Wrapped in Values: Why I Made My Own Death Shroud

As a self-employed person, I've been very aware, since 1999, of what needs to be done to satisfy the taxes side of the death and taxes inevitability. It wasn't until the autumn of 2023, though, that I seriously started to think about what I wanted for the sometime-in-the-future death aspect. Coming to the realisation that I could plan my final farewell in accordance with my core values and have everything in place in advance of the inevitable event was incredibly empowering. To me, knowing the what, where, and why continues to soothe any anxiety around the uncertainty of when and how.

I initially thought I'd go with Co-op Funeral Services, as that's what a couple of family members had done, but I didn't feel particularly inspired by their website. It all felt a bit corporate and cold. So I widened my search to independent funeral directors. When I found Poppy's in Lambeth (https://www.poppysfunerals.co.uk), my eyes started leaking! This was the sign that I'd hit the nail on the head. They had a section on Green Burials and their whole ethos seemed to align more closely to my core values of creativity, autonomy, sustainability, and honesty than any other funeral directors within a reasonable distance that I could find.

I looked into the carbon footprint of cremation versus burial. The most sustainable option in the UK, at the time at least, came up as natural burial. Poppy's had a list of locations on their website which led me to Clayton Wood Natural Burial Ground in Hassocks. Visiting the site was a joy. I travelled down on the train in February 2024 and was met at the station by my lovely friend Lesley (https://lesleyburdett.com/), one of my Sussex chosen family. I already knew that I wanted a plot in one of the wild flower meadows at Clayton Wood, so Tess showed us round and told us what plots were still available. Within a couple of weeks, I'd paid for my very own little bit of Sussex real estate, knowing that I have a 50 year deadline to move in, else I'd need to pay for it again!

A few months later, I rode my bike over to Poppy's Funeral Directors in Lambeth to discuss things in more detail. Amy was brilliant, talking me through the options and completing the necessary paperwork. When we got to my choice of a cardboard coffin, Amy asked how tall I was, adding that the maximum length of a supine body when the feet are relaxed was 6 foot 2 inches. I measured myself when I got home and was half an inch too long! With my plan for a cardboard coffin scuppered, I looked at other options and then the idea hit me… I could make my own death shroud using some of the leather scraps that I generate from Jed Phoenix of London!

I checked the feasibility of this with both Amy from Poppy's and Tess from Clayton Wood. Both thought it was a great idea, but with the caveat that everything would need to be biodegradable. Using bonded nylon thread and Copydex glue to secure the leather offcuts onto a base fabric wasn't an option, so I had to use my normal flatbed sewing machine with a Teflon foot and standard thread and sew the leather scraps without gluing them down first. I also decided to make an organic cotton liner for the shroud - one that was printed with messages from people I knew. Putting a request out for these messages was quite daunting. Death is such an emotive topic and I didn't know what response I'd get. But people got it when I said that I have no intention of dying any time soon, but when I do, I wanted to be wrapped up in the words of those who knew and loved me. 

It took some time to compile all the messages and do the artwork for the shroud liner - the Inkscape file was pretty big! Within a few days of uploading the artwork to my regular UK based fabric printing company's website, it arrived in the post. It was quite emotional seeing it in real life! I cut the pieces of the shroud liner out and used them as the pattern for the base fabric for the patchwork leather sections. And, boy, did sewing the patchwork leather take time - well over 36 hours if that's all I did, I reckon! There were times when I thought that spending that much time making something that was going to end up 4 foot underground was a ridiculous thing to do, but there were also many moments of pure joy, knowing that I was creating such a special, meaningful and unique piece. It really was a meditation on life and death!

On 13th February 2026, just under two years since visiting Clayton Wood and choosing my natural burial plot, I finished tying the green jute rope that I got from fellow LAM trader Bear Bite Bondage (https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/BearBiteRope) to secure the front of my completed patchwork leather shroud with it's message-laden organic cotton liner. It now lives on the wall in my living room - a celebration of creativity, autonomy, sustainability and honesty and a reminder of the transient nature of everything.