A Biodegradable Urn with Visible Stitching

For those of you that love visible stitching like I do, this one is for you!

I have been making biodegradable urns since 2009 and have incorporated my love of quilts and patterns into these urns. A few years ago I discovered visible stitching and fell in love with the process and the look of it. I wondered if I could incorporate stitching into the biodegradable urns somehow.

I started tinkering with the process of stitching into the biodegradable clay… and what I found out is that it is very difficult. The clay has to be just the right consistency…. not too soft and not too hard. When it is too soft it distorts the form, and when too hard the needle can’t get through the clay. I also discovered it was very difficult to pull the needle through a narrow cylinder.

I practiced on quite a few little prototypes, none worthy of sharing with the world, I settled on making a low wider form so my hand and needle could move freely in and out of the form. The one pictured here is the first one that I feel is worthy to put out there. This keepsake urn is available for purchase on my shop page.

Biodegradable urns go back to the earth naturally. The clay is not fired, yet it is very strong because of the cellulose fibers woven throughout the clay. If the urn is placed in a body of water the clay breaks down in a matter of hours. The cotton threads will take a little longer, but I like to imagine these colorful threads being picked up by the birds for their nests. The urn can also be buried and will degrade naturally over the months. The biodegradable urn can also sit on a shelf indefinitely.

For those wondering what and how my biodegradable urns are made you can read more about them here.