I had managed to get a few silkworm cocoons a few years back (fortunately) and did not manage to click pictures of the moth that popped out of it (unfortunately). Well these were all discarded cocoons from a silk factory and most of the cocoons were already empty i.e: the little white moth had already popped out. When a few had come out of the little case I didn’t bother to disturb their freedom (as I was a little busy myself) and didn’t wan’t to hurt the little creatures (I was too scared to touch them). So I let them lead their peaceful life (in the balcony and in the midst of a few plants where I had left out the cocoons) until they hopped away or were probably eaten by predators (a normal cycle of life). So all this was to say that I absolutely did no harm- no interference and no torture from my side. I finally got my hands on the cocoons once the little white moths were done away with it. And that’s when I thought of making something nice out of the empty silkworm cocoons.
A small dash of color to a little gift from nature is all that you will find in this post.
WHAT IS A COCOON?
A cocoon is the covering of silky threads that the larvae of moths and other insects make for themselves before they grow into adults. The silkworms make these cocoons for themselves to live in. This is where they change into moths. A silkworm is the young one of a Chinese moth and it produces silk.
Cocoons also have a beautiful significance with reference to Easter. The Metamorphosis of a chrysalis to a beautiful moth or butterfly and the fact that it emerges out at the right time completely transformed is a concept that has been written in a hymn titled the “Hymn of Promise”.
CATEGORY:
DIFFICULTY LEVEL: Hard
AGE GROUP: 8 yrs and above (Parental Guidance advised)
MATERIALS REQUIRED:
The following products are required for this DIY. You can click over these names to know more about the products.
I made a few miniature pieces out of these cocoons and converted those to fridge magnets.
COCOON FACE MAGNETS:
I started off by cleaning the surface of the cocoon after which I pasted the magnet on one side. Then I used poster color for the entire cocoon and acrylic colors to accentuate facial features such as the eyes. Different colored papers were used for the beaks and other features.
COCOON NEST MAGNETS:
I followed the same initial cleaning steps as the previous one. I then painted all the cocoons brown with poster colours. Then I worked with air dry clay for a base, birds, leaves and flowers and painted these with acrylic paints. I assembled all of these together using craft glue.
CAUTION:
- For longevity you can varnish these pieces.
- Recommended usage of the products by children under parental guidance.
Aren’t these cocoon minatures lovely? Would you give these a try? If yes, do let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.
SHANTHA PRABHU-ARTIST 