Yesterday we started working on feathers in the Couture craftmanship class, an artisan work that has almost been forgotten. In the beginning of the 20th century there was around 800 plumasseries (feather ateliers) in Paris but now only a handful remains. The house of Chanel has since the 90s embarked on a journey of saving the artisans' craftmanship by buying the small ateliers so they can remain financially stable. 
My music lace project with the feathers I bought for this class. Love the pale blue/grey one. Will be interesting to see what everyone can come up with!
If you would want to work in a plumasserie you would first have to do 2-4 years of apprentice ship to acquire all the skills needed to be an artisan in feathers. It's a magical world! Here's a video with one of the few remaining artisans Nelly Saunier who's worked in the field since she was a teenager.
