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Do I have too much time on my hands.....?

witsendwv

Active Member
Time of past OR future Camino
(2015)
...or does anyone else make their own shells. I have seen lovely handmade credentials, but not so many shells. I got the idea from Liz Brandt two years ago when we walked the Camino Primitivo. She posted her shells and I made similar ones that were beige with red stiches. This past week I have been working on shells for the end of the month. (My pack is not full and the laundry is not done, but I am sewing.) They are Flecha yellow and Camino blue. The front says Camino Portugues and A Guarda, Galicia. The back of one has an arrow with Ultreia and the other Et Suseia. As I said, I must have too much time on my hands, and a sewing machine that is smarter than me. We will be starting our walk on Nov. 24.
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
My sister and I walked together in 2016. Our shells were from a collection we found 40 years ago on a family trip to the coast. I drilled the holes by hand with a Swiss Army knife and threaded a ribbon through each. The ribbon came from a gift my sister gave me and Bears the name of a much loved Australian designer. My shell has seen two Caminos!
 

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I know! So beautiful. That was the first time I saw the them too. I didntnitice them in 2016 otherwise I would've bought one!
 
My shell is quite small. I picked it up on the beach in the Sultanate of Oman, in the middle east, shortly before we finally returned home after nearly a decade living there. It went with me on all 5 of my Spanish caminos. This summer, I walked my first French camino, starting in Le Puy. I had put my shell in my carry on bag for safety, but when I got it out in the evening, ready for the start the next day, it was broken at the top. Not sure if it was trying to tell me something.....
 
I bought this decorated shell in Santiago this year. It may go on my backpack for my next Camino.
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If you want to have a try yourself here are some guidance pamphlets. Once you know the secret it's quite simple but getting a smooth, parallel set of lines takes patience.
Apparently the secret of how these were drawn was a mystery for years until somebody found an uncompleted one and noticed the the matrix of dots around which the lines are drawn.
Enjoy!
 

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A selection of Camino Jewellery
The shell I use on my backpack is a smaller size (weighs less 😉). It is from trips we've made to warmer shores in winter and it's been with me the 4 times I've walked caminos.
While waiting at the airport gate in Chicago for my Madrid flight last year a man came up to me to inquire if I was going to be walking the Camino Frances as he had noticed my shell. We struck up a nice conversation as he was starting his first camino and had some questions. I then saw him periodically the whole way to Santiago...sometimes it's a small world!
 
My sister and I walked together in 2016. Our shells were from a collection we found 40 years ago on a family trip to the coast. I drilled the holes by hand with a Swiss Army knife and threaded a ribbon through each. The ribbon came from a gift my sister gave me and Bears the name of a much loved Australian designer. My shell has seen two Caminos!
I love that idea. I have shells from other trips, but I am not brave enough to try and drill a hole in one. I think I would end up with bits and pieces.
 
Ideal sleeping bag liner whether we want to add a thermal plus to our bag, or if we want to use it alone to sleep in shelters or hostels. Thanks to its mummy shape, it adapts perfectly to our body.

€46,-
If you want to have a try yourself here are some guidance pamphlets. Once you know the secret it's quite simple but getting a smooth, parallel set of lines takes patience.
Apparently the secret of how these were drawn was a mystery for years until somebody found an uncompleted one and noticed the the matrix of dots around which the lines are drawn.
Enjoy!
I downloaded these to read later. I don't think my hand would be so steady or my eyesight keen enough to follow through! Thanks.
 
I love that idea. I have shells from other trips, but I am not brave enough to try and drill a hole in one. I think I would end up with bits and pieces.
Not too close to the edge, try a small "pilot" hole first, little bit of lubrication (cooking oil will do!), then a slightly bigger hole once you've broken through. Practice on a piece of stiff plastic first!
 
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Do you remember where you purchased this shell? It is beautiful.
I saw them in several tourist shops in Santiago. I don't remember exactly which one. Most had St James sword on them, but I wanted the celtic design.
 
does anyone else make their own

I did'nt make my own.

But I carry two shells picked off beaches near where I live by friends and given to me. They are on either side at the top of my pack. They are both small - about 25 mm (1 inch) each.

One is, of course, a scallop shell.

The other is found around the Pacific. It is a Paua (north Americans might say Abalone) shell It is special to me as a nearby village is called Paua'ta'ha'nui. Translated from te reo (the language) Maori it says the place where Paua were gathered.

If people ask me about the shells I say one indicates my destination and the other where I have come from.
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery

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