Feathers!

I am in a quandary! I have some lovely ostrich feathers I used for the original Marie in 06. They are white, and this costume is black and gold. Dyeing them is what I plan to do but I have combed the internet and developed a lot of fears. I read that Rit dye (the kind I have on hand) isn't recommended, then I read that it is as long as you prepare with hot water and then dye the feathers in room temperature water and blow dry them on 'cool' to prevent clumping when you're done. I have looked at the Rit website and though it details the possibility of doing feathers the place where instructions should be does not exist. So, I am going to try it, after thinking about it half the night, because the hat for this outfit must have feathers and while white might work, I would prefer the black. I am quite pleased with some of my work, which would horrify anyone who really knew what they were doing. But my husband always says, It doesn't know how it got there, whenever I try something really bizarre and unusual to get a result. Just like my knitting- I purl with my thumb a lot and people who see me are puzzled, but I am a quicker knitter because of it!