How to Make a Grave Pillow or Blanket
American settlers began substituting the floral displays placed on loved one's graves back home with materials at their disposal. Handmade blankets or pillows of evergreens became a common way to decorate a winter grave. Over time, these decorative coverings were lovingly placed on graves year- round. Some are bought. Others are made. Custom craft one for someone you love to carry on this tradition.
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Things You'll Need
- Base
- Sketch
- Cemetery-approved materials
- Plastic sheeting
- Stapler
- Adhesive
- Hooks/nails
- Embellishments
Instructions
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Design a grave blanket or pillow layout on paper to get an idea of what your finished memorial will look like when it is complete. Draw up a list of materials needed to accomplish the task. Take your drawing to the cemetery in question. Show it to an administrator to make certain it meets the facility's current rules and regulations guide, which is published to maintain the decorum of this consecrated ground.
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Choose a substantive base material for your grave blanket or pillow---wood, chicken wire or plastic--per mandated site restrictions---to keep the covering from blowing away. Use flowers, greenery or silks to decorate the base, making sure you don't create a decoration that's so bulky and heavy you run into problems transporting the grave blanket to the site intact.
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Measure a length of base material---plan for a 5-foot long and 3.5-foot wide blanket as this popular size won't overwhelm the grave or look too skimpy covering the grave. Opt for a smaller base if you're making a pillow-style design. Cover the base with waterproof sheeting, if permitted, tacking it into place with a stapler.
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4
Super glue nails or hooks around the periphery of the grave blanket's base to install anchors for your evergreen garland. "Weave" garland back and forth between the two sides of the grave blanket base, using any wrapping technique you like to hide the base. Wrap the garland in concentric circles if you're creating a grave pillow so both sides are covered with the evergreen material.
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Choose grave blanket/pillow decorations that are in good taste, in addition to being seasonally appropriate: silk flowers, ribbons, holiday ornaments, pine cones, etc. Apply glue, fasten staples or use other adhesives to keep the decorations in place for the season so nothing comes loose and blows across the cemetery.
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Show up at the grave site on deadline to remove the grave blanket/pillow per the facility's regulations imposed to make certain grave blankets and pillows are removed after the decorative materials have deteriorated, faded or disintegrated. Bring home the unit, strip it down and recycle materials, saving the base for next year if you plan to honor your loved one again.
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Tips & Warnings
Making a grave covering for a military veteran? Check with the Veteran's Administration for décor recommendations after making certain the cemetery permits flags and other symbols of this nature.
References
- Photo Credit flowers at grave site image by toschphoto from Fotolia.com
