About the service
I harvest the straw myself at the end of summer, when the stem has taken its colour but has not yet gone brittle on the stalk. Rye and wheat both go into the work. I cut by hand, then open the sheaf and sort it by internodes: only the smooth section between two knots is used, with no spots, no bends and no insect marks. Everything else goes to waste, and out of a large armful maybe a third is worth keeping. Straw from different years and different fields is never the same colour. One harvest pulls towards a pale, cool tone, another towards warm honey, and the whole pattern is built on that difference rather than on paint.
The stems are then steamed. I soak them in hot water, split them lengthwise and press them flat with an iron into a ribbon. I dye nothing: the shades come from heat alone. The longer and hotter the pressing, the deeper the tone, from almost white through golden straw to a dark, nearly chocolate brown, keeping the living sheen that only the material itself gives. I sort the ribbons by colour and gloss, then cut them into diamonds, triangles, narrow strips and squares. From these the ornament is assembled: a diamond lattice, six- and eight-pointed stars, herringbone, rosettes, borders running along the edge. Each element is laid onto a tinted ground, usually dark, because against black or deep brown the gold of the straw reads at its strongest. The finished area is clamped until the glue has fully set, so the ribbon lies flat and no edge can lift later.
A few honest words about the material, so that nothing disappoints you afterwards. Straw fades in direct sunlight and darkens with damp, so the piece is not for a bathroom and not for a south-facing windowsill. An old work cannot be repeated exactly: the shade depends on the year, the field and the weather, and a new set will be close but never identical. Glued straw is afraid of steam and boiling water, so I do not make tableware in this technique, only dry, decorative and keepsake things.
What I make:
— keepsake boxes: caskets, jewellery boxes, letter cases, with a large ornament on the lid and a border around the sides;
— mirror frames and picture frames, either filled across the whole field or worked with corner rosettes;
— wall panels: geometric compositions, sun rosettes, ornamental bands for a hallway or a living room;
— a matt lacquer finish with no gloss, which protects the set without turning the straw into plastic;
— presentation and gift packing: a signed box, soft padding and a short note on the material and its care;
— repair of an old piece: I replace lost elements, match the tone with the iron and re-glue ribbons that have lifted;
— timing: a box or a small frame takes 7 to 10 days, a large panel or mirror up to two weeks; repairs are quoted after I see the piece.
The stems are then steamed. I soak them in hot water, split them lengthwise and press them flat with an iron into a ribbon. I dye nothing: the shades come from heat alone. The longer and hotter the pressing, the deeper the tone, from almost white through golden straw to a dark, nearly chocolate brown, keeping the living sheen that only the material itself gives. I sort the ribbons by colour and gloss, then cut them into diamonds, triangles, narrow strips and squares. From these the ornament is assembled: a diamond lattice, six- and eight-pointed stars, herringbone, rosettes, borders running along the edge. Each element is laid onto a tinted ground, usually dark, because against black or deep brown the gold of the straw reads at its strongest. The finished area is clamped until the glue has fully set, so the ribbon lies flat and no edge can lift later.
A few honest words about the material, so that nothing disappoints you afterwards. Straw fades in direct sunlight and darkens with damp, so the piece is not for a bathroom and not for a south-facing windowsill. An old work cannot be repeated exactly: the shade depends on the year, the field and the weather, and a new set will be close but never identical. Glued straw is afraid of steam and boiling water, so I do not make tableware in this technique, only dry, decorative and keepsake things.
What I make:
— keepsake boxes: caskets, jewellery boxes, letter cases, with a large ornament on the lid and a border around the sides;
— mirror frames and picture frames, either filled across the whole field or worked with corner rosettes;
— wall panels: geometric compositions, sun rosettes, ornamental bands for a hallway or a living room;
— a matt lacquer finish with no gloss, which protects the set without turning the straw into plastic;
— presentation and gift packing: a signed box, soft padding and a short note on the material and its care;
— repair of an old piece: I replace lost elements, match the tone with the iron and re-glue ribbons that have lifted;
— timing: a box or a small frame takes 7 to 10 days, a large panel or mirror up to two weeks; repairs are quoted after I see the piece.
