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#Diy broomstick free#

Tie the branches securely in place around your broom handle using twine or soaked willow branches.Īfter branches are secured, fold them down over the twine so tips are pointed downward. Place your stick or broom handle on your work surface and surround it with branches on both sides, making sure that the bottoms of the branches are pointed toward the top of your handle. Soak birch branches and willow overnight so they’re more pliable and flexible, a must for the final steps of this project. Sharpen the end of your handle so it can be pushed into the center of your bundle of straw, and secure it tightly to prevent your broom head from “flying off the handle.”Ĭut the ends of straw so they’re even, and your broom is ready to use.Īre you one of the millions of Americans that are replacing harsh chemical cleansers with eco-friendly alternatives?īirch brooms have a more botanical-inspired look than the farm-infused straw or broom-corn brooms. If you want to use your broom as a whisk broom, connect the bundles in a circular design, still making sure bunches are as tightly linked as possible. If you want a flat broom for use on floors or hearths, place straw bundles side by side. Tie together the gathered bundles one at a time using wire or twine, ensuring that the bundles are secured as tightly as possible. Repeat the steps with the remaining nine bunches of straw. The tighter the bundle, the stronger your broom will be, so squeeze it tightly. Hold the bundle together tightly and wrap it securely with twine. Gather one bundle of straw together, making sure that ends on one side are even.

#Diy broomstick free#

It is a good idea to strip the branches of their bark and allow them to dry for a few months before using them to ensure that no cracking or splitting will occur when you put them to use.Ĭlean your straw so it is free from dust and debris, shaking bits loose without using water, which can cause your broom to mold.ĭivide straw into ten separate, equal bunches. Handles can be ordered from a supplies store for a more commercial look, but if you are going for rustic or are taking advantage of the items you have available to you, you can make your own using branches that you have collected.

A knife and scissors for finishing touches.

The following projects, though, will get you started and can take on even pioneer-level quantities of dirt and debris.Ī straw broom is easy to make, and the project is one that would be fun to do with the kids or a as a great back-to-nature project that would be ideal for a group activity at a craft fair or other special event. You can also order broom corn online from broom-making suppliers, where other supplies for crafting your own brooms can also be found, along with plans for more challenging broom designs. (And remember, if you master the art of broom making and grow enough broom corn, you will have gifts friends and family will love or that you can sell at craft shows, farmer’s markets, or fairs, where people are sure to fall for a hand-crafted broom’s old-time appeal.) The stalks grow like sweet corn and look the same, although it has no cobs, just the tassels on top, and that is the material you’ll use to make your broom. Dickenson’s resulting broom was so successful (his wife told all her friends, and word around town quickly spread) that the sorghum variety he used is now called broom corn. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you can grow your own broom corn, paying tribute as you do to early broom designer Levi Dickenson, a Massachusetts farmer who crafted a broom for his wife using tassels from a variety of sorghum. Straw should be easy to find if you live on or near a farm, and you can easily gather twigs and branches from the woods to tackle a birch broom. You’ll just need a little bit of patience, along with the necessary materials, and you’ll soon have your own straw broom, birch-branch broom, or broom-corn broom, the last being the sturdiest of these rustic, hand-crafted tools. Making your own broom is a fairly easy craft, and one that will leave family and friends in awe at your survivalist skills.Īnd although the term “flying off the handle” was born from the use of handmade brooms, which had – and still do have – a tendency to lose their heads when they’re used too forcefully, it doesn’t mean you yourself will fly off the handle when you attempt to make your own broom.

And imagine how satisfying it would be using materials from your own garden to create those brooms? Certainly, these would be brooms that would be pretty enough to display on a wall or tucked into a corner so they will always be close at hand. A cottage in the woods or a farmhouse kitchen wouldn’t really be complete without a broom in the closet to clear away dust, with another near the hearth for sweeping up ashes from the previous night’s blazing fire.