Do you appreciate some products but marvel how on earth they ever got discovered? For me, one thing on that list is porcupine quill jewelry. I can’t imagine how people ever looked at these prickly, pointed hollow shafts of fingernail material and thought of cutting both ends to string using an extremely narrow (bone) needle with thread, often add colorful beads, to make uniquely astonishing things? The process probably involved much trial and error including getting poked numerous times.
My publishing house, Scrivenings Press, just had their first anniversary and Christmas in July sale that included interviewing our little-known random facts. My answer mentioned learning to make porcupine jewelry from friends who had done mission work among Canada’s First Nation people in northern British Columbia, Canada. I (and some of my friends) have been poked by these fascinating sharp quills many times, but we think the results are worth it.
How do I get materials? In interesting ways. At first, friends brought them to me, once from a trapper’s cabin where a porky had rubbed against a window screen (trying to get in the cabin) and its loose quills had fallen out. That friend brought me a coffee can full. Others sometimes come from road kill. In winter, people have brought me the frozen animal. Other times, I stop and if you gently swat the porky with a sweatshirt or any item of soft material, loose mature quills detach and stick to the cloth for you to take home and , very carefully process later. I learned these are very expensive on Etsy. I’m glad usually to be resupplied quite easily.
I also produced wreaths out of free forest materials to sell to florist wholesalers and once even a horse trailer full delivered 700 miles away–but that’s a story for another day.
What invention(s) do you marvel that any human discovered? For most of us, it’s a long list. Please share them and have fun.
I don’t know how anyone ever thought of electricity. lol