Today we have Jamie Dun from Bristol Broomworks sharing with us the amazing work she does as a self taught heritage craftsperson making traditional brooms. As soon as she got in touch I knew I had to find out more, so without further ado, over to Jamie
Tell us about broom making...
The method is simple: wind twine around a dowel held with your feet whilst sitting and keep the twine as taut as possible while winding the broom, adding broomcorn bundles as you turn it. The entire broom is made with one length of twine and the variations and possibilities are endless!
"Brooms are ancient, and universal. They span millennia and cultures across the globe. They are a common, utilitarian tool but they can also be beautiful and artisanal. And also controversial - some seen as a symbol on institutional patriarchy, while others associate them with a negative view of witchcraft"
How did you get into broom making?
It started out of necessity! I needed to buy a new broom and I didn't want another plastic broom. I'm American, and I figured y'all invented brooms here in the UK, so it would be as easy as ordering one online. I pictured an old timey, hand tied traditional shaker broom, made of straw, like you'd get at the Amish farm shop near my grandparents cattle ranch in Montana.
I was so wrong! Y'all didn't invent brooms, although there is broom history here, during Covid no one was hand tying them in the UK. There were cheap mass produced ones available online, but I wanted a thing of beauty that I'd never need to replace.
Once you start searching for something, the algorithm goddess starts suggesting thing to you and I realised there was a bit of a broom craft revival going on in North America. I tried to buy a broom from a maker in the Pacific North West but she sells out fast so I missed out on two drops before setting my alarm and joining the queue at 3am. I put a broom in my cart, and realised with customs and tax it doubled the price. There was no way I could justify the cost.
So I thought to myself "how hard can it be to make one?" . Turns out it's quite hard and now I'm obsessed!
Thank goodness for Frogley Fibre (link further down), YouTube and the late Karen Hobbs who self published the only broom making book I could find at the time.
Do you use traditional methods or have you embraced some modern techniques too?
I'm self taught. I use heritage methods only, no electricity or machinery. Aside from the imported broomcorn and twine, all handles - whether natural or turned wood, antler, bone, driftwood - are sourced locally to the UK
Do you have any advice for anyone wishing to make their own broom?
To get started all that is needed is a length of very strong string or twine, and broomcorn or another fibre of your choice. These can be purchased from Frogley Fibre on Etsy. Cut down some dowling to 60cm lengths for foot spindles, watch as many YouTube tutorials as you can or pay for online workshops with North American broom makers. My friend, Cynthia Mains, also has a book coming out called "The Handmade Broom" and you can also sign up on my website email list for updates on workshops.
In an ideal world, where would you see yourself in 5 years time?
It's a solitary craft for me currently and I want to change that. It's land connected, meditative and fulfilling. An ancient thing that is good for our homes and the environment. It's very niche at the moment and I'm hoping to offer my first workshops soon.
In five years time, I hope to have taught many, many people this craft in the hopes of building a community here in the UK. It would be great to organise a meet up here in the UK to host broom makers from around the world to have a toodle about the country and then join forces for some broom making workshops.
I never knew how beautiful brooms could be and Jamie's are gorgeous! Thank you for sharing this wonderful craft with us, it's so important to keep those heritage crafts alive. If you'd like to see more, visit Jamie's website here - Bristol Broomworks
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