Kansas wheat weavers display one-of-a-kind art
Final week for straw art exhibit at Burns craft shop
Staff reporter
Rumpelstiltskin is a childhood fairy tale about a beautiful miller's daughter who was tested by a king to spin straw into gold.
As the Grimm Brothers fairy tale goes, a little man named Rumpelstiltskin saves the miller's daughter from certain doom by spinning the straw into gold for her.
Sandy Heyman of Burns said the make-believe story isn't that far from the truth.
"Originally lace was made from straw," Heyman said. "The straw would be spun into gold lace and it would be attached to shirts and blouses."
In England, where grain is known as corn, figurines made from the grain are called corn dollies.
For as long as people have been growing wheat, they have created designs with stalks and heads of the grain.
No exact date or place of origin can be found for the art form called wheat weaving, but it is believed people created weavings as early as 8,000 years ago.
The art was dying until an English man rediscovered it in the 1950s.
Heyman of Burns has been a straw artist for 30 years.
Workshops were presented by an English woman through local extension offices, Heyman said, where she learned the art.
A member of the Kansas Association of Straw Artists, Heyman was instrumental in having a traveling exhibit displayed in Burns.
The exhibit has more than 50 art pieces made by Kansans, with the exception of one woman from England.
Designs are made from various forms of straw from around the country. Wheat, oats, and rice straw are the more common materials.
Many forms of art can be created from the grain. The stalk of the straw can be split. A spiral weave can be used to create a three-dimensional piece of art. Wheat can be dyed and attached to a cardboard or foam foundation for a more dramatic effect.
"The process of preparing the straw sometimes takes longer than the actual work itself," Heyman explained.
Preparation and process
Tools of the trade are available through businesses that specialize in craft supplies.
A splitter, spinner, and braiding tools are necessary to complete projects.
Heyman said timing is everything when it comes to choosing the best possible material.
"When the grain turns gold is the best time to gather it," Heyman said. "Any moisture will make it look moldy."
Straw materials also can be purchased through various vendors, Heyman said, which is especially helpful for unusual straw from other parts of the country and world.
When the wheat is harvested, it is cleaned and dried.
The second and third joints of the stalks are cut off and the leaf is removed, leaving only the top joint.
The wheat is soaked in water to make it more pliable. Then the wheat stalk is split into thin strips.
One of the simplest techniques is to attach two strips to the spinner to make a fine rope that can be twisted into floral and lace-like designs.
Heyman said a four-straw braid can be learned in 30 minutes.
"It takes a long time to learn the other techniques," Heyman said.
The exhibit
Baskets, a rooster, an eagle, farm equipment, jewelry, buildings, stars, animals, and stationery paper are some of the items on display at Prairie Arts Craft Mall in Burns.
The association has members from the Kansas communities of Burns, McPherson, Newton, North Newton, Hutchinson, Moundridge, Wichita, Buhler, New Cambria, Rose Hill, Norwich, Hill City, Independence, Gorham, Hiawatha, Ada, and London, England.
Membership is not limited only to Kansans.
The exhibit will be in Burns until Nov. 10.
Mall hours are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.
The exhibit will travel to Oklahoma after Nov. 10, Heyman said.
Heyman said plans are being made to have a hedge wood art exhibit and other arts and crafts made from prairie products.
