Patridge bantam chicken poorly foot?

[little chickadee]

Look what I learnt to do when I was at the Shrewsbury Folk festival

 

 

I was so proud of myself! It's actually really simple once you get the hang of it. I've got some ears of the wheat to sow in the allotment too as my son has always wanted to grow wheat. It needs to be old fashioned varieties, as the new varieties stems are too tough. Old varieties are hollow which allows you to add extra straws when you are working the dolly.

[Nicola H]

Wow they look great, there is a whole field of wheat behind my house I wonder........

[theherd123]

They are really beautiful!

 

Good for you for learning a new skill

[Egluntyne]

They are lovely.

[The Dogmother]

That's impressive Clare, especially knowing how tired your hands get

[Lesley]

They are lovely

[Karen & co.]

Wow they would look lovely hanging in my kitchen

 

Karen x

[Omletina Kyckling]

Wow, they are beautiful, they look so intricate! Well done!

[Plum]

Well done, truly impressed.

[A chickychickychick-ENN!!]

Oh wow you found a teacher! I am totally jealous! I remember my mum doing a corn dolly class about 20 years ago. It's a dying art and so hard to find teachers. Go you! They're proper ace dollies!

 

Anna x

Edited September 30, 2008 by Guest

[little chickadee]

That's impressive Clare, especially knowing how tired your hands get

 

That's right Clare, My hands did get tired, but I was fine making one at a time. It's really not much more complicated than plaiting when you get the hang of it and the corn is nice and bendy when it's been soaked properly.

 

I've managed to find a supplier of suitable corn and am going to get a couple of sheaves on the way down to exchange one of our new chickens (long story which I dont' feel like going into in the craft section!)

 

I'm going to make Christmas presents and decorations from corn this year as I'll be able to make one every day or so. Might even let the girls at my son's party have a go next weekend. (it's of an age where I very much doubt the boys will have a go!!!!!

[Fizzle Knit]

They're lovely - well done!

I remember using art straws at primary school, similar technique I imagine, but nowhere near the aesthetic quality

[little chickadee]

They're lovely - well done!

I remember using art straws at primary school, similar technique I imagine, but nowhere near the aesthetic quality

 

Apparently it's exactly the same technique with art straws. The lady who taught me does a lot of WI talks and gets the ladies to learn with art straws because it's a lot easier en masse than using loads of damp straw!

[little chickadee]

I've managed to find a supplier of the right kind of corn around here and bought a couple of sheaves. It took soooo long to prepare it, but it all looks beautiful now. Problem is my hands don't like the change of the seasons so I won't be able to do any corn dolly making until they've sorted themselves out. You have to work with the straw when it's damp, so that's not good in cold weather.

I've got everything ready now for if we have a sunny day (my conservatory gets toasty warm even if it's cold outside )

[A chickychickychick-ENN!!]

Does anyone know any corn dolly makers in Kent/London/Sussex?

 

Anna x

[Valkyrie]

Well done, Little Chickadee. I wonder if your teacher made the ones I bought last year from up there. I love crafty things like that - you just don't see them very much nowadays - even the craft shows seem to consist of a lot of imported goods. At Barnstaple the other year we saw people unpacking boxes full of stuff from China! Not what we were looking for.

 

Chickychickychicken - try the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum in Sussex. There is a lady that does a couple of sessions a year, although it looks like only one next year (you need to scroll down to 22nd August):

 

http://www.wealddown.co.uk/Courses/courses-countryside-skills.htm#corn%20dolly

 

I have her phone number somewhere, but can't remember what I did with it because I would like to go on that course too.

[A chickychickychick-ENN!!]

Corr! Thanks Koojie! So much good stuff in that list of courses!

 

Anna x

[Valkyrie]

You are welcome, glad to be of help - it is handy to know that so many crafts are catered for, and the ideal situation to hold the courses too. I love all the old buildings. For anyone who has never been, it is well worth the visit, they even have fields of all the different cereals and stacked the old fashioned way. When OH and I were lots younger we used to do walks and one incorporated the Weald and Downland which hadn't been open long. It was a horrible freezing cold and wet day but the cottages had their fires on so we were able to dry off and warm up before the long walk back to the car (which was miles away).

[Chook n Boo Mum]

Oooh I love the W&D, have family membership. The children have loved it from littlies, and our homemade bread is made using their own ground flour! (must put a loaf on actually!!)

 

Lovely place to go to, always so cold in the winter, but really warm in the summer, as it's down in a dell.

 

Do let me know if you go on any of the courses, I only live about 6 miles away & could easily meet up for lunch ( I do like to meet other Omleteers)- unless I attended the course too of course!!

 

Sha x