A book that helps me with my craft (A Golden Dolly: The Art, Mystery and History of Corn Dollies - M. Lambeth)

Member Name: mumsymary

Product:	A Golden Dolly: The Art, Mystery and History of Corn Dollies - M. Lambeth
Date:	09/07/07 (296 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: interesting

Disadvantages: none

I Bought the book called golden dollies a few years ago to help me get some knowledge and ideas on corn dollies.

This book was written in 1974 by M Lambeth.
It is about the craft of straw weaving, making corn dollies and its history.

This book has 71 pages and has information about the history of making corn dollies. This book looks into the designs and customs from several countries.

The book starts with a chapter about the harvest giving a little history about some of the superstitions that are connected with the sowing of corn and harvest there are several old rhymes about harvesting and the growing of corn.
I imagine M Lambeth had connections with local schools as there is a small section about straw plaiting by young people. I think it’s important to keep our craft skills and its history alive. Working with children is a good way of keeping the knowledge for future generations.

There is a chapter about work from oversees telling and showing the different styles of straw work and telling of customs and use related to the harvest.

The following chapters are about different designs and showing you then giving instructions for making straw dollies of different kinds.

The book is well written, the articles about the history interesting, the patterns for dollies easy to follow. There are a lot of black and white pictures/ illustrations in this book. This book does have an old fashioned feel to it.

I have found this book useful as I make corn dollies and have used the knowledge from this book to help me.

A corn dolly is the name of the corn figure made at the end of the harvest keeping this last sheaf safe ensures a good harvest next year as in this sheath is captured the corn goddess In some cultures she is a good spirit in some bad. There used to be great competition amongst farmers to be first finished the harvest and once the harvest was finished the corn dolly would be proudly displayed.
There are many plaits made of corn the simple ones called favours are ones plaited by farm workers and given to their sweethearts. Apparently my mother said she could remember my father plaiting a few strands of wheat to give her as they “walked out” in the1940’s
Read this book to find out more.
If I am doing corn dolly displays I usually have a few books on display this is one of them,
I shall be doing a demonstration of corn dolly plaiting at the green living fair at college lake wildlife centre, Bulbourne nr Tring on July15th.

Plaiting and weaving to make similar plaits to corn dollies can be made using art straws. A few years ago there was a new product called Scoubidou these are thin hollow plastic strings can be plaited in to many designs.

I find plaiting, making corn dollies relaxing, the history and folk law fascinating

As requested I looked on line found several for sale second hand between £6 and £10

http://www.booklovers.co.uk/froogle2.asp?xID=DT60 7457

http://www.strawcraftsmen.co.uk/resource.html has information about other books by this ladyand other straw craftspeople

Summary: A book about the history and patterns for making corn dollies