Here is an easy way to make a miniature broom for your Halloween crafts. It also happens to be inexpensive as well. Easy, cute, inexpensive – an ideal craft to my way of thinking.
I needed a tiny broom for one of my recent projects. Tim Holtz has an incredible one that you can buy, but it is too large for my project. Since I’ve had some success making sisal bottle brush trees, I figured I could make a broom out of leftover sisal rope. Believe me, it is easy.
Here’s a video of the entire miniature broom-making process. It’s 6:42 minutes long, but all the steps are written below as well.
DIY Miniature Brooms
Materials for your Miniature Broom
You only need a few supplies to make your miniature broom:
- Sisal rope
- Twigs or thin dowels
- Thick thread – Perle Cotton or Buttonhole Thread
- Glue – white PVA glue
- Scissors to cut the rope
- Gardening shears or wire cutters to cut the sticks or dowels
Cut the rope to size
For my little broom I cut the rope pieces into 2 inch lengths. Unwind the 3 strands of the rope. Then untwist the 3 smaller strands of each section of rope. You’ll see that the sisal is curled somewhat. You can dip it in hot water and the fibers will straighten out. You can do that before or after making the broom or leave it curly.
Cut your sticks to size
I needed a broom about 3 inches long so I cut the sticks about 2.5 inches long. Though I didn’t do anything fancy with the sticks – just dogwood twigs I found in the yard, you could do something much more decorative. You could peel the bark off and stain the stick, you could find really interesting curved sticks, or you could paint them. Only your imagination is the limit.
Make a pile of sisal fibers
Grab a bunch of sisal fibers and lay them on your work surface. Put your stick in the middle, leave enough room so you can do major trimming of the fibers. In other words, don’t put the bottom end of your twig at the bottom of the fibers.
Pile more sisal fibers on top.
Cut your thread about 12 inches long
You need the thread to be long just so you can hold it easily to put it tight. Tie one knot which is really a half knot meaning that it’s not really locked down yet. Then flip the broom over and tie another knot (a half knot again) on the other side. Pull tight. But don’t pull so tight that you break the string. That’s a pain. Flip it over again and tie another complete knot while keeping tension on the thread. Apply glue.
Wind the thread around the broom
Wind the thread around the broom multiple times pulling pretty tightly. Tie a full knot again and apply glue all around the thread. Cut the excess thread. Give your little broom a haircut.
There you have it – an easy, inexpensive, cute little broom for any of your Halloween crafting needs.
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Gosta Froleen says
dear Lucy – im looking for special effects ink paintbrushes.
Your miniature brooms here would help me greatly, especially the *not* haircut ones. Could you make me some?
all the best
Gosta
(Gosta Froleen, Sweden)