simple tube container.

 If you have followed my blog since I started it 11 years ago, you may remember I have made these containers before, but a little smaller. 

This time I used a whole sheet of A4 card to make these twisted tubes.  Making them is easy and very quick.  They are a lot easier to make than it is to describe making them.

 I needed eight of them. Each tube needed to be big enough and strong enough to hold three to four teacup sized scoops of cremains.  

You may remember my dad died just before Covid arrived in the UK. We managed to get the funeral organized before the pandemic really took hold here. But because my dad lived about a 3 hour drive away from us, we've had to wait until now to be able to collect his ashes and set him free.   So everyone attending could take part in scattering his ashes, I made these twisted tubes, each one contained some ash. 

Here's how to make these containers.

Take an A4 sheet of card and gently roll the card into a tube, so the short sides overlap by about an inch. Glue the ends together securely. 

With the join in the middle, pinch and crease the sides. Flatten about 1 inch at the end of the tube.  see photo below.

I run a line of glue  along the inside edge of the tube about 1/4 of an inch in and  pressed the end of the tube together.  I  used a narrow rule and a perforating tool to run a line of perforations  just below the glued line.  These perforations will make the container easier to tear open and act as a guide during the tearing process.   The last thing I wanted was a bad tear and end up covered in the ashes of  my Dad.

This sealed edge is the TOP of the container. I will fill the container from the bottom.

I printed off a small memorial card for each tube and stapled it to the very top edge avoiding the perforations.  

With all the tubes made and with the bottoms left open, we made the 168 mile journey to the undertakers and collected Dad's ashes.  Hubby and I decanted some of the ashes into the containers in the hotel garden and sealed them ready for the scattering the next morning.

To seal the bottom of the tubes and form the twisted shape, I  pinched and creased the open sides starting on the join this time . On the sample,  I have marked the join with black arrows to help you see how the shape is formed.

 

 Arrow 1... the join is in the middle of the sealed top.

Arrow 2... is at the side of the bottom 

Time to fill the container and seal it with an unbroken line of glue. Just as I did at the top. 

Unfortunately eight of these were not enough to hold all the cremains. The urn was still half full. So I was left to scatter what was left in the urn.  We picked a beautiful spot that my Dad loved to set him free.

It was a long way up the hill, and I was afraid I wouldn't be able to get up to the top. Fortunately my dad's friend  owns an old Landrover and he drove us 3/4s of the way up the hill. We walked the rest of the way when the old Landrover overheated. That was a bumpy journey I won't forget in a hurry ha ha. We toasted my dad with some wonderful homemade damson gin, made by his friend. Then we all scattered the cremains and said our goodbyes.