Handmade burial vessels of
willow, wool and wood

Handmade Burial Vessels

Nestled in the Appalachian Mountains near Asheville, North Carolina, Moss and Thistle Farm embraces the beauty of nature while crafting sustainable and biodegradable caskets, burial trays and shrouds. Led by the skilled hands of Sarah Lasswell, willow grower and casket maker, our burial vessels and shrouds are meticulously handcrafted with Appalachian-grown willow, unfinished pine and poplar, hemp, cotton, linen and wool. Our farm follows organic and permaculture practices, ensuring that each casket we create leaves a gentle footprint on the earth.

Welcome to Moss & Thistle Farm

We are so glad you are here

Welcome to Moss and Thistle Farm, a haven of artistry, compassion, and reverence. Led by the skilled hands and compassionate heart of Sarah Lasswell, our farm is dedicated to crafting bespoke natural caskets, burial trays and shrouds that honor lives and legacies. At Moss and Thistle Farm, we understand that farewells are deeply personal journeys, and we strive to create meaningful experiences that transcend the ordinary. Through our artful craftsmanship, heartfelt collaboration, and a profound connection to nature, we invite you to embark on a transformative process that celebrates the beauty of life and nature. Step into a world where willow weaves eternal bonds, and memories are cradled with the utmost care - welcome to Moss and Thistle Farm.

MORE ABOUT ME

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The days we spent weaving my casket on the farm were full of laughter and tears and such profound peace. I will forever be thankful for this experience.

-John Cater

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Working Together

When you work with a local casket maker, you have the opportunity to be more closely involved with the burial vessel you are choosing for yourself or your loved one. When you call our farm, you will talk directly with us, and we will do our best to answer all of your questions and walk you through each step of the process. Working together can take many forms, from interactions that are entirely over the phone, to hands-on participation in the creation of the vessel yourself. Clients might--

Make design choices including handle styles, lid closures, and color palettes...

Visit the farm, shake the hands that made the vessel, visit the workshops, walk in the willow...

Provide special personal fabrics or select meaningful elements or colors to incorporate into the interior of a casket or shroud...

Provide special plants or other natural materials to be woven into a casket or burial tray...

Join us side-by-side in the creation of the vessel...

Get in Touch to Share Your Ideas

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What can I even say? It’s OPRAH!!! A million thanks to @alixstrauss for sharing her casket weaving experience with such honesty and humor, and to @oprahdaily for putting it out into the world.
The green burial movement is gaining momentum, but still most people in this country have no idea that it is even an option. Share Share Share!
#greenburial #handmade #willow #appalachiangrown #willowcasket #weavingtogether #womenwhofarm #womenownedbusiness #womencelebratingwomen #oprah #didthisjusthappen

This willow casket and burial tray went out over the mountains last week to Jasper, GA, where I had the joy of seeing them set up in the casket display room at Roper Funeral Home, side-by-side with the formal, conventional caskets. Being a dork I asked to take a picture, like a proud mama sending her babies off on the first day of school😂. This funeral home is working closely with a new conservation cemetery in North Georgia, @pottsmountainburialgrounds, that has made a commitment to prioritizing locally-made caskets and shrouds. So thankful for the funeral homes and green cemeteries that not only work so hard serving their communities, but also help support local makers like me. Photo by @vodoc_xeno
#greenburial #naturalburial #conservation #sustainability #willowcasket #willowbasketry #handwoven #salix #appalachia #appalachiangrown #supportlocal #smallbusiness #smallbusinesseshelpingsmallbusinesses

Another River Tray heading into the world , back into the earth.
#naturalburial #willowcasket #carrier #shroud #basketsthatmatter #family #winter #appalachia #appalachiangrown #wncstrong #handwoven #madewithlove

An absolute honor and delight to have members of the New York City Threshold Choir sing as we wove the final rounds of willow on Alix’s casket lid. Threshold Choirs sing songs of comfort to people at the end of life, bringing solace and beauty to the dying, and to those caring for them. Humanness at its finest. Thank you, thank you, to these beautiful souls, both the lovely ladies captured here, and to all the Threshold Choirs around the world—https://thresholdchoir.org/ @thresholdchoir @alixstrauss
#thresholdchoir #thresholdchoirnyc #willowcasket #willowweaving #weavingtogether #womensinging #newyorkcity #choir #comfort #gratitude

In a world of quick phone photos, what a joy and honor to have @tlagrega join us with his film and video cameras as we wove in Central Park. This is my favorite picture of @alixstrauss and me weaving her casket together. These photos feel like that day—complex and beautiful. Thank you Thomas for your time and talent and generosity!
#willowcasket #willowcoffinweaving #centralparknyc #newyorktraffic #uppereastside #waitforthebook #nostalgia #filmphotography

A lovely woman took this video of me weaving in Central Park and sent it to me later that day. Thank you @pklaviniadesigns_ for sharing a moment with us♥️
#centralparkmoments #newyorkcitylife #handwoven #womenwhocreate #willowcasket #naturalburial #communitygrief #weavingtogether #willow #gratitude #fallleaves

Part 2, weaving a casket in Central Park, fall leaves, blue skies. Alix has lived her entire life in the vicinity of the Park, and it felt like the obvious thing to do—weave part of her casket here, surrounded by this city. People stopped to chat and ask questions—including a man who had buried his mother in a willow casket woven by my teacher @fraserbaskets. Just before turning down the border, we wove in a twig found nearby, in honor of a day and a life and a place. Getting a casket to and from the park, on foot, through the streets of NYC, was…also special😂. But so worth it!

#willowcasket #willowcoffinweaving #willowwork #centralpark #centralparkfoliagewatch #centralparkview #newyorkcity #newyorkcityliving #naturalburial #alixstrauss #mossandthistlefarm #womenwhocreate #handwoven

Appalachia in the city Part 1! Spent an amazing week in New York City weaving this casket with author @alixstrauss as part of her forthcoming book project. I’ve long wanted to bring casket weaving into the home/space of a client, watch it take form within their world and amongst things familiar to them. It was no small feat prepping the materials and getting them from post-hurricane WNC to a high rise apartment in the heart of NYC, and often surreal seeing a willow casket take form within the shimmer and shine of Alix’s world. So grateful to partner with another adventurous spirit, willing to push the boundaries and take on challenge! On our second day of weaving we ventured into Central Park to weave outside, surrounded by the city-stay tuned for Part 2 🍁

#willowcasket #wovencasket #newyorkcity #newyorkcitylife #diycasket #streetsofnewyork #willow #apartmentlife #alixstrauss #mossandthistlefarm

The delicate survived and the mighty have fallen. Both extremes are hard to comprehend. That and the brilliant sunshine and blue skies that have been out every day since the storm. You can see a human and a goat next to the downed oak trees for scale. Magnificent trees, some pushed right over and others basically exploded. But the wild rose petals? Still holding up the butterflies.
#afterthestorm #neverlessshepersisted #helene #appalachia #wncmountains #wildrose #fallenoak

Quick video of our pasture after Helene’s rains calmed down. Thank you to all who checked in on us, and those who sent help in all forms. Our humans and animals and house are fine, but so many in WNC are not. So much loss. Thanks to a borrowed generator we could run our well pump and wifi periodically, and with a gas grill and thawing freezer we fed a rotating mash-up of friends, family, and neighbors each day. 10 miles down the road Chimney Rock Village is gone; a friend’s sheep are gone; a friend is gone. And all around we resilient human creatures are working, working, working. Holding loss and hope, one in each hand.
Thanks @vodocxeno for the video ♥️#hurricanehelene #wnc #appalachia #gratitude

So much joy infused into this one! A cherry wood lid board and adorable cherry print fabric to honor a family name and a beautiful vibrant soul. We worked over the phone for months putting together the details, and met up under the trees to hand it over with laughter and tears. I meet the most incredible people doing this work. To say it is an honor no longer seems to cut it. Thank you dear B for everything 🍒♥️🍒! (Shared with permission)

Jim’s casket. We have worked together on each step, sourcing the willow from the landscapes where he has lived his life, a center board of his favorite curly maple, a carving of the Buddhist infinity symbol by @elementalfoxcrafts on a piece of maple the Jim hand finished himself. A rope of cordage by our friend @rhombushouse from iris leaves gathered in his garden, that he and I wove into the lid together on a day out here at the farm. Yesterday it travelled at last to its new home at the foot of his bed, a mattress of cedar shavings inside creating a fragrant storage chest for blankets. And some day it will hold his body and return him to the earth, a familiar, beautiful, well-loved vessel for his familiar, beautiful, well-loved vessel.
#weavingtogether #momentomori #willowcasket #naturalburial #conservationburial #greenburial #carolinamemorialsanctuary #willow #willowcoffin #sustainability #communitycare #naturaldeathcare #communitydeathcare #cedarchest #irisgardener #appalachiangrown #wncmountains #womenownedbusiness #womenwhofarm #handwoven #willowbasketry #infinity #sophiacenterforlifestudies

Pitching a kittens-and-caskets coffee table book, who is in? Swipe for disgruntled kitten outtake.

A jumble of burial vessels—a burial tray and two regular caskets-after being set up for a farm tour with a group of students from Warren Wilson college last month. It was a joy to host @mallorymcduff1 ‘s class and get an infusion of hope for our future.

Each one is a little bit different and each one is my favorite ❤️. This one has been lovingly bundled up and is headed south and then north with a beautiful family. I’m so incredibly grateful to the folks that support this sacred work and make it all possible, and everyone that comes out to the farm to meet us and be part of what we are building.
#gratitude #love #willowcasket #natural burial #sustainable #handmade #appalachiangrown #supportlocal #conservation #family #wncmountains #handwoven #womenwhofarm #diy #salix #willow #willowbasketry

Jay’s River burial tray, in progress and complete. Rose started her preparations out of necessity, but as her partner Jay watched her process unfold he decided to join her, and together they planned their River Trays. Jay wanted reds and browns in his willow, and to have it completed when they arrived, while Rose opted for greys and greens, and to join me in the weaving….
#willowcasket #willowcoffin #naturalburial #greenburial #burialtray #sustainability #willow #handmade #handwoven #shroud #diycasket #weavingtogether #endoflifeplan #appalachia #basketweaver #wncmountains #workshop #womanownedandoperated #farmlife

Weaving with Rose, captured by @vodoc_xeno.
This story of Roses’s river burial tray will incubate in my heart a while longer before I can share it, but the photos are too beautiful to keep hidden! She timed her visit for the dogwood blossoms, which are just now opening here in the Appalachian foothills, and will forever remind me of her. Missing you already dear friend! 🌺🌸🌺🌸🌺
#weavingtogether #willowcasket #communitydeathcare #naturalburial #rose #hands #willow #burialtray #shroud #forever #soulmother #elders #thegrandmothers
#sustainability #appalachianfoothills #diycasket #womentogether

Butterflies and bees in the flowering quince🌺
#pollinators🐝 #flowerfarm #wncmountains #spring #floweringquince #womenwhofarm #sustainableagriculture #appalachiangrown #butterfly #bee #garden

As promised, the joy♥️. U chose and gathered her future death doulas while she is still strong and healthy, with the vision that we can all gather and prepare over time. Our first gathering was the weaving of her burial tray, and these photos are from the first day, weaving the willow base. We had someone from each decade of life, from a baby in the womb and a 3 year-old, to a grandmother in what turned out to be her final months earthside. There was laughing and crying and singing and napping. I thought many times about how when the day comes to nestle U in the soil and say goodbye, we might look at her basket and it will feel familiar and that will bring comfort.
This work (this life) is often the experience of holding two seemingly different feelings at the same time, one in each hand. They don’t balance or reduce each other but feel distinct and equally strong. Love and anger. Joy and fear. Grief and hope.
#makeyourowncasket #joy #grief #willowcasket #alternativedeathcare #communitycare #communitydeathcare #naturalburial #conservationcemetery #willowcasket #greenburial #burialtray #shroud #multigenerational #deathdoula #deathdoulas #appalachia #appalachiangrown #sustainable #womanowned #strength #kidsanddeath #talktokidsaboutdeath

U weaving her burial tray♥️. This photo is the only one of her alone, for in reality the screened porch was full of her dear friends, who gathered for the week to join her in both weaving her tray and making plans for her final days and burial. It is also a rare capture of serious expression, because most of the days were full of laughter and joyful tears, and singing, and toasting with her favorite brandy. Those photos will follow! But this one I love, because it captures the seriousness and the sacred that ran underneath, her dedication to every detail—the curve of the basket, the twining of the handles, the contrast between wood and willow colors. Her artist’s eye and her fierce brave heart.
Today she is out swimming in the ocean in Thailand, her burial tray hanging @the_gallery_at_morning_star so others can share in her journey, and I’m thinking about the bravery it takes to fully live.

#communitydeathcare #naturalburial #willowcasket #shroud #burialtray #greenburial #endoflifeplan #funeralplans #deathdoula #homefuneral #fivewishes #carolinamemorialsanctuary #circleoflove #handmade #handwoven #wheniamanoldwoman #facingfear #wncmountains #mossandthistlefarm #handmadecasket

Goodnight casket, goodnight willow, goodnight sparkly lights, goodnight workshop.
#womenswork #handmadewithlove #willowcasket, #willowcoffin #naturalburial #sustainability #willow #appalachia #wncmountains #workshop #throughthewindow #sunsetreflection

A peak inside, under the 🌈.
#willowcasket #willowcoffin #naturalburial #greenburial #handmade #handwoven #handsewn #salix #homeburial #homefuneral #appalachiangrown #wncmountains

Hi! I’m Thorin and I’m beautiful♥️
#greatpyrenees #livestockguardiandog #rescuedog #thorinoakenshield #farmlife #farmdog

Heading out to Bluestem Conservation Cemetery on a misty February morning. The lid has a border woven with freshly harvested willow cut from our field, the brighter colors remind me of a rainbow 🌈 . I didn’t get to meet the person who will be carried into the earth in it, but his family shared a little bit about him and his love of nature and work as a champion for the environment, and as I was weaving I found myself wanting to tell him all about the willow and how it’s grown, the sustainability and beauty of this amazing plant. Feeling deep gratitude for folks like him and all the volunteers out at Bluestem today, hands in the dirt, making a better way.
#willowcasket #greenburial #sustainability #environment #conservation #earthlove #naturalburial #conservationburial #willow #salix #handmade #handwoven #bluestem #durham #sustainablebusiness #appalachiangrown #greenfootprint #loveyourmother🌎

Caskets large and small, and “the river”burial tray to be paired with a shroud.
#willowcasket #willowcoffin #naturalburial #greenburial #sustainable #willow #handwoven #appalachiangrown #madeinnc #womeninbusiness #handmade #basketry

Beams of light coming into the sewing room on a cloudy day….
#willowcasket #sewingroom #workshop #willowbasketweaving #naturalburial #casketmaker #handmade #madewothlove #appalachiangrown #appalachia #wnc

Meet Badger. Our status as foster family lasted about a day. Maybe less.
#hefollowedmehome #canwekeephim #fosterkittenlove #mykittennow

Farm tour Sunday December 10th!! People-first tourism has helped organize an event here at Moss & Thistle—come learn about how we control kudzu with goats, and taste kudzu-blossom ice cream made by our dairy farm neighbors at C-Saw Hill. We’ll check out before/after scenarios, talk about kudzu growth and eradication, meet the goats and more! Tickets are on the People-First website, link in bio. #kudzu #kudzuremoval #goats #kudzuicecream #agrotourism #farmtour #rutherfordcounty #supportlocal #knowyourfarmer #localdairy #lakelure #wncmountains

Friday night lights—if you need me I’m weaving caskets with my kitten.
#getdowntonight #wildnights #willowcasket #workshop #wherewomenwork #handwoven #farmlife #willowbasketweaving #weaversofinstagram #fridaynightlights

To be cared for by loving familiar hands, wrapped in a soft quilt, nestled in a handwoven basket, and returned to the earth—YES. Yes it’s legal, yes it’s possible, yes we can do it.
Just got back from a beautiful workshop organized by The Sophia Center for Life Studies @sophia_center_ , supporting a community group in Louisville interested in forming a deathcare circle, to tend each other through transition and burial. Which is also a way to tend each other through living. For those that are called—let’s go.
#homefuneral #greenburial #wholistic #sustainable #deathcare #willowcasket #burialtray #shroud #burymeintheforest #alternativedeathcare #chosenfamily

Visit the farm! Drive the bus! Meet the pigeon! Guest housing on the Bus of Yes coming in 2024♥️
Photos by @vodoc_xeno
#pigeon #schoolbus #yes #internationalbus #doitscared #friendship #schoolie

September sunshine and green, green grass in the Blue Ridge Mountains🍀🌲🌿 🌞🌳🪲
#greenburial #willowcasket #willowcoffin #appalachia #blueridgemountains #naturalburial #handwoven #willow #orchard #conservation #sustainability #takemehome #orchard #naturaldeathcare

The River Burial Tray, and a view from the cabin at Snaggy Mountain. Available with hand-sewn shroud in felted wool or heavyweight linen, or to pair with a homemade shroud, maybe a family quilt…

#nofilter #greenburial #willowcasket #shroud #naturaldeathcare #burialtray #willow #biodegradeable #sustainable #handwoven #wovenwillow #wnc #wncmountains #appalachia #appalachianmountains #snaggymountain #burnsvillenc

Clover, Cornel, Hazel, Dandelion, Juniper and Willow
#goatlove #goatlife #wncmountains #goatsofinstagram #goatsarefamily #moregoatsplease

#willow #salix #womenwhofarm #appalachiangrown #willowcasket #willowcoffin #naturalburial #greenburial #handmade #handwoven #supportlocal #knowyourfarmer #conservationburial #conservation #sustainable #sustainability #madeinnc #wncmountains #asheville #sacredwork

Weaving a willow burial tray (moving backwards in time)…
These trays (also called carriers) are designed to hold a shrouded body, for transport and burial. We make shrouds in cotton, linen or creamy felted wool, and after wrapping, the body is placed in the carrier. Unlike a casket, there is no lid. This combination pairs the simplicity of shrouding with the support and security of a vessel. I finished this willow tray a couple days ago, and am now sewing a rustic heavyweight linen shroud to go with it. I’m also preparing materials for a tray-weaving workshop in Denver next month, info coming soon!
#greenburial #sustainability #handmade #willow #willowcasket #willowcoffin #process #burialtray #shroud #naturalburial #conservation #burial #handwoven #supportlocal

Many ask if it’s hard to put these caskets in the ground after putting in so much time and care, and really it’s the opposite—I can’t think of a greater honor than to have my work chosen to carry someone’s body home into the earth. But I’m glad to know that this one will also spend time, likely many years, as a storage basket, soaking up even more memories.

#willow #salix #womenwhofarm #sustainability #multiuse #reuse #appalachiangrown #willowcasket #willowcoffin #naturalburial #greenburial #handmade #handwoven #supportlocal

Iris leaf cordage dyed blueberry-blue. Jim harvested the spent leaves from his iris garden last year, and our talented apprentice @rhombushouse turned it into cordage perfection. He chose the dye color in honor of his home state of Maine, and together we wove it into the lid of his casket. He got the gorgeous piece of maple for the center board from a local craftsman he works with, and @vodoc_xeno prepped it and will give its final sanding now that the weaving is done. A few more personal touches to come. Labor of love indeed, and many hands make sacred work…

#willowcasket #sacredwork #womenwhofarm #willowcoffin #appalachiangrown #funeraryartisanscollective #naturalburial #greenburial #handmade #handwoven #supportlocal #iris #iriscordage #cordage #maple #knowyourfarmer #madeinnc #carolinamemorialsanctuary

The blueberry blush of one of my favorite willow varieties💙Weaving this casket lid indoors to escape the heat today, and smiling remembering harvesting and sorting this variety with Abbie @appalachianwillowsandbroom while practicing our frenchiest French accents: “Bleu. BLeu. bl-EU!”
#willow #salix #bleu #nofilter #womenwhofarm #appalachiangrown #willowcasket #willowcoffin #naturalburial #greenburial #handmade #handwoven #supportlocal #knowyourfarmer

A couple months ago I had the absolute treat of being interviewed for the Handweavers Guild of America’s Textiles & Tea program. We covered willow growing, casket weaving, green burial, and so much more—Kathy asked the best questions! You Tube link in bio!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BQsmKXMEHVY&t=1799s&pp=ygUSaGdhIHNhcmFoIGxhc3N3ZWxs
#HGA #textilesandtea #willow #willowcasket #handwoven #womenwhofarm #appalachiangrown

Weaving with Isabella on a Sunday afternoon (captured by @vodoc_xeno)
#pigeon #pigeonsofinstagram #workshop #willowcasket #willowcoffin #handmade #greenburial #naturalburial #handwoven #sundaybest

Another willow carrier, with a well-worn cotton quilt.
#willowcasket #greenburial #shroud #naturalburial #handmade #appalachiangrown #wncmountains #sustainability

Open-top willow carrier paired with a white felted wool shroud. Woven by her hands and those of women who love her♥️
#willowcasket #shroud #wool #willow #greenburial #naturalburial #conservationburial #madewithlove #handwoven #women #wncmountains #appalachia #nofilter

Miss Mafo’s peony….we were incredibly lucky to be chosen by the Laughter family to be the next to tend this land and call the house that they built home. This peony was planted by Mrs. Laughter and always blooms at Mother’s Day. I usually make a bouquet for her daughter with the blooms, and when possible she comes to the farm for a Mother’s Day visit. This Sunday we got to do both! I love our “porch time” together, and hearing stories about her mom and life growing up here on the farm. Grateful to be the current human blip traipsing these ancient mountains, and concious that not all who have lived here left willingly, and that these hills hold heartbreak and bloodshed along with beauty and love. Trying to hold it all, with both hands.
#appalachianmountains #land #remember #mothersday #peony #heirloomflowers #thelandremembers

After a long pause after the HGA talk in March (soon to be on You Tube!), and travels to dear friends in April, I nestled back in to finish the lid on Jim’s casket. People often ask how long it takes me to make one—and while if working steadily it can be done in a week, it often takes longer if there is no rush, especially if we are incorporating special personal elements. This one has been a year coming together, from traveling to get willow grown in his childhood state of Maine, to finishing a very special element in the lid. It is mostly hidden in this shot, so I’ll leave you in suspense until the next post, but hint, blueberry blue💙💙💙💙
#willowcasket #willowcoffin #greenburial #naturalburial #maine #memories #weavingtogether #madewithlove #custommade #madeinnc #handwoven #hga #appalachiangrown #salix #willow #supportlocal #funeraryartisanscollective #womenownedbusiness #womenwhofarm

Posted @withregram • @instahga 🫖 Put the kettle on! Join HGA and willow
casket weaver Sarah Lasswell for Textiles & Tea this
Tuesday, March 28, at 4 pm ET. Generously sponsored
by the Handweavers Guild of Nashville. Watch on
Facebook or Zoom.

Register for this or future episodes at
WeaveSpinDye.org > Member Programs >Textiles &
Tea.

About Sarah:
www.mossandthistlefarm.com/willow-coffins
Sarah Lasswell is a willow casket weaver in the
Appalachian foothills of North Carolina. She started
growing willow on her farm in 2018 and learned to
weave caskets from Mary Lauren Fraser in Vermont in
2020. The sustainability of willow, paired with a
regional cottage industry that connects small family
farms, artisan producers and natural burial grounds,
has resulted in beautiful community partnerships and
support for the growing green burial movement. She
welcomes clients to join her in the weaving of their own
or their loved one’s casket, and finds that the
opportunity to participate in such a hands-on way offers
a beautiful and healing experience.

Register for this or future episodes at
WeaveSpinDye.org > Member Programs >Textiles &
Tea.

#HandweaversGuildOfAmerica #Handweavers
#Handweaving #TextilesTea #TextilesAndTea #FiberArt
#mossandthistlefarm

Night weaving, deserves a quiet night… post 3 documenting progress on Jim’s casket—hemp rope handle are in, forming the curved sides.
#willowcasket
#rem #greenburial #naturalburial #casketmaker #handmade #handwoven #appalachiangrown #womanownedbusiness #sustainability #supportlocal

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