Sue Rider patiently answered question after question Saturday as passers-by stopped to see her work up close. She's a quillworker from Sandpoint, Idaho, who was demonstrating her intricate craft at the Travelers' Rest Lewis and Clark Bicentennial celebration in Lolo.
Porcupines aren't grown on farms, so most quills come from roadkill, taxidermists or landowners weary of the animals' unfriendly behavior. But throwing a blanket over a live porcupine works, too: They'll shed their quills, which can then be plucked from the blanket as the animal scurries off to rebuild his supply.
Quillwork is her favorite embellishment. She dyes quills with a modern off-the-shelf product: Rit. Most are dyed at least twice, first for setting the basic color and a second time to tone down the hue to make it more historically accurate, she said.
Centuries ago, Indians would have used natural dyes, but commercial dyes were available in the time of Lewis and Clark, and were a coveted trade item, she said.
By the time Rider sits down to stitch quills onto leather, "That's the end of the process," she said. "Lots and lots of work has gone on before." She must pull quills from hides, sort by size, clean them, dye them.
Tips are cut off before they're used. Rider softens the dyed quills in her mouth, flattening them through her teeth before stitching them into a quill embroidery.
Rider says she's never accidentally swallowed a quill, but because the tips are cut off, "they wouldn't be dangerous," she said. Still, she's careful working with groups of young boys, who sometimes encourage competitive quill swallowing when she's not looking.
Rider learned quillworking more than a decade ago from another woman, the same apprenticeship education that American Indian quillworkers used in ancient times. Unlike beadworking, done by many in the tribe, quillworking was sacred, reserved for select, carefully trained artists.
Rider said her custom orders come from men and women who re-enact historic events; they want accurate clothing and accessories for their period. Custom-made rifle bags or pistol covers also are in demand. But she also produces small items - quilled armbands, bracelets, belts and change purses, for instance - that can be enjoyed by anyone.
Yes, she usually works from a design she's sketched out ahead, she said, answering another visitor's question.
"When I look back at the design and what the design turns out to be," she said, "they're not always the same. It takes on a life of its own; it becomes what it was meant to be."
Reporter Mea Andrews can be reached at 523-5246 or at mandrews@missoulian.com
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