Finished My Flat Top Casket Carcass

This morning I finished my flat top casket carcass.  Just need to attach the hardware and decide how to handle the feet.... Yeah me!!!  I chose to complete the flat top casket configuration before the JA double casket simply due to the slightly simpler form.  This casket will be covered with 'whitework', the effect will reveal the purple silk beneath.  Stitching will begin after the JA casket is finished, hopefully late next year...Whitework is a very untraditional form of finishing, but consider the profuse media used to cover caskets centuries in the past e.g. beadwork, stumpwork, tent stitch executed on linen, wrapped card and satin stitch over a silk satin foundation, this design will fit the bill wonderfully...Well... here it is..

The flat top casket interior is finished in the same purple silk and has abundant space, which is taken up by drawers in the double casket configuration. This is precisely why one casket is not enough.... ha ha.  Note, the silver embossed edging matches the hardware and the purple Holbart archival paper does too!!!

This is a view of the bottom of the casket and tray insert.  I was determined to cover the tray with matching silk velvet.  Luckily there was enough clearance between the flat top casket base and tray to accommodate this which was so exciting to discover....Thank you, Tricia and Richard...Love it!!!

Now, let's take a peek inside....Still deciding on ribbons, but the shells will all be pincushions, their colors match magically... Far left, there is a velvet lined cubby which is the perfect size for my JA ink bottle.  Next is a second cubby filled with needles and thread winders, lidded by a velvet pillow.  Note the mother-of-pearl bee button.... and a second pincushion pillow which when removed.....

A secret compartment is revealed beneath....So much fun, now on to finishing the JA double casket...