In November I took a broom making workshop at Ink Paper Plate in Point Reyes Station, a warm and cozy printmaking and art class space.
It was taught by Bethany Ridenour of Bristle and Stick.
We gathered our broomcorn (aka Sorghum) provided for us.
We collected it in piles at our feet and got to work.
The angled binding of this broom is what makes it so beautiful.
Once you get started you can’t stop because you need to maintain the tension the whole time.
Ready to chop off the handle end with pipe cutters, and then trim the tips with scissors.
Beautiful.
I was so inspired that I bought some extra broomcorn from Bethany to try my hand at making another one on my own. I also wanted to try using a different binding material. The black twine is coated in some kind of petroleum product that leaves a strange smell and feel on the fingers. I got some beeswax-coated hemp twine (meant for candle wicking). It was much more pleasant to work with, but no where near as strong. In fact it broke immediately upon the first pull. So instead of using the foot bobbin as we were taught, I had to use hand pressure to keep the tension. The stickiness of the beeswax helped to keep the twine in place as I worked. As a result, I have a broom that is functional and beautiful, but certainly not as sturdy and long lasting as the first. This one I left untrimmed.
Bethany has an email zine on her website that is lovely, called Swept Away. In the most recent edition she posts a link to an article on the history of brooms. It’s a great read.
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