Leaf with a broom at the top. Underneath three images in which is illustrated how the different parts of the broom; branches, stick and rope, can be used in punishment.
Speaking of brooms, here’s a favorite of mine. Adriaen Huybrechts (1578), a clear guide to how the various parts of a besom can be used for corporal and capital punishment.
So don’t mess with the broom squires.
#broommaking #earlymodern
Two handmade brooms: on left made from native broomsedge, on right made from Mountain Laurel.
The Mountain Laurel (right) worked well in the making, will have to see how well it lasts in the using. #broommaking #bushcraft
A 6-foot bundle of dried native grasses that have been cleaned and sorted. A black poodle stands nearby.
To make brooms, first you have to have broom makings. Here’s the first bundle of bluestem/Indian grass, cleaned and sorted. Standard Poodle for scale. #broommaking #woodworking
NEW!
Crafting Balance — A Week of Making and Inspiration
May 11-15, 2026
Crafting Balance invites you to study with accomplished artists in our studios and along the scenic Scuppernong River.
#craft #metalsmithing #ceramics #sculpture #woodworking, #broommaking
🧹✨ Dive into traditional broom making at Wandlebury Country Park on Sun, Sept 14! 🌿 Craft 2-3 hand brooms using natural materials. No experience needed, just enthusiasm. £80/person. Book now www.craftcourses.com/courses/broom-making-wor... 🧹
#BroomMaking #Crafts
A more robust yet slimmer profile for the Witch’s Wand. This pen features a modern housing that should accept any standard dip pen nib. It currently has a vintage USA made Hunt Globe Bowl Point 513 EF #fountainpen #dippen #broommaking
Witch’s Wand. I made some changes to the construction and am enjoying this new version. It will accept any reasonably standard dip pen nib, vintage or modern. And like all my brooms, it swept up the mess of its own making, entering the world with positive impact. #dippen #fountainpen #broommaking
The last of my two days of play. A small desk whisk. I messed up one of the pens (well I didn’t mess it up, it came together flawlessly but I forgot to check that the nib holder would actually take a nib🤦♀️) and I didn’t want to just toss the broomcorn, so a tiny whisk was created. #broommaking
Four Cobwebber Wands. Super helpful for getting things moving, especially when they are juuuust out of reach. #broommaking
Big Blue Stem is a perennial grass native to the US Mid-Atlantic. Due to wet warm weather this year, it has been growing to its maximum height, about 7 feet.
It’s been a hot and wet summer so far, and the grasses are loving it. In particular, the Big Blue Stem is…well…quite big, probably about 7 feet. There should be no shortage of broom straw this Fall. #brooms #grasses #broommaking
Do you need a little copper dragon to watch over you? This one handles the writing, for the sweeping you’re on your own. Witch Wand with a Hunt Crow Quill core. #broommaking #fountainpen fountain pen #witchy #dippen
Red and green?! This Witch Wand features a charm (vintage striped glass beads, a hematite ring) and will accept any nominally standard dip pen nib. It currently has an Esterbrook 923, around a century old. #broommaking #dippen #fountainpen fountain pen
Another Witches Wand. This one is smaller and utilizes a Hunt Crow Quill core. 60-70 years old. This darling is SHARP and has already claimed a blood offering. #broommaking #fountainpen fountain pen #dippen
This week I’m in Berea, KY learning some print making and wood turning! Thought I’d share another creative side of me. Enjoy fûçķers!
#woodworking #broommaking #printmaking #pride #happypride #queersky
Had some more fun making not one but two turkey tail brooms this time! Loving the rhythm of the wrapping and the beauty in the bristle fan. This craft has me hooked. 🧹✨
#TurkeyTailBroom #BroomMaking #FolkCraft #HandmadeTradition #SlowCraft #HandsOnHeritage #CraftJoy
It’s been a while, I tried my hand at making a turkey tail broom, woven, fanned, and full of old-school charm. 🧹Feeling connected to centuries of craft. Watch to see the magic come alive! 💫
#TurkeyTailBroom #HandmadeTradition #CraftRevival #FolkArt #BroomMaking #HandsOnHeritage
Two brooms in a pre-19th century style. On the left is a broom purchased in Colonial Williamsburg many years ago, with worn down bristles. On the right, a new broom made from native Bluestem grass and an Autumn Olive handle (tail). Next to them is a hand brush made from the grass offcuts.
A small hand brush made from native Bluestem grass and bound with hand-twisted hemp twine.
Down to my last couple of bunches of Bluestem from last Fall, I decided to finally replace my own worn out broom. The bindings are cordage remade from the twine I replaced on the brooms at Jamestown Settlement. Enough cutoffs for a little bench brush. #broommaking #earlymodern #bushcraft
Appalachian broom making dailyyonder.com/rural-craft-... #folkcraft #folklore #folkloring #appalachia #folkyfriday #broommaking #traditionalcrafts
Your faithful correspondent assembling a besom (stick broom) from American Beech twigs. Besoms make good yard sweepers, but are a bit too aggressive for dirt floors. No hard data on their effectiveness for Quidditch.
No shop cats here, but I did have some Dorking chickens about. They were very interested in my bluestem when I arrived, but disappointed that I had already removed all the seeds.
I was surprised to realize that it had been 8 years since I last made brooms for the fort. They were pretty much worn down to a nub.
A day’s work (with a lot of pauses to talk to visitors). I was pleasantly surprised by how much interest and engagement I got about brooms and colonial domestic living in general. This would have been quite low on a colonist’s priorities, but they were instructed by The Lawes Divine, Moral and Martial to keep their living quarters clean and smelling sweet.
A wonderful day at Jamestown Settlement Museum yesterday. The weather was perfect, and we had a modest but steady stream of visitors. Folks were friendly and engaged and learned more about historical brooms than they ever wanted to know. #earlymodern #17thCentury #broommaking
First day tabling went well (outside of all that wind!). Sold some brooms at West Craft Fest in Philly yesterday! 🥰🧹 #westcraftfest #thewoodlands #brooms #broommaking #broommaker #phillycrafter #cobwebbercraft
I just got accepted for my very first tabling event in Philadelphia next month. Exciting! Here are some brooms I plan to bring. 🖤🧹
#broom #broommaking #broomjourney #broomcraft #broomlife #colorfulbroom #phillycrafter #crafttime #cobwebbercraft
We attended a wedding, and I gifted the couple a handmade broom to ward negativity from their home and their love 🖤
#witchsky #charms #warding #witchCraft #broommaking
A segment of flat braid made from the inner bark of Autumn Olive. Next step: make lengths long enough for actual use.
My objective in making cordage is for broom bindings. For the bark I’m using, I’ve found 2-strand twisted cord, braided into 3-strand flat braid, results in something strong enough for a binding. Not real pretty, but stronger than just a straight twist.
#cordage #broommaking #bushcraft
Visited my favorite shop, Country Witch Candles in Jim Thorpe, PA, to drop off some brooms and say hello. 🥰🧙♀️🖤
#broom #brooms #broommaking #broomjourney #broomcraft #broomlife #countrywitch #countrywitchcandles #witchyaesthetic #hearthwitchery #jimthorpe
Finished this hefty hearth broom recently. It fought me the whole way; lots of lessons were learned! But I love the peekaboo checkered print design. 🥰🧹
#broom #brooms #broommaking #broomcraft #broomjourney #hearthbroom #hearthwitchery #gothaesthetic #crafttime
Finished this little hearth broom last night for a friend who wanted black and red. Stitching was a bit difficult, but I think it came out ok! 🖤❤️🧹
#broom #broommaking #broomjourney #broomcraft #hearthbroom #hearthwitchery #crafttime #cobwebbercraft
It's been a loooong week. I've been much slower about crafting, so here's an oldie from when I was at the John C. Campbell Folk School learning broomcraft from Marlow Gates. 🖤🧹
#broom #brooms #broommaking #broomjourney #crafttime #cobwebbercraft #jccfs
