Things [ Hand Made ]

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My chance to wonder about hand made things and tell the world about those I make, love and cherish!

Tuesday 17 February 2009

Not quite the final straw...




Now to read this you need to choose whatever regional country accent you do best. I am useless at accents so best to do your own. One of the sewing groups I belong to had a talk about Corn Dollies, yes I know it has little to do with sewing but don't get me started on that one! It turns out that corn etc has been used and is often couched down. In fact the tale goes that Princess Margaret's coming out dress at the end of the war was not decorated with gold but with straw!

Anyway it was still a fab talk as I am always fascinated by what people make. The 2 picture are of 2 different plaits, one with the head of corn still on and another is a 7 strand plait. Di anyone watch the series on the Victorian farm? in she plaited straw and made a hat. This is the same plait. More info here.

It was fascinating what can be made with straw and it is something I am sure I will come back too. I quite fancy making my own hat!

Of course I have called it corn but I have no idea what sort of cereal it is so I am sorry if I got it wrong.

8 comments:

red2white said...

This must be something else then a straw. In Slovakia, one of the traditional crafts is making corn dolls like this http://www.dieladielka.sk/sortiment/dielo/478/.

Taz said...

My smalls had a go at this last year at the Wicker Festival and I am now the proud owner of plaits like your second one. I wonder where I could get hold of some wheat from? Mmmmm

bex said...

hehehe, i imagined a farmer voice and im still chuckling. its amasing what people were able to used in by gone days!
x

Jackie said...

Joanne - Thanks for the blog award. I have posted it on my blog:O)

jane and the happy crow said...

I watched the Victorian Farm avidly and im very sad its now ended, a real treat for a Thursday night. I was fascinated with the straw plats never having thought of how straw hats were made, what a lot of work for a hat! Look forward to seeing what you do with yours. Jane x

Taz said...

Where be that link sweetheart? oh arrr ;)

Anonymous said...

I've made hats from plating a type of natural raffia (really big in he 90's) great fun although very time consuming. Its funny all the 70's crafts seem to be making a huge resurgence, may be the credit crunch.

UK lass in US said...

I made one of those plaits as a kid. I had completely forgotten about that. I wonder what happened to it.