a BESPOKE SERVICE
WELL URNED REST introduces burial vessels, usually called urns, in totally bio-degradable/eco-friendly handmade wool felt and vintage/upcycled fabrics
choosing your urn
Choosing a burial vessel for yourself or a much-loved friend or relation should be a joyous experience, a memorial and celebration of a life well lived.
I hope my designs will lift your spirits and as I add to the choices, I hope too that they will reflect the enjoyment I had in choosing the colours and fibres or fabrics and bringing them together for something so special.
You may be looking for yourself – something to have at home and enjoy, knowing you have left instructions for your chosen vessel to carry your ashes to their final resting place.
If that’s the case, you will probably choose something that suits your lifestyle, or the décor of your home. Or maybe just something that takes your fancy for its decorative qualities.
Perhaps you are choosing an urn for someone you loved dearly and for whom you want a fitting tribute. You may like to choose colours you know they loved, or something that reflects their character, their favourite season or something that reflects a memory you shared.
design and materials
Four of my urns represent the elements – Earth, Air, Fire, Water. Four others represent the seasons - Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. All these urns are stiffened, so they hold an attractive shape and are therefore suitable to keep as decorative items.
You may prefer a totally soft urn, something you can embrace. These ‘huggable’ urns are now available, but yet to make it onto the website. Please check my Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/wellurnedrest - or contact me at charlescottagestudio@gmail.com for some pictures and options.
Felted designs are made in wool and natural fibres – ramie, silk, bamboo, viscose, for example – and some will incorporate loose woven cotton, linen or silk fabrics. Stitched designs when they come on stream later will incorporate vintage/ upcycled and new fabrics – wool, cotton or linen - and may also include paper elements. With the exception of designs incorporating silk or wool fabrics, these are suitable for vegan purchasers.
The wool is largely from two main UK suppliers and ethically produced - from South Africa and South American non-mulesed sheep. Some designs will use wool from regional British sheep breeds. Dyes used by these suppliers are commercial acid dyes which conform with the Oeko-Tex 100 quality system. (Please ask if you would like further details of this standard).
Further information about the biodegradability of wool felt is available here: https://www.iwto.org/biodegradeability and https://www.learnaboutwool.com/globalassets/law/resources/factsheets/secondary/wool-facts--biodegradable.pdf
The stabiliser is dilute pva, an emulsion of polyvinyl acetate in water which has a neutral pH value. PVA is nontoxic to humans (unless eaten). It is water soluble and biodegradable. The stabiliser is used to give some rigidity to the finished urns which I think is particularly important if your choice is to be retained at home. The design largely dictates whether it is semi-soft or more rigid.
Embellishments & closures are wood, coconut, cane, jute, wool or natural fibres as above. If you choose a ‘huggable’ urn, ie a soft felt or fabric form, the design will allow for a flat closure.
All designs have inner bags which are made in high count cotton and are also biodegradable. Silk bags are available at extra cost.
All my vessels are - and will continue to be - eco-friendly/eco-conscious/biodegradable, however you like to phrase it.
Please understand that because each is handmade, every vessel is unique and elements of the designs will vary from the pictures, due to the nature of an individual, handmade item. Indeed, I would hope you feel this is an asset, making each truly special. However the colour palate, if not always identical, will be as close as possible to the illustrations, unless you have specifically chosen an alternative. Likewise, the embellishments may differ slightly.
You will receive pictures of the finished item before I send it, so if it doesn’t fulfil your expectations, you are not obliged to complete the purchase unless you have asked for your own fabrics or keepsakes to be included or commissioned special colours or shapes (see below).
Design your own
If you would like to place a special order with Well Urned Rest, I ask that you tell me the shape you like and the colour palette. I trust something similar (even if not the same) will work for you.
If you would like your own fabrics used, or embellishments added from a special collection of beads or buttons, this can be done. However, if you are planning to bury your urn in a Natural Burial Ground, it is important to clear this with the site owners and be guided by what they will allow.
Please bear in mind that once your own fabrics have been used or your own additions have been incorporated into a design, I cannot take them off and thus special orders cannot be returned for refund.
All the urns pictured for the Elements and Seasons ranges are rigid or semi-rigid to retain their shape and enhance the design. However, the ‘huggable’ range incorporates softer designs which can be embraced more comfortably.
choosing the size of your urn
Every website you look at will probably give you a different idea of the capacity of their urns. Strangely, even now, calculations still tend to be given in cubic inches and lbs, not metric measurements. Most suggest that 1lb of body weight equates to 1 cubic inch of ashes. For those of you who have forgotten, 1 st = 14lbs. A funeral director will help you with calculations and it is better to err on the generous size if you don’t want to split the ashes.
Designs from the Elements range, for the moment, are slightly larger overall than those in the Seasons range.
In the future I hope to be able to introduce larger and smaller capacity urns and of course I make smaller urns for children. Urns for pets depend entirely on the size of the animal in question - from a rodent to a great dane.
Cremation ashes will usually be given to you in a bag which is in turn placed in a temporary container. Most funeral directors will be happy to transfer the ashes to your new Well Urned Rest choice but helpful advice will be sent when we fulfil your order in case you would like to do this yourself. Please note, however, it is a 2-person task.