Porcupine quills are hollow, and filled with air. Cut the ends off the quills, it will relax the barb on the end of the quills, spin it while pulling it out helps a bunch. It still hurts like @#$& though.
It's not the first time, I've protected my hair, in just such a manner.
Mike - you can download William Orchard's seminal book on quillwork for free - here https://archive.org/details/techniqueofporc00orch I'd also recommend Jean Heinbuch's book - A Quillwork Companion: An Illustrated Guide to Techniques of Porcupine Quill Decoration http://www.amazon.com/Quillwor...ration/dp/0943604257 she will walk you through the whole process, including collecting quills properly and has a good list of natural dyes to use.
I do quite a bit of quillwork and seldom stick myself - you can clip both end of the quills but only one end is really necessary.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: GreyWolf,
Zowie Chuck, your work is absolutely fabulous! I have always appreciated seeing traditional quill art. Been tempted several times to give this craft a try, but like a lot of things, never find time. Almost stopped the truck last fall to recycle one of the many road kill porkies I have encountered. Too many flies on that one! Maybe the next will be fresher.