Gorgeous object! I love the raw look of it. The scent of geranium and rose is just beautiful, subtle and sweet. The pale shade of it is delightful.

Though it appears that I cannot cut straight. My blocks are decidedly charming in shape. Cutting the soap is much like cutting cool butter or a mild cheese, and in fact I had to assure the children that they mustn’t sample it. All those bits, when cured, can be grated into the jar of homemade laundry powder.

Like my experiments in clay, I find the possibility of stamping patterns and text into soap quite entrancing. Pressing some of my antique silverware gave some beautiful shapes. I’d love to carve a stamp just for this purpose. Now I’ve wrapped the blocks in paper, and the soap needs to cure for a few weeks before we can use it. Joyful process! If you’d like to make your own soap, you can follow Sarah’s guide, available in the winter appleturnover quarterly. Sarah holds wonderful classes at Rowan Tree Studio in soapmaking and all kinds of handmade skills.

click the image to see a larger version.

read more stories about handcrafted things.