Farewell In All Its Finery
Sydney Morning Herald
Wednesday October 17, 2007
More people are shunning the brown-box coffin, and choosing to go out in personal style.
After 10 years as a civil celebrant who conducted three or four funerals a month, Sylvia Johnson was struck by the number of business women who told her they did not want to be "buried in a brown box"."I was doing funerals for vibrant women who had gone before their time, and other women would say to me after the funeral, 'Oh Sylvia, I don't want to go out in one of those'," Johnson says.Her sister-in-law joined the chorus, telling Johnson that she was more than a brown box and requesting a bright-purple coffin tied in a huge pink bow when her time came.Johnson's initial response was to research funeral traditions in other countries. She found that 4000 years ago Norwegians put fabric over coffins to depict their tribe or territory, and that European royalty had always used beautiful fabrics for the standards that covered their coffins.In the United States, the well-established tradition of quilting had led to beautiful funeral blankets, while in Australia quilts had also become a way of remembering people who had died of AIDS.So in 2005, Johnson launched Funeral Finery, offering a range of beautiful quilts that could be delivered immediately and a custom-design service for people who were planning ahead for their funeral."Many people seek a funeral ceremony that speaks of them - it is extremely personal and rich in acknowledging their personality, passions and achievements," says Johnson, who finds that quilts or adornments also reduce the shock many people feel when they first see the coffin at a funeral.In one instance, a woman with a passion for pears had a quilt made from a magnificent Belgian fabric covered in large green, gold and bronze fruit. She had also found an eye-catching beaten copper bowl, and requested this be filled with pears and placed on her coffin so friends could take one as a memento."I don't want anyone mucking up my funeral - I'm in charge here," says 79-year-old Audrey Loughnan, who has already bought her funeral quilt and left instructions as to how it should be draped over her coffin.She has chosen a "gorgeous gold quilt, with very elaborate tassels hanging down each side", which she hopes her family will keep.No one has yet had their quilt buried or cremated with them. Most leave the quilt to their family, while some have it cut up and made into cushions for each of their children.Johnson sells the majority of quilts through her website but has found it difficult to break down barriers and beliefs in the funeral industry and community.Some funeral directors see the quilts as a threat, believing people may order a cheaper coffin if it is to be covered with a quilt, while organisations such as palliative care institutions don't want to promote anything they see as commercial.But Johnson believes there should be greater choice in funeral arrangements and hopes Australia will follow the UK trends, which allow bamboo, wicker and cardboard coffins, along with woodland burial sites for people who don't wish to be buried in a cemetery.And when her own time comes, what will adorn her coffin?Johnson, who was director of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival for 11 years, says it will have a food-and-wine theme. "The Magimix will probably go on top, with the Kenwood and one or 200 cookbooks."http://www.funeralfinery.com.
© 2007 Sydney Morning Herald
