Fall is a good time for mushrooms. What is it about these life forms that captures the imagination? The way they grow so fast out of dead leaves and logs, their nature is plant-like, but they are distinctly not plants with their spongy flesh and delicate structures. I’ve always been intrigued by the magical fairy circles they form when they grow in rings.
Then there is the whole treasure-hunting aspect to finding them. I recently had the opportunity to go on a foraging expedition with James from Deep Forest Wild Edibles where we learned about their relationship with the trees they grow beneath. I made James a morel-shaped keychain as a thank-you gift and he declared it his new favorite thing.
In woodturning, the mushroom form is a fun and simple shape to make with a lot of opportunity for variation and embellishment. I’ve made some keychains and ornaments in the past in the standard mushroom form, but I have been wanting to make a morel that would include the recesses in the upper portion.
When a friend had a baby, I decided to make a rattle toy in the shape of a morel. Making the upper portion was a good opportunity to try out texturing with the use of a power carver. Using a ball tip on my power grinder and rotating the cuts created an irregular pattern to help achieve an organic look.
In an effort to ensure it wouldn’t be a choking hazard, I accidentally made it laughably large. Some simple sketching out of a design with measurements would have helped with this problem. From what I heard, the baby likes it anyway.
Wanting to revisit the morel form, I made the keychain for James, and then a few more to sell in the holiday markets. This time I added some white milk paint to the top ridges to make them look more realistic.
Mushroom enthusiasm became a pandemic hobby for many and I’ve been enjoying the excuse to make several of these while I explore variations in their color, texture and shape. I’m currently working on sets of acorns and mushroom ornaments to sell at my upcoming markets.
Upcoming markets:
December 2 from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at The Good Witch Coffee Bar in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY
December 9-10 from Noon to 4:00 p.m. at the HoliYAY Market in Station Square, Peekskill, NY
If you would like help with putting a gift together, reach out and I will handle selection, gift wrapping and shipping for you.
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