Birch Bark Quill Box Basket and Instruction Book

Holy Spirit Dove design copyright 2001 by M.L. Arnoldussen. All rights reserved.

Dimensions: 4.5" diameter X 2.75" depth. Triumph! After nearly two years, I have completed a birch bark quill box. Why so long? Oh, not because it actually takes that long to make one, but because there's so little published on how to do it. I found brief explanations on how to quill, but only a very inadequate explanation of how to prepare birch and construct the box. What you see here is two years of experimentation, trial and error, examination of quill boxes in retail stores, and a lot of pondering on my part. I've published what I've learned in a new booklet entitled "Birch Bark Quill Box Primer." If you desire to try quill box making, you'll find this booklet most helpful. Including many detailed illustrations, it explains everything you need to know regarding preparation, cutting, seaming, cutting and fitting liners, etc. It also includes design templates for your quilling art, in case you can't draw.

Quill boxes are a Native American art form; I made one because I couldn't afford to buy one.

Abbreviated Instructions (precise details and illustrations in booket):

Materials: paper birch bark, sweetgrass, porcupine quills, artificial sinew or heavy thread, a bone awl or tapestry needle, darning needle, compass, ruler, pencil, pliers, tweezers. Material suppliers

Cut and thin, thin and cut birch bark to shapes needed for top and bottom, sides, liners. Peel the bark down to desired thickness. Use compass to draw necessary circles, ruler to mark side strips and liners.

Select bark for top piece. You'll need some sort of template for tracing a design onto the top--it's safer than drawing directly. You can draw your own thing on a sheet of paper, or find something you like. Whatever you select, cut it out and trace to top lightly with a pencil.

Soak quills, then keep them moist by placing on a sponge. Carefully pierce holes for quill insertion (2 at a time). Snip non-sharp end of quill, then flatten the quill from sharp end to cut end of shaft. Use sharp end as needle and thread quill from back through first hole, then through second hole to back. Fold ends of quill toward each other on back side of work. This is much like embroidering to fill large, open spaces (satin stitch). Keep this in mind as you work. Use seams and direction of placement to create your art. If using undyed quills, use the natural shading of quills to shade your art. Use other embroidery stitches as needed.

When quill work is complete, sew lid piece to side piece using sinew (split into fourths) or thread, and darning needle. Apply another quill design or sweetgrass over the seam.

Construct box bottom the same way.

Place round liners first, top and bottom. For top, notch one edge of inner side liner. Place in hot water until soft, push into place so that tabs hold round liner in place. Trim edge to match outside edge. Stitch to outside, along edge, with a coil of sweetgrass on outer edge.

For bottom, insert unnotched liner first. It should be taller than outer side of bottom, to provide a lip that the lid can nest over. Stitch a coil of sweetgrass on outer edge, going through this liner to hold it in place.

Now add a notched liner. Make certain it is sized to match height of first liner; leave allowance so it can be trimmed to match. Stitch it to first liner along edge.

Rev.3Apr07

MY PUBLICATIONS AND PRODUCTS