Broomcorn - Did you know? Part 2.

Like so many things in life, there is much more to a 'simple' broom upon second glance.

We talked about what broomcorn is exactly and what it is not in our first installment, now its time uncover why is broomcorn the best for sweeping and different types of corn brooms.

Below, Luke Lewis of North Woven Broom describes the first used broom, the round brush broom made with craft broomcorn to now most commonly used flat Shaker style broom.

In a fast-paced world of technology, computers, screens and social media inundating us at every turn, is there anywhere left for old-fashioned traditions? The two sisters behind the Granville Island Broom Co. believe there is. Mary and Sarah Schwieger make brooms the way their parents taught them, using methods passed down from Shaker traditions from the 1800s.

Start at 0:22 seconds into the YouTube video below to see a simple way the broomcorn is cleaned. Karl is using craft broomcorn (we sell ours already cleaned!) with the stalks attached but does not weave them.

In the simplest way, you can make a broom by hand by using wood pegs, a handle, twine, broomcorn, and tools.  He makes a first layer using 8 stalks, wrapping, and pulling the twine around the handle. He covers it with a second layer, using around 16 stalks total.

For a detailed instructions on broommaking, please visit here. 

Did you know that there is still a broomcorn festival every year in Arcola, IL ?

Check out details here !