Wednesday, December 04, 2013

lots of pots or counting cucurbitas



This past summer, my little gourds grew well.
I planted the seeds along the fence and allowed their tendrils to coil and cling to the poultry wire.
They bloomed, were pollinated (thankfully!) and eventually became fruit or little pepos.
Some of them grew very large!
I allowed them to mature on the vine, and finally harvested them just before frost.
I've been curing my cucurbitas in the mudroom, near the woodstove.
A few gourds have finished within 2 months time...and the mesocarp and endocarp are completely dry.



Now they are ready to be turned into flax water pots.



Once they are opened and cleaned, I sand and polish the exterior and create a hanger from my handspun linen.



Then I send them out into the world, to spinners near and far! They will hang on a spinning wheel and assist those who like to spin linen. The spinster will fill the pot with flax slurry, made from flax seed, and dip their fingers into the pot when they need to smooth the line.

6 comments:

Lisa at Greenbow said...

To me this is a very unique way to use the gourds. I enjoy thinking of ways to use them. Several years ago I made a purse out of one for a friend that does native reenactments. FUN...

Teri said...

I have a friend that turns the large gourds into lampshades. She burns fantasy villages on them, then carves open windows. She uses skeltonized leaves inside the gourd to cover those windows. They are really spectacular. (I thought about posting a picture of mine on my blog, but I'm not sure how she'd feel about that.) Makes perfect sense to use them for spinning flax.

Cathy said...

I wonder how many people are tempted to spin flax seeing those pots!

judy said...

I have a couple beautiful little gourd pots that I bought in Mexico many years ago. I suspect they were mostly decorative. I never thought about them as hanging from a wheel. Perhaps... and I just never knew.

You always teach and amaze me. Thank you.

Valerie said...

That is a really neat idea! They are so cute and functional too.

Also wondered if you have seen the Double flyer wheel over at Kerstin's Her current post has some questions that you might be able to answer.

cindy said...

They are wonderful !!! Spinning flax will never be the same.

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