Award Winning

Audrey with husband David, having received the Trophy for her Coronation Coach.  Designed by David and handcrafted from corn by Audrey

Audrey's work can be Purchased

Commissions Undertaken

The Art of Making Corn Dollies

There are varying types of wheat straw grown which can vary in its thickness, length and colour; even the sizes of the wheat head.  

The weather can have an adverse effect on the harvest if the grower happens to have a wet summer.

Corn dolly makers have to purchase (by the sheaf) the older varieties of wheat straw as today, it is grown very short.  The farmer only requires the seed head and not the length of the straw, saving the time in having to get rid of the waste.  The sheaves are from growers that still grow the older varieties used by the Corn Dolly Maker.  These supplies are now becoming quite rare and difficult to obtain as they are thinly spread over the country. 

When purchased these sheaves can take anything between 3 - 5 hours just cutting, preparing and grading into thickness.  This is even before Audrey can start making any particular corn item.  As we specialise in fine work, such as our jewellery range, it takes us 4 - 5 hours preparing a fine sheaf of corn.

 A Little of the History

The name corn dolly is derived from Corn Idol, which it was known as hundreds of years ago.  The making of these is believed to have begun in ancient Egypt: evidence of corn plaits have been found in the Egyptian tombs.  In countries where cereal crops were grown there was a common harvest time custom by farmers (or their farm hands) to the making of 'corn favour' from the last sheaf of corn cut from the field.

One favour was the 'Loveknot' which was then given to their wife or girlfriend.  Various other traditional designs were developed over the years after Towns, Counties and even Countries.   These corn dollies were then hung in the kitchens until the sowing of the seed the following year.  They were then broken up and sowed with the new seed to give Good Luck and Fertility for the new harvest that year.