Funeral Service Merchandising- Interior Materials and Styles Flashcards
This is highly visible and subject to scrutiny. It is highly probable that, aside from financial concerns, a family’s buying decision will be greatly influenced by this.
The Interior of the Casket
Depending on the specific style, this the the amount of textiles that may be used to complete the casket lining.
Anywhere from 12 to 15 Yards
- Crepe
- Velvet
- Satin
- Linen and linen weaves
- Twill weaves
- Muslin
- Silk
- Rayon
- Metallic cloth
- Taffeta
Most Commonly Employed Textiles
Made from the web of a silkworm, and is similar to satin in appearance. May be reproduced synthetically.
Silk
Made from celluose (cellulose is a fiber from the walls of cell plants).
Rayon
Any material which contains thin metal thread as part of the design.
Metallic Cloth
A crisp, shiney material with a smooth, plain texture.
Taffeta
A word derived from the Latin for “crisp.” A thin, crinkled cloth of silk, rayon, cotton, or wool.
- Most contemporary manufacturers use rayon or cotton/polyester blends
- Very commonly used in lining material
- Typically found in low-to mid-range caskets.
Crepe
A fabric of silk, cotton, and possibly rayon, with a nap.
- Found mainly in mid-to upper-range caskets
- Two main types historically- dull-pile and transparent.
- Several manufacturers are using this made from rayon (appearance of dull-pile) and offers the advantage of being highly wrinkle resistant.
Velvet
A plush, downy, soft surface texture.
Nap
Fairly thick, has a dull of matte appearance, and is relatively expensive.
Dull-Pile Velvet
Light in weight, has a slight sheen, and is slightly transparent.
Transparent Velvet
Fabric woven to create a smooth, lustrous face and dull back, and can be made from silk, nylon, rayon, or polyester.
- Common a few decades ago, quite rare today
- Most often seen in caskets of lesser quality
Satin
A fabric made from flax; noted for its strength, coolness, and luster.
- A crisp textile, and has a distinctive woven appearance.
Linen
An herb, a member of the Linaceae family. Its fibers and seeds are used in textile and food production, and the production of linseed oil and linoleum flooring.
- Humans utilized this in the form of linen for over 7,000 years (Ancient Egyptians use of linen wrappings in the preparation of the dead).
Flax
Woven to look like linen and used as a casket lining material.
- More common than genuine linen textile
Linen Weave
A textile weave in which threads are crossed over one another to give an appearance of diagonal lines in the finished product.
- Can be made from a number of raw materials
- Usually seen in lower-priced caskets
Twill Weave
A very basic, plain-woven cotton fabric.
- Most frequently used in the lining of Orthodox Jewish casket or “aaron” and for making burial shrouds.
Muslin
The textiles used to line caskets relies heavily on these in order affect their intended style. Without them, the casket interior would lack from and definition. Frequently used materials:
- Cardboard
- Plastic
- Masselin
- Excelsior
- Cotton
- Kapok
- Wool batting
- Sisal (Hemp)
- Other synthetic textiles
Backing and Padding Materials
Those which literally back the casket lining, giving it body and support, and include cardboard, masselin, and plastic.
Backing Materials
Cotton-like in appearance. This material is also used as the flotation device in life-belts. It is made from the fiber of the Ceiba tree which grows in the country of Malaysia.
Kapok
Thin pressed sheets of wool.
Wool Batting
Thin rope-like fiber, sometimes called “horse hair.”
Sisal (Hemp)
Frequently used as backing materials helping to form the cove or roll and cap panels.
Cardboard and Thermofromed Plastics
Pressed paper in sheet form; it supports the lining materials, particularly in the areas of the hinge cover and body lining, and in some cases, helps conceal the transparency of some lower grade fabrics.
Masselin
Being used as a backing material more frequently today.
Polyester Batting
Include excelsior, cotton, polyethylene foam, and spun polyester. They are found in areas where the deceased or purchasing consumer is likely to touch: the bed, pillow, throw, and sometimes the extendover and puffing.
Padding Materials
Wood that has been shredded into spaghetti-like strings.
Excelsior (Wood Wool)
Commonly used as padding materials in lower-end caskets.
- Cost effective and could be seen as advantageous in that they readily absorb stray fluids.
- Low resiliency and lack of softness
Sherdded Paper and Excelsior (Wood Wool)
Very soft and has long been used as a padding material in caskets. Highly absorbent.
Cotton
Polyethylene (closed-cell) foram and spun polyester.
Synthetic Materials
Can be formed in sheets of varying thickness.
- Very clean
- Highly resilient
- Easy to work with
- Cost-effective
- Resistant to a wide range of solvents
Polyethylene
Resembles cotton candy.
- Very clean
- Highly resilient
- Easy to work with
- Cost-effective
- Resistant to a wide range of solvents
Spun Polyester
- Shirred
- Crushed
- Tufted
- Tailored
- Semi-tailored
Interior Styles
A style in which the material is drawn or gathered in a parallel fashion in a multiple needle head sewing process.
- Frequently found in low-to mid-range caskets
Shirred
Closely akin to the method used to obtain a crushed interior. This is a variation of the Shirred interior.
Heat Shirred
A form of casket interior created by placing the lining material on a metal form, weights added, the material steamed, and then attached to a suitable upholstery (backing) material.
Crushed Interior
Created by placing a padding material between a lining material and a backing material, with subsequent stiches taken forming small, raised puffs.
- Usually applied to the better mid- and upper-range caskets.
- Variations- Carriage and Buscuit
Tufted Interior
Tufting resembling a diamond-like pattern.
Carriage Tufting (Buggy Tufting)
Resembles rows of squares.
Biscuit Tufting
A tightly drawn form of casket interior style.
- Difficult and somewhat costly to produce
- Appears plain, simple and dignified
- More expensive interior style
Tailored Interior
A combination of a tailored interior with one or more other styles of interior, for effect.
Semi-Tailored Interior
There exists no hard and fast rule regarding mixing and matching interior styles within the same unit.
- Throws and Pilows can be reversible when they have a different style applied to each side.
Many Caskets Will Incorporate 2 or more Different Interior Styles
A removeable and interchangeable item designed to fit into the casket’s cap panel; provides the opportunity for value-added personalization by allowing a family to replace the casket’s stock cap panel with a panel incorporating a theme or motif that reflects the deceased’s faith, occupation, or hobby.
- Design can be produced and delivered to the funeral home within 48 hours.
Specialty Head Panel (Specialty Cap Panel)
- Piping, fluting or pipe organ
- Cathedral
- Inset
- Other miscellaneous materials
Ways that the Interior Head Panel May be Decorated
The panel material is made into a vertical, or horizontal, hollow, tube-like design. May also be arranged into a “sunray” design.
Piping (Fluting, Pipe Organ)
A design which has a layered effect, using several layers of material.
Cathedral
A picture is used in the head panel. The Last Supper is often used for this.
Inset
Fringe, Drapes, and satin or velvet rope.
Other Miscellaneous Material
