Inspiration is everywhere, and today we want to show how to turn your ideas into reality.

The jumping off point for this tutorial is a peacock feather. It can be notoriously difficult to capture their beauty and shine, and all of the stunning jewel tones. Here’s how you can create your own stunning version by blending multiple fibers together into a batt.

Here’s what you’ll need for a 1 ounce batt:

1/2 ounce black fiber, divided into thirds

1/4 ounce bright green

1/8 ounce bright blue

1/8 ounce purple

dash of auburn

1 peacock feather cut into individual pieces

Drum Carder – This tutorial used a Petite

First start with a base of black, about 1/3 of your black fiber. This helps the eye see the intense colors better later.

Once that is on the carder, layer your bright blue and purple fiber. Feed them on slowly until you’ve added all of the color.

Cover that with another thin layer of black fiber (about 1/3 of your black fiber).

Next, take the bright green fiber (this particular blend has some sparkle that really helps the shimmer effect) and feed it onto the carder.

Finish with another layer of black (your final 1/3 of fiber).

Pull this batt off of your drum carder and split it in fourths lengthwise.

Take one fourth and pass it through the drum carder while adding some small bits of auburn.

When you’ve gotten that onto the drum, start adding the small peacock feather cuttings while blending the other 3 sections, one at a time. It’s best to sandwich the feather bits in between two thin layers of fiber (much like our yarn-bit-tweed tutorial). This prevents the carder from rejecting them.

Once you’ve passed all the fiber through, you’re done!

Why not take inspiration from something lying around your studio? Share it with us on Instagram with the hashtag #strauchfiber, and we may share your colorful project!