when i learned how to rehair bows, our teacher had us throw the old hair into a big pile, which we then tossed outside of our building, coincidentally by horse stables. when we looked in the trees, we could see that many of the birds' nests had the horsehair woven into them! it was such a beautiful way to see something discarded still have so much purpose.

as i steadily grow my bow business, i do occasionally donate to the birds' nests here in athens. but, the artist in me wants more! i began by creating paint brushes, but since i had no knowledge regarding brush construction, i quickly made a tassel to sell at a holiday market. a friend there had some sweet vintage key rings, and since then, i've been creating unique keychains with the leftover horsehair. the hair is cleaned (rosin removed), and each winding consists of cotton, silk, or nylon thread. each pattern is unique and no two keychains are alike. because of the nature of my work, i only make them as hair is available.