The Gourd, The Bad and The Ugly Fruit

There has been considerable interest in the exciting possibilities of gourd craft for many years now. It is a recreational area which is coming back into fashion, in fact a number of specialist shops and viewing galleries have reopened in the “alternative, arty SW3” area of London in recent times.

There are many ways of preparing the delicate gourds for crafting purposes. The hardened gourds can be couched with Philodendron Sheaths, they can be decorated with lace, and slit weaving is often used to enhance their natural beauty. They can also be drilled or bored out with different tools. In fact a number of effective piercing techniques have been developed over time.

I have been interested in this type of stimulating, creative and immensely satisfying form of craftwork for many years now and many of my more inventive moments were triggered by an excellent book on the subject, which I can wholly recommend:-

The Complete book of Gourd Craft.
ISBN 0-937274-99-2
LARK BOOKS

Learn how to identify the major types of gourds used for crafting. Ever wondered how to prize open a slippery gourd?