“Made To Last” Artisan Brooms

“Made To Last” Artisan Brooms FARM HOME Novelty Items Rebecca Worley got into broom making when she purchased her first home from Austin Boyd who happened to be a broom maker When ill health prevented him from making brooms Worley convinced him to teach her the craft and to sell her his late 1800’s equipment even though he said she was “not big enough or strong enough” She proved she was capable and earned his approval She now has 22 years experience running her business Cooksey Creek Brooms In the beginning she did it all even growing the broomcorn grain sorghum and separated and cleaned the straw Now she purchases cleaned straw along with dowels for broom handles from a Texas company An Arkansas business sells her most of the hardwood saplings for handles but she also looks for interesting saplings and twisted wood to peel dry sand and seal “The sapling handles with weaving on it are my best selling brooms ” Worley says “I don’t know what it is about them but they have different curves and fit hands better That’s all I use at home ” With colored straw that she dyes herself those brooms sell for $50 The process begins by soaking the straw until it’s pliable She secures it the broom handle with 17-gauge fence wire and fence staples by operating a kickwinder’s foot pedal to turn a wheel that binds six straw layers The kickwinder is big at 5-ft 5-in tall and built out of heavy cast iron that takes six men to move After the straw dries for 72 hrs Worley hand sews the broom straw with a 6-in long needle She only has three of the century-old needles so she takes good care of them To cover the wire she weaves broomcorn stalks into decorative coverings Finally she trims the ends purposely leaving some of the fuzzy ends hurl because they help the broom pick up dust and hair “The brooms are made to last I build them to be used ” Worley says But she notes some of her creations like the whisk brooms with deer antler handles or brooms with twisted wood handles are often used for decoration “It is such a humbling thing to get to do what you love to do the best ” she says noting she loves the whole process It offers her stress relief as a nursing assistant in the acute care area of a hospital Her work is creative and traditional earning her invitations from Silver Dollar City in Branson Mo as an artisan where she wears late 1800’s style dresses and aprons that she sews Customers can watch her work on the old equipment and purchase brooms from her there She also can ship them $25 extra for full length brooms Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Rebecca Worley Farmington Mo 573-330-9093; Rjworley1941@gmail com; Facebook - Cooksey Creek Brooms

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