OK OK PORCUPINE TUTORIAL AND INFO

Hi Everyone!

And OMG!!!!    So many emails and so many porcupine quill questions. I answered the emails but let me do the same here as well. I have had a kit on these earrings since 2008. I spent a few hours today changing it over to a PDF tutorial so you can get it now on my Beadwright etsy store. 

I am very connected to porcupine and when I first started my Beadwright business my logo was this guy here.

When I lived in AK and Idaho I was a legal and licnesed trapper so I was allowed to pick up road kill. Porcupines are nocturnal and low to the ground so when crossing roads they tend to get hit a lot. In those days I harvested the quills, cleaned them, and used them for mostly tradition style quill work. I beaded and quilled for dancers in several of the Northwest tribes. Sooo this is not a new thing for me or my mom. It is part of our heritage.

Question number 1. Mom does not harvest her own quills any more. She has a dealer that does that for her.

#2 does mom give out her dying recipes "Helllll no" she has worked on those for over 15 years and is NOT giving them out.

#3 No, porcupine quills are not hollow. There is white pith inside that my tutorial shows how to deal with it.

#4 Porcupines are NOT only in the US. However, the US porki is the only one that has the smaller to use quills. African and Australian porkis have very large thick quills.

#5 Are the quills easy to work with. Absolutey. They make amazing art pieces. Take time to check out the two reknowned quill artist in America and my friends Christy Hensler of WA.  and Nancy Fonicello of MT

Both of these women have contributed to keeping this artform alive.

So now do ya wanna work with some porki quills and make some earrings?  If you want the kit complete with quills just email me. If you want the tutorial go beadwright.etsy.com

I am off the back some cookies for Mike

Honor and Integrity in Life in Art

Nicole/Beadwright