Gourd Inspiration!

How do you know what to turn that gourd into that has been waiting there for you?  Other than those you purchase with a specific purpose, you may have additional gourds that you want to use but do not know what to do with them.  One of the unique gourd characteristics can inspire you and give you hints on what to do.  Here is what gives me ideas on what to transform them into works of art or objects of whimsy. 
  There are many gourd varities, kettle, cannonball, penguin, banana, bottle, dipper, martin, canteen and many more.  First take into account the size and shape of the gourd.  Does that kettle gourd beg to be a bowl or maybe a drum?  Don't be afraid to tackle a new project; there are many YouTube videos put out there by other people so do not let that scare you.  How about that penguin gourd?  Does it look like it would make a good penguin or a whale, or fish, maybe even a scoop or dipper? When assessing what to make out of your gourd, look at it from different angles, straight up, on it's side, upside down.  What does the shape of the gourd resemble?  During this looking process, ideas will miraculously pop into your head, maybe even a few ideas!  I have one gourd that I purchased because it looks like the perfect goose straight up and a jumping porpoise upside down!  I am still contemplating which to turn it into ; )
Next, if you have a gourd and you know you want to make a vase, the patterns created on the gourd during the drying process, may be your inspiration.  Maybe the gourd has an interesting scar on it that can be incorporated into a design. One gourd I found and wanted to make into a vase, had concentric rings of varying shades on one side, as if it had dried sitting in a puddle of water.  These rings had the perfect oval shape of the gourd and it struck me to use those ring colors as a "cameo" to frame a wood burnt design. It turned out beautiful.
What about using that gourd along with OTHER gourds to make something!?  This can get quite fun if you decide to really get creative and put some together.  There are methods to connect gourds of which I will address in a future post, so do not think that you have to use just one gourd at a time.  Also, remember when you cut gourds, save your pieces as they could be perfect to make into small items such as gourd jewelry, or may come in handy as that perfect mushroom cap, or bird wing. 
In conclusion, look and listen to the subtle hints your gourds give you, be fearless and tackle that gourd project and get creative!  You never know.......you might just be a gourd artist! 

Getting your Gourd Clean and Craft Ready

I hope you have a dried gourd that is ready for you to start to craft with, but before we can begin it is important to clean your gourd.  As stated before, the gourd is quite ugly and in fact looks rotten when it is dried but we will be uncovering the beauty hiding beneath that ugly facade.  If you buy your gourds, many are available that are pre-cleaned and ready to go.  If you grow your own, you will need the following items as basic cleaning tools, bucket (large enough to put the gourd in) a wool scouring  pad, bleach, a small paring knife for scraping and rubber gloves to protect your hands from the steel wool. 
On a beautiful fall day, take your cleaning supplies outside as it is the best place to clean the exterior of your gourd and gives you plenty of fresh air!  Pour water into your bucket about half full, put about 1/4 cup bleach into the water.  The bleach will kill the mold spores on the gourd. Now, go ahead and plop your gourd into the water; it will float.  Some people like to place a weight ontop of the gourd to hold it underwater.  This is tricky and somewhat difficult to do unless you have a plate or a piece of wood smaller that the circumference of your bucket. You will also need something that provides enough weight to offset the natural buoyancy of the gourd.  I usually just give the gourd about a half hour soak and during this time spin it so that all sides get wet and soften the yuck. This will do for cleaning most gourds.  After the soak, put on your gloves and grab that scouring pad and go to it; scrub it, dunk it and scrub some more until all of the skin has been removed.  You may need the paring knife to scrape the stubborn spots or when cleaning tight spots near the stem or in tight curved areas.  If your gourd has a stem, do not remove it but you may need to lightly scrape it clean. 
Some gourds have a very stubborn waxy skin that seems to repel the water and refuses to soften.  In cases like this, I use the paring knife to scrape some of the waxy skin off in vertical strips as this allows the water to get underneath and soften the rest.  It will require additional soaking and scrubbing to get this completely cleaned off.
When you are done, you should see the smooth brown surface of the gourd which may have some darker spots due to the mold pattern created while your gourd was drying.  Some of these patterns can be quite beautiful and you may want to accentuate it when you do your crafting.  It may also have some blemishes from some bug that tried to get into the gourd and only left his mark....these also just add character. Now just leave your gourd outside on a table or bench to air dry.
Some crafters insist on further cleaning the gourd by lightly sanding the surface to take off bumps and blemishes, but this is not necessary.  These things are natural and only give character to your gourd as well as possibly being instrumental in lending interest to your creative process.
If you grew your own gourds, you will have a few or many, but it is best to clean the whole batch at one time so that they are ready for you when the inspiration hits you!  So get outside, enjoy the fresh air and the outdoors and get those gourds clean and ready for the fun to come.  Check back next week as I will be talking about ideas and inspiration! 

Here is one of my favorite links for some "audio" gourd inspiration......Gourds have a wide variety of uses.........I have attached a pic of my first gourd purse : )   Enjoy!             http://www.gourdorchestra.com

Front view

Inside/lined with mulberry paper

Back

Harvesting Your Gourds

It is so exciting to walk through your garden and see the new crop of gourds hiding under the now wilting vines and gourd leaves!  I have notice some surprises from my plantings this year; obviously the seeds that I planted were not genetically "pure" because I planted banana gourd seeds and what has grown is a blocky squash looking gourd.  But the fun is in the crafting and they will be craft worthy next year.  Next year you say?!  Yes, gourds need a year to dry and cure before you can use them. 
You cannot be too anxious in harvesting your gourds because the best way for them to dry is on the vine!  Leave them attached to the vine until the vines are dry and brown.  At this point, some of the gourds will drop on their own if they are trellised.  If they are on the ground, let them lay until winter as the weather will assist in the drying and the curing process.  The Amish gourd farmers do not harvest theirs until the following spring, so it does not do them any harm for them to stay outside.
Once your new gourd crop is collected, they need to be stored in an open crate or box for air circulation for them to dry well.  You can put them in a barn or shed to cure over winter.  I chose to leave my egg gourds outside and they dried nicely.  Now, during this curing time, the once beautiful looking gourds will become moldy and dirty looking.  Do not throw them out and assume they are rotten!  This is the natural curing process.  A gourd has a waxy skin on the outside that protects the gourd as it grows on the vine.  This waxy skin is what is disintegrating and the reason why it takes on such an appearance.  Underneath, your gourd is drying and getting harder so there is no need to worry.
  Once your gourds are dry, they may be prone to mice attacks; they enjoy the seeds, so you may have a few casualties in storage.  I have attached a few pics of my gourds and some mold patterns on the gourds, which can be quite interesting.  I hope you have a wonderful gourd crop this year and have some gourd surprises in your garden!

example of gourd mold

Egg gourd growing

My mutated banana gourds