. Although I call this package petite compared to the large sets, it’s still lush and sizable!

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Art Nouveau

This color combo on my art nouveau stave set was an excellent idea of @dashasweetwaters!

Periodically I retired my designs to make sure they remain limited and I think that this beauty is a good one to end on.

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Maxi Millions

Catching up on build highlights of work that went out just before baby arrived, this set was a vision for @missmaximillions.

Sometimes seemingly simple things can be very complex. We relied on the dye expertise at @fancyfeathercom to get this custom blue shade and have the transition from blue to black not turn into green mud. The set is assembled on 28 14″ staves in black and uses premium plumes. The fluffy result is simply lovely!

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Faggedy Randy

Super unique and completely custom set for Faggedy Randy!

Executing on Faggedy’s booty vision wasn’t easy! The ombre plumes were custom dyed through an experimental process by the very talented Faye Havoc. They are layered on my 3-prong staves. The front plates are Faggedy’s design. For a comical act, these are a beautiful design!

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Stormy Upgrade

Upgraded set done for @thestormyknight!

I do wish I could capture the shape-shifting colors of this set better. What appears as a rich purple is actually a complex blue. Those are the feathers we started with from an existing set, added a top row of plumes in gun metal (@fancyfeathercom) and the spiderweb front plate.  Such a unique combination that all works so perfectly together!

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Ombre Plumes

I know you are drooling over these Moulin Rouge inspired ombre plume fans commissioned by @its_victoriajade!

This set is a triple layer with slightly shorter feathers on the front and two layers of 25″ plumes expertly dyed by @fancyfeathercom layered on 28 14″ staves in a close pink that blends in.

If you dream in ombre, it’s important to first accept that feathers aren’t ever going to be as seamless as a gradient print or fabric dip. Feathers are natural products making them beautifully unpredictable. Look closely and you’ll notice every part of the feather picks up dye differently. While boas are dipped and soaked in dye at different points, the fluff and overlap helps to even out the sections. With plumes, there isn’t the same luxury! So every feather must be hand dipped, dipped again and dipped again (with multiple steps in between each dip) to achieve this ombre look. Layering then becomes important, overlapping the feathers in ways that even out the ombre and create the end effect. And yes… ombre does add a lot to the cost of a project, but considering the time and expertise needed to achieve an ombre on plumes, I’d say it’s a bargain!

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Degraded Sample

Incredibly unique pheasant set I did specifically to show off how we can achieve a light or pastel color. These are 30-35″ zebra feathers that had to be carefully degraded at #RainbowFeathers. The cream are what they look like after that process and the light teal is after dying. This set is on 6 scallop staves and uses 140 feathers. The extra processing of course adds cost, but it’s the only way to get light colors and downplay the natural black markings.

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Spite Red

I built these fans in spite of being dropped for a bulk order that would’ve delivered today. It was for a returning large show client (so I trusted it would come through), extremely quick turn that required much coordination with my suppliers and prepaying for a lot of material to pull it off. After jumping through all those planning hoops and pushing my suppliers, they said they’d be going with a different option. 

So out of annoyance and to clear my mental energy, I decided to still build one of the beautiful sets they wouldn’t get!

I’m thrilled this fiery set is now going to fellow Leo @lolacoquette!

The set features 28 12″ staves,  top 25″ plume and lower 18-20″ plume row in red from #RainbowFeathers. It’s a nice and dense double with premium fluff!

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Red Conversion

A red hot conversion for @msgidgetbardot!

Not only was I able to meet Gidget while in Nashville (btw… some of the best kept fans I’ve seen over all the years of doing conversions and upgrades), I enjoyed the insider scoop of how unique the scene and venues are!

A straight forward project for lighter lift and more condensed fluff, we just moved the front layer drabs and double plume over to a 24 count set 12″ in ruby red.

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Super Nova Assembly

Celestial inspiration assembled for @originallattedah!

Latte bought the feathers a while back, but they are now ready to explode on stage. This set features 24 12″ black staves, top white plumes and a row of front and inside drabs. Super unique color combination that was a blast to assemble!

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Blood Red Double

Color swap! @cervenafox dropped off blue plumes to #RainbowFeathers to have them redyed this stunning blood color.  Not saying color swaps are always possible, but this was definitely a great success!

This set features 28 12″ black staves, top 25″ plume and lower 18-20″ plume row. It’s a nice and dense double with premium fluff!

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Waterfall Waterfall

Sometimes you try something new and while it’s amazing, it doesn’t achieve the goal. However, these waterfall boa fans turned out looking like waterfalls!

These are built on 24 24″ staves and use 40″ all ostrich boas beautifully ombre tier dyed @fancyfeathercom. In addition to my signature size, NEW features of my boa fans: 1. Reinforced outer stave for one handed weilding (which is definitely trending among #fandancer). 2. Seamless layering that really makes the staves disappear!

Boa fans are such a huge investment and performance commitment. But a good boa handler is a show stopper! My staves are the strongest, lightest and most durable for these types of fans, and while they are still hefty to wield, you’ll have an easier time and more fun doing it!

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Custom Blue

This beautiful blue was actually an oopsie-coat as in the stave color wasn’t quite right for another project. So I asked #RainbowFeathers to match dye to the staves.

This phenomenal color is kinda a Robin’s egg blue but has some aqua hues that come out in natural light. So expect these to be somewhat of a shape shifter. The set features 28 12″ staves,  top 25″ plume and lower 18-20″ plume row. It’s a nice and dense double with premium fluff!

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Green Peacock

Set features 28 12″ staves, 28 single row premium plumes and 84 peacock feathers (with a few extras of both types). The plumes were an oopsie-dye (so not quite the green needed for another project) from #RainbowFeathers, but too lovely to let go. It was a great opportunity to pair them with stem dyed peacock from @thefeatherplace!

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Turquoise Peacock

Set features 28 12″ staves, 28 single row premium plumes and 84 peacock feathers (with a few extras of both types). The plumes were an oopsie-dye (so not quite the blue needed for another project) from #RainbowFeathers, but too lovely to let go. It was a great opportunity to pair them with stem dyed peacock from @thefeatherplace!

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Waterfall Ombre

These waterfall fans are ready to hit the stage with @nikki_moxiegold_marvin!

Moxie had a lower level boa set originally that I was able to salvage, redye and sell as an upcycle. We worked through a couple of options before settling on the ombre dip. Very similar to her previous pair in terms of color and aesthetic, these pack a much more dramatic punch!

These are built on 24 24″ staves and use 40″ all ostrich boas beautifully ombre tier dyed @fancyfeathercom. In addition to my signature size, NEW features of my boa fans: 1. Reinforced outer stave for one handed weilding (which is definitely trending among #fandancer). 2. Seamless layering that really makes the staves disappear!

Boa fans are such a huge investment and performance commitment. But a good boa handler is a show stopper! My staves are the strongest, lightest and most durable for these types of fans, and while they are still hefty to wield, you’ll have an easier time and more fun doing it!

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Natural pheasant

These natural beauties just arrived to @rheagenk!

This set features 100 27-35″ lady am pheasant feathers across 6 scallop staves in heavy black metallic. A great flirty size for just getting started incorporating pheasant, some quick whipping moves and small venues.

Unfortunately my build recap photos aren’t going to be great until we have things better setup after the move, but this is the first set to go out that was completely built here. Small progress!

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Unicorn ombre

If these uncorn beauties done for @bryona_ashly don’t brighten your heart, nothing will!

These are built on 24 24″ staves and use 40″ all ostrich boas beautifully ombre tier dyed @fancyfeathercom. In addition to my signature size, NEW features of my boa fans: 1. Reinforced outer stave for one handed weilding (which is definitely trending among #fandancer). 2. Seamless layering that really makes the staves disappear!

Boa fans are such a huge investment and performance commitment. But a good boa handler is a show stopper! My staves are the strongest, lightest and most durable for these types of fans, and while they are still hefty to wield, you’ll have an easier time and more fun doing it!

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Spring dream

These lovely fluffs were a custom creation for @cherrylacreme!

Each fan uses 14 14″ staves, with two layers of dip dyed 25″+ wide and a front layer of shorter solid custom dyed plumes #RainbowFeathers. They are a spring dream! 

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Custom Rose Flirt

These feathers are also continuing their journey on with @gaea_lady! Fans are just one of her many mastered props that she literally can hypnotize any audience with.

With me from nearly the start, these feathers have been mounted on every bare, painted and now powder coated version of my metal staves. Their custom color will always be a favorite of mine and part of my brand even before I discovered fans.

As @gaea_lady calls her burlesque program, these fans have P(;)ssy Magic that I’m happy to pass on!

The set is a flirt size double layer has 24 8″ staves in Class B Silver (kind of a sparkle metallic with a pink hue) and two 18-24″ plumes.

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Burgundy Rebuild

My feathers are continuing their performance journey on to new stages with @bellasincle!

If you’ve followed me for a while, you know I don’t get attached to material. I regularly sell off my own, personal props if I’ve moved on from the routine. But these fans represent a lot!

— These pheasant were the first I purchased and I honestly didn’t know what I was getting myself into. I learned later that their were so many pheasant types!
— The feathers have been on at least 4 stave sets. They were my own personal tests (the heaviest type to with with) to make sure what I was creating would even work well for other performers.
— I continue to find better ways of layering and building. It took more hours and hours, but it’s why I rebuilt these again before sending them out.
— Weilding these fans took strength and practice. Taking them to the stage was like having a super power. It’s that rush I know my fellow fan dancers perform for!
— While I still have a few sets that I’ll be holding on for a little longer just in case, selling these off is one step closer to admitting I’m no longer the performer I used to be. So it’s for the best that they not be hoarded in my closet for years!

On my tiki staves, the fans have about 160 40″ venery reeves pheasant feathers. The set is about 4ft at center and 7ft across. Just wait and see what @bellasincle creates with these!

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Sample mix

These petite cuties (about 22″ at center and 40″ across) just kind of came together! I had extra layer of white that I needed to use. Just like other dye batch colors, white, even bleached white, has tone variations. I also happen to have almond staves that I had done for a project that fell through. And then still a batch of those kind of dusty blue wings.

It’s a different experience when you have material you didn’t plan for and get to play without the pressure of a commission.

But these little flirts got scooped up by @kissgingercollins, so they’ll have a great stage life from here!