Witch Broom Making
The classic witch broom can have many uses. Brooms are often associated with costume accessories and Halloween decorations, but they can also be displayed in your home year-round. Since most broom materials can be found in the backyard, creating your own is simple and inexpensive. Whether you're looking for a nighttime ride for your little witches and wizards, a functional broom, or a whimsical accent piece for your kitchen, this guide explains how. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 4-foot-long branch or wooden dowel
- Bundle of 14-inch-long straw
- Twine
- Scissors
Instructions
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Making the Broom
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1
Find a 4-foot-long branch or purchase a wooden dowel to use as a broom handle. You can sand down and paint or polyurethane the handle for a more finished look. Let the handle dry for a day before continuing.
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2
Gather a selection of 14-inch-long straw pieces to use as bristles for your witch broom. Soak the bristles in hot water overnight to make them more pliable.
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3
When the bristles are bendable, divide them into three or four bundles. Tie each bundle together at one end with twine. This will help the bristles stay together.
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4
Lay the broom handle down on a flat surface and line up the bristle bundles 4 inches from the bottom of the handle. The free end of the bundles should point toward the top of the handle.
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5
Take the twine again and securely tie the bundles to the handle, overlapping the tied twine from Step 3.
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6
Flip the bristles down over the twine. Smooth the bristles out and use the twine to tie them in place near the top of the fold. Let your new witch broom dry overnight.
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Tips & Warnings
Be as creative with your witch broom as you like. You can paint the broom many different colors, carve designs into it, or decorate it with extra twine, feathers, beads and other ornaments.
For a different look, you can tie bristles all the way up the broom handle with as many layers as you can fit. Bend each section of bristles down and tie the sections to the handle, starting with the bottom and working your way up.
A simpler version of this broom can be made by hot-gluing dry twigs to the handle and securing the twigs with wire.
Cornstalks, birch twigs and other long grasses can also make for interesting bristle material.
If you want to paint or polyurethane the bristles, wait until after they have been attached to the broom handle and dried.
If you want to make a functional broom, do not paint, polyurethane or decorate the bristles.
