Parrot Feather Paintbrush with Inlaid Quill Bobbin Handle

This brush was made by Elizabeth. The brush bristle is made with beautiful blue, black, red, and yellow domestic parrot feathers.

Parrot feathers are a wonderful material to use to create a bristle head. Feather paintbrushes are also terrific mark-makers. They can create a lot of movement, and unexpected marks. They are also strong and will hold up to use (if properly cared for).

The handle of this brush was made from a vintage quill bobbin, and it has a inlaid shell embellishment. The finished brush is surprisingly light. The brush end has a leather hanging strap. The ferrule also has metal rings, 3 in total. 

• Handle: 8" in length
• Feather Bristle: 9" in length

Wood Bobbin Spool History

"The Industrial Revolution (1790's - 1860's) was an important time in America's history. The Revolution brought about many changes in the labor and textile industries. On average women worked a 72-hour week with few breaks. The mill itself was a dangerous place to work with shuttles flying off looms, and a constant humid, 100-degree climate. In response to the poor working conditions, the women of the mills organized America's first labor strikes and formed the first labor unions. 

Bobbins and the machinery they ran on were some of the greatest inventions of the Victorian Era. Developed as a way to manage heaps of thread, bobbins revolutionized textile manufacturing during the Industrial Revolution. Many textile mills had their own machine shops and their own favorite shape of bobbin which accounts for their varied designs. Traditional wooden bobbins have been retired from most current day manufacturing. Modern economics does not favor the use of wooden bobbins since a large degree of handwork is involved in making them and they are not well suited to synthetic fibers and high-speed machinery". (source Bemidji Woolen Mills)