feathers-msg - 3/20/03 Period uses for feathers. Feather sources. NOTE: See also the files: arrows-msg, beads-msg, fans-msg, headgear-msg, arch-supplies-msg, archery-books-msg, fowls-a-birds-msg. ************************************************************************ NOTICE - This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday. This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter. The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors. Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s). Thank you, Mark S. Harris AKA: THLord Stefan li Rous Stefan at florilegium.org ************************************************************************ Subject: Re: ANST - Ostrich plumes Date: Wed, 18 Nov 98 15:36:02 MST From: Alexis To: ansteorra at Ansteorra.ORG > Hanse hier, having a spot of trouble. I've been asked to do a lovely set of > garments by one of my more refined clients and I find that nobody in all of > Heidelburg seems to know where I might acquire ostrich plumes in the quality > and volume that I need for the chappeau. I don't want those sissy looking > plumes you so often find at that merchant 'JoAnnes' shop; what I want are > the HUGE good ones that have a base as big around as a vienna sausage and > are as full as a frenchman who's been locked up all night in a snail, > croissant, and wine shop. My client has a special dispensation from Kaiser > Max to wear whatever colors he so desires and to completely disregard any > rules regarding ostentatiousness so we will be needing *no less* than twenty > plumes... any assistance you good folks can possibly lend us in this area > would be highly appreciated. > > Danke, > > Hanse- tailor to the stars of Ansteorra, Burgundy, and the Holy Roman > Empire. Greetings 'Hanse' As one who has been known to sport an ostrich plume or two, I might direct you to House Morningstar as a reasonably priced vendor of same, they may be contacted at (713) 729-7990 (11246 S. Post Oak, Houston, Tx 77035). Sir Alexis LaBouche Subject: Re: ANST - Ostrich plumes Date: Wed, 18 Nov 98 10:27:33 MST From: "George Savage" To: ansteorra at Ansteorra.ORG Dearest Hanse, upon hearing your request, I had to ask myself, how far is this person willing to travel to aquire the above mentioned plumes? So not knowing where you hail from, I will proceed full ahead. Here in Bonwicke, there is a wonderfull shoppe called "THE JOKER", that has such mentioned plumes, of various sizes and wonderous colours. Their address is as follows: The Joker Costumes Magic & Novelty Company Briercroft Shopping Center 52nd & Avenue Q Lubbock, Texas 79412 806-744-6888 They may, perchance, be willing to deal with you over the phone, or through the mail. Good Luck! Lady Ysoulde Ship's Cook and Surgeon SS INCONTINENT Subject: Re: ANST - Ostrich plumes Date: Wed, 18 Nov 98 11:11:25 MST From: "Trish McCurdy" To: ansteorra at Ansteorra.ORG Rooster Cohburn's Ostrich Ranch in Picacho Peak Arizona will ship as many to you as you want, I dont know what the prices are, but I used to stop and feed the Ostrich alot *L* Larissa Subject: Re: ANST - Ostrich plumes Date: Wed, 18 Nov 98 11:51:49 MST From: "Deborah Sweet" To: Guten Tag, Herr Hanse. In the current issue of the Renaissance magazine, is an add for Ostriches On Line. Their contact information: Ostriches On Line 2218 N 75th Ave Elmwood Park, IL 60707 Tel 1-708-452-7596 Fax 1-708-452-7510 email: feathers at ostrichesonline.com http://www.ostrichesoneline.com I've had no contact with this company, but it's worth looking at their web page, at least. Estrill Subject: ANST - Feathers (WAS: Re: Ostrich plumes) Date: Mon, 23 Nov 98 23:49:20 MST From: "Mike C. Baker" To: Our learned and estimable collector of knowledge, Stefan, asked: > How else were feathers used in period? One method in which they were used was in the creation of symbols of rank and privilege. In the British Isles, the "tugen" was a feathered cloak made of the unplucked but somehow preserved skins of the ducks which dwelt upon one specific lake. The natural feather coloration was blue-black, no dye was required for the feathers themselves. Such cloaks were restricted as the right and privilege of the most advanced of the bards, filidh and ollave as they are named in the ancient Irish forms. However, many of our SCA membership will have seen a recent example in use for dramatic purposes. Recalling the _Merlin_ mini-series, think upon the cloak worn by Sam Neill's portrayal of the eponymous character. While there are those who fault most aspects of modern theatrical works, be assured that for once they got something _very_ right. The Merlin of Britain, the Taliesin of Wales: these would certainly have been accepted as wearers of the tugen. At least, such is what I have learnt in my bardic researches. Mike C. Baker SCA: Amr ibn Majid al-Bakri al-Amra (Steppes, Ansteorra) "Other": Kihe Blackeagle (the Dreamsinger Bard) Subject: plumes. Date: Tue, 24 Nov 1998 13:21:50 -0600 From: "adams, ozy" To: A great source for ostrich plumes is ostrichesonline.com. -0zymandias Breakstock, Squire to Sir Max Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1998 14:58:17 -0500 From: rmhowe To: sca-arts at raven.cc.ukans.edu Subject: Re: Phesants Melanie Wilson wrote: > >3) any ideas for using the feathers? > > In hats, feathers were popular in medieval times in hats. Any other ideas > would be good as I keep saving mine thinking they must be useful for > something as they sell for pounds at fair, but all I have is jam jars full > of them on the window sill :) > > Mel Well, there's badminton; stocks and feathers (insert diverse tortures here); fake birds on hats, etc. As for cooking - see http://www.labs.net/dmccormick/helmet04.htm Magnus Date: Wed, 25 Aug 1999 13:42:43 -0700 (PDT) From: H B Subject: Re: SC - gilding the goose? - --- LrdRas at aol.com wrote: > Better yet use a feather to apply the egg yolk. So where does one find food-safe feathers? There is an ostrich farm somewhere here in NW PA, and they set up a booth at fairs and things to sell ostrich burgers. They also sell feathers, which the woman's daughter collects up and tosses in the washer inside a pillow case, then in the dryer with a (clean, for-the-purpose) sneaker. Is laundry detergent bad, or is it okay (rinses well enough)? Could I use these if I re-wash the same way (washer/dryer) with, say, laundry soap as opposed to detergent (i.e., Ivory Snow), or dumping dish soap in the washer? How much dish soap to a washer load? Would this rinse out enough soap, or would I need to re-rinse? (I'm asking for opinions/guesses to re-check my thinking here -- I don't suppose many people wash feathers in their washer or put dish soap in them.) - -- Harriet Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 12:51:18 -0500 From: LYN M PARKINSON Subject: Re: SC - gilding the goose? flooding the kitchen! NO, NO, NO! Don't put dish liquid in your dishwasher or your washing machine. My 9 year old grandson read the label of some palmolive dish soap, saw it was for dishes, filled the dishwasher powder container in the door, and turned on the dishwasher. Fortunately, his sister saw the welling suds escaping through door cracks before it got *too* far! I do wish I'd remembered the camera when I opened the door! Wanting to disinfect some scuzzy thing I was washing, I once put 'just a little squirt' of an antibacterial dish liquid into the washer. Not so spectacular as V. Jay's attempt, but don't you do it! If the rinsing is the only issue, just use plain water--i.e., run the feathers through without any additives. Might not be as much fun, but it's food-grade safer! Allison Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 08:03:47 EDT From: LrdRas at aol.com Subject: Re: SC - gilding the goose? nn3_shay at yahoo.com writes: << So where does one find food-safe feathers? >> I use goose feathers. They can be washed in warm soapy water, dried and then restored by pulling them through your fingers. Ras From: Ingeborg Denner Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Subject: Re: cleaning a feather bed? Date: Fri, 30 Mar 2001 12:29:21 +0200 Organization: Siemens Business Services Bryanna wrote: > I've acquired a gently used feather bed from a thrift store, cheap and in > good condition. Mostly down with some feathers, Queen size, double layer > cloth cover. How do I clean it? It isn't stained or anything, I just want > to get some of the 'used' out of it. Personally I found 3 different ways to clean feather beds. 1. Get to a store where they sell them and have it cleaned. Advantage: Afterwards it's better than before. Disadvantage: It's so d*** expensive that you could buy a low-quality *new* featherbed for that. 2. Give it to the cleaners. Advantage: No bother, the bed is treated reasonably well. Disadvantage: Costs money, the bed looses some fluff. 3. Put in in the washing machine, use cold or luke-warm water and down soap (you get it in outdoor stores). Put a pair of reasonably clean sneakers in the washing machine, too. Dry cold or luke-warm, again, add the sneakers. Advantage: Cheap. Plus, clean sneakers ;-). Disadvantage: Takes long, the bed looses some fluff. What I prefer: Just air it, preferably in the mornings. Do that for a few days in a row. Quite often that's enough. inge From: mayfair13a at aol.com (Mayfair13a) Newsgroups: rec.org.sca Date: 03 Apr 2001 06:54:43 GMT Subject: Re: cleaning a feather bed? I use a feather bed for camping, and like you I aquired mine used. I asked my dry cleaner (they adore me, I wonder why?) the best way to clean it. They told me to wash it in a big washing machine at the laundry and dry w/tennis balls or shoes. I've had it for 4 years now and had no problem with this method. Sure is ALOT cheaper than the drycleaner! I think it is nice to toss in some vinegar the first time you wash just to get out anything you might not want to sleep on;). Every summer when I get it out for camping I run it through my dryer with some wash rags I soaked lightly(very lightly) in pennyroyal just to freshen it. I also agree that sitting it out in the sunshine is a great way to freshen it. Another tip. I use a flannel duvet cover for mine when I camp. A little added protection for the bed and it keeps the feathers from being pokey. Pasha Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2002 08:19:25 -0600 (CST) From: "Pixel, Goddess and Queen" To: SCA-Cooks maillist Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] chicken plucking On Fri, 11 Jan 2002, Mark.S Harris wrote: > So, what did the medieval folks do with all those feathers? Mattress stuffing. I have a reference sitting around somewhere for mattresses stuffed with feathers. And isn't there a recipe that calls for coloring to be applied to the food in question with a feather? We *just* discussed this one, too. Margaret From: Bronwynmgn at aol.com Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2002 19:38:02 EST Subject: Re: [Sca-cooks] chicken plucking To: sca-cooks at ansteorra.org pixel at hundred-acre-wood.com writes: > And isn't there a recipe that calls for coloring to be applied to the food > in question with a feather? We *just* discussed this one, too. Yep. It's in Forme of Cury, Fonnell, numbered, in Pegge's version, with a confusing series of Roman numerals, namely xx on the top and then III.II. underneath. Fonnell Take almand unblanched. Grynde hem and drawe hem up with gode broth. Take a lombe or a kidde and half roste hym, or the thridde part, smyte hym in gobet and cast hym to the mylke. Take smale bridd ysasted and ystyned(what is that?), and do thereto sugar, powdor of canell and salt, take yolkes of ayren harde ysode and cleeve a two and ypanced with flower of canell and florish the fewe above. Take alkenet fryed and ysondred and droppe above with a feather and messe it forth. Brangwayna Morgan From: Gail Taylor To: ansteorra at ansteorra.org Subject: Re: [Ansteorra] Ostrich feather drying? Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2003 11:37:53 -0600 I've had a good number of wet feathers now. Either they dry and fluff up on their own again or don't. I never did try the clothes dryer method. GPT G. W. S. wrote: > Dear Gail > > I came accross a messgae you left on the internet regarding drying > ostrich feathers (without recking them). Did manage to get it right? > > Tim Pitt > Gail P. Taylor ansteorra at Ansteorra.ORG Edited by Mark S. Harris feathers-msg Page 7 of 7