Drowning in Tulle and Feathers

As some of you already know, I'm planning to be a peacock for Halloween. Well, it's coming down to the wire on costume making. I've got a medium blue shirt, darker blue vest, and peacock-colored scarf to wear for the costume top. The big production is the bottom. I'm making a peacock colored tutuskirt with a bustle/train of peacock feathers. Or at least, that's what I'm attempting to make. I have full confidence in my tutu making abilities. It's the bustle that gives me pause.

Picture of my messy kitchen table with lots of tulle, my sewing machine,
hot glue gun, scissors, and peacock feathers.

Plan A - which turned out to be a dud - involved making a backwards apron of peacock fabric, sewing pony beads to it, and using a hot glue gun to stick a peacock feather in each bead. This method was tedius and messy. Worse yet, the final result was too sparse to make a proper bustle and the feathers would've gotten crushed whenever I tried to sit down. I suppose I should've photographed it as a "what not to do" but I did not so you'll just have to imagine it.

What's a queer to do? Enter Plan B. Look at these burlesque dancers. What do their outfits have in common (besides a distinct lack of fabric)?

                                

They all have feather boa bustles! That is my plan B. You may have noticed the black feather boa in the background of my cluttered table photo. I happen to have two of them so I am going to sacrifice one to the cause. Plan B is to use the same backwards apron idea with the peacock fabric as my base, but this time I will cut the boa into several pieces, attach the feather boa pieces to the fabric so they can swing about, and attach the peacock feathers to the boa. This should add the extra volume and flounce the my first attempt was lacking. I'll attach the whole thing to me via either elastic or ribbon. Probably ribbon since that way I can just untie it if I want to sit down unhindered. Though I'm hoping I won't have to take it off to sit. At any rate, it's a good thing I bought extra peacock feathers...

Peacock feathers.

What's your Halloween costume this year?