Only straw harvested by hand is suitable for weaving, and it must be harvested in different terms- then it will be of various shades: from green to bright yellow. The stems are cut close to the ground and immediately tied into sheaves.
If the harvested straw is green, it must be dried in a closed, ventilated area. If such straw is dried in the sun, the golden hue will intensify. After drying, the straw must be cleaned. First, remove the nodes; the leaves can be useful. Cut and peeled straws are sorted by length and thickness and tied into bundles. Some of the straw is left uncut - it will be needed when making a sculpture or for spiral weaving.
Before starting work, straws 10–30 cm long are poured with boiling water and kept for a while until they become soft and elastic. Do not soak more than the daily amount of material. If there is straw left at the end of the work, it must be dried. The soaked straw is wrapped in cellophane or thick, damp cloth.
So that the straw acquires a silvery tint or a brighter and pure color, and also better colored, it needs to be bleached. But you should pay attention to safety rules when working with bleach solution. First of all, make sure that the solution does not get into your eyes; wear rubber gloves to protect your hands.
For whitening, you can use hydropyrite tablets (6 tablets per 1 liter of water) or hydrogen peroxide with ammonia (150 g of 15% hydrogen peroxide and 20 g of ammonia per 1 liter of water (or ammonia). The straw intended for bleaching is placed on the bottom of an enamel or glassware, pour the solution and press on top. After 6 hours, wash the straw several times clean water to remove all bleach particles.
Bleached straw becomes softer and evenly colored. But if you bleach it to white, softness and decorativeness, on the contrary, will be lost.
In order to increase color palette Straw material is dyed using natural, aniline dyes, or by calcining it.
Brown and dark brown shades Straws are obtained by keeping straw ribbons under a hot iron for quite a long time. This is done as follows: straw ribbons are laid out on a large stack of newspapers, and a hot iron is placed on them (or you can take thick cardboard, put a straw ribbon on it and simply iron it with an iron). The saturation of the shades depends on the heating temperature of the iron and on how long the straw ribbons are heated in this way. You can also heat the straw in a stove or oven, but you must be careful to ensure that it does not come into contact with the fire and does not catch fire.
The silvery-white hue of straw is obtained by dipping it in bleach (hydrogen peroxide or persalt). Persalt solution can be boiled. Boiling straw in a solution of baking soda will give it a yellow-golden color, and in potassium permanganate it will give it a pinkish tint. To give the straw a golden brown color, it needs to be boiled in a decoction of onion scales; Beetroot broth will give it a burgundy color. You can give the straws brown, burgundy, red or another color. A decoction of rhubarb will give it a brown-green color, and bedstraw will give it a red-burgundy color. Although vegetable paints have soft, muted tones, they are distinguished by their natural beauty and high light fastness.
When dyeing straws, you can also use aniline dyes intended for fabrics. The straws painted with them have a bright, rich color that enhances shine. natural material. But unlike vegetable dyes, aniline dyes fade strongly in the open rays of the sun, so products dyed with aniline cannot be placed in a place exposed to direct rays of the sun.
After dyeing, the straws are thoroughly washed cold water and dry.
Beautiful dark golden and brown shades of straw can be obtained by calcining it in a stove or oven. The straws, spread out into a ribbon, just need to be heated with a hot iron.
Tools for working with straws
For crafts with straw you will need the following tools and equipment:
1. PVA glue or wallpaper glue for gluing parts.
2. Brush for gluing large parts, a thin plastic (no more than a millimeter in diameter) stick or knitting needle for applying a small volume of glue.
3. A simple pencil and felt-tip pens.
4. Aniline dyes.
5. Plasticine.
6. Thread and needle, fishing line, ribbons.
7. Scissors different types: not tight and with straight ends, semicircular.
8. A knife with a short, angled blade.
9. Two rags. One is completely dry, and the other is slightly damp.
10. Tracing paper for gluing straw ribbons.
11. Cones and seeds.
12. Tweezers for picking up and holding small parts.
13. Buttons.
14. Wire for making a frame.
15. Press for leveling products.
When working with straws, you must adhere to the following simple rules: rules:
1. It is best to work at a low table (at knee level), since most of the work is carried out in weight.
2. Workplace should be clean and well lit.
3. The workplace can be equipped with shelves or boxes for storing tools, materials, and workpieces.
4. Only the essentials should be on the table: on the left - a box with straws, a block, drawings, templates; on the right - a scalpel, a knife, brushes, a jar of varnish, a bath with a sponge soaked in water, a pencil, a ruler, a square, a compass, a surface planer.
The light at work should fall from the left side.
In the kindergarten, children are taught to be creative. This helps them develop perseverance and develops fine motor skills. Most available material For children's creativity is straw. Many crafts are made from this raw material. Their variety can be found in photographs on websites where straw crafts are presented.
There are also various clubs where they conduct master classes on straw crafts for beginners. Such crafts can be attributed to the long tradition of our culture. Straw material has all the necessary properties for use in the manufacture of various crafts.
Wherever cereal plants are grown, you can find crafts made from straw. Forage remains after grain harvesting and is the cheapest raw material for creativity. It was used to make straw paintings, animal figurines and structures.
Such work can be volumetric or flat, large or small size. Working with such raw materials is suitable for children of any age. It’s so interesting to watch how unusual heroes are made from dried stems, and even with the help of their skillful hands. And although progress today does not stand still, children are still fascinated by creativity made from straw.
Distinctive properties of straw
Straw as a raw material has important characteristics:
- environmental Safety;
- cheapness;
- widespread;
- plastic;
- keeps its shape perfectly;
- thoroughness;
- ease of preparation for work.
It must be taken into account that the straw of different grain crops is different. Barley has a yellow stalk, so the straws are also bright yellow and glossy. It is well suited for children's crafts made from straw, as it stands out for its plasticity and ease of processing. Crafts made from barley straw wear rich yellow.
Rye straw is much darker. The stems of rye crops are more durable, so their straw is more often used when making large structures. Also, rye fodder is needed when making figurines of people and animals, because it holds its shape perfectly.
Forage after wheat is not long length and thick-walled. Has a golden color. It is also suitable for creating three-dimensional compositions.
Oat straw is a universal raw material. The stems are yellow in color and markedly porous. This straw is very flexible, which is why it has a wide range of uses.
When creating interesting paintings or objects, you can combine several types of straw. Thanks to this, it is possible to emphasize certain points and obtain a composition unusual beauty. Gather interesting ideas crafts made from straw are possible in specialized literature or on the Internet.
Instructions on how to make a craft from straw
Before you start making crafts, you need to thoroughly plan the entire process. If you are a beginner creator, then choose the simplest composition for your first work. This will help you master the skills of working with straw material.
After drawing up a plan, you need to prepare a place for creativity. It is more convenient to create on a large and flat table surface. You need to place it closer to the window, and also provide additional source Sveta. The surface of the table must be covered with oilcloth to protect it from glue or scratches.
Prepare and arrange all necessary equipment. This could be: various scissors, a stationery knife, tweezers, an awl, an iron, pencils, glue, thread and a needle. The list can be modified, it all depends on the complexity of the selected composition.
The next step is to prepare the base to which we will attach the straw. If the craft is flat, then fabric, plywood, or cardboard can serve as a base. And if you are planning a three-dimensional figure, then you first need to make a frame. It can be constructed from wire or wood.
Let's start processing the straw. To make it softer, you need to pour boiling water over it. Leave for a while and the stems will soften. Afterwards, we take the material out into a wet cloth and, as straws are needed for the craft, dry them with an iron.
Once all these points have been completed, you can proceed directly to the practical production of the craft.
To understand how to properly make crafts from straw with your own hands, let’s carefully analyze one example of such a craft.
Straw doll
Take some straws and fold them in half. To ensure even edges, cut them using scissors. We wrap the base with thread. As a result, we get the body and head of the doll.
To the side we make handles by analogy, marking the elbow bends on them. Using wire or toothpicks, we connect the parts to the body. The making of the doll is completed. In addition, you can make a hat and a fabric scarf, as well as draw a face.
Photos of straw crafts
Recently, the trend of building environmentally friendly houses has become increasingly popular. If you also want to follow fashion trends, then a thatched roof can complement your home.
Description
Just a few years ago it would have been surprising to see a thatched roof on luxury buildings, but today it is no longer uncommon. This choice of many consumers is due to environmental friendliness, excellent thermal insulation and lightness of the material. In houses with thatched roofs, a comfortable atmosphere is always maintained and dust does not accumulate. The material is able to retain heat well and is no worse than modern roofing coverings.
Despite the fact that the thatched roof has a fairly impressive thickness, reaching 30 centimeters, it weighs little. On square meter accounts for only 40 kilograms. After completion of the work, the under-roof space is reliably protected from meteorological conditions. In order to increase the moisture resistance of the structure, the material is impregnated with water-repellent compounds before installation. Craftsmen will not have to install hydro- and vapor barrier layers, since straw is characterized by excellent hygroscopic properties.
Review of positive characteristics
Before you start building a house and laying thatch roofing, you need to familiarize yourself with its features in more detail. Among the positive ones, one can note the low cost, which makes straw so popular among consumers. Thanks to the fairly significant slope of the roof, which is 50 degrees, water and other natural precipitation do not linger on the surface. This prevents them from getting inside. The service life of such coatings is quite long; the roof can be used for up to 30 years or more, and it will not require repairs.
Review of disadvantages
A thatched roof also has some disadvantages, among them it is worth paying attention to the fire hazard. In order to eliminate the possibility of accidental fire, the material is treated with fire retardants before installation. Those craftsmen who have already been involved in installation work where the described material was involved note the high labor intensity. Among other things, if you are used to changing the shape and color of your roof from time to time, then straw will not be the best option.
Consumer Reviews
According to users, the thatched roof was originally made from rye straw. Today you can find structures made from wild grasses, namely fescue, bromegrass, timothy, reed grass, leaftail and the like. Roofs made of reeds are quite common, which, according to consumers, is used quite often due to the long length of the stems and their flexibility.
Home craftsmen advise remembering that the complexity installation work will be supplemented by the need to independently procure the material. To do this, plants are cut with a sickle, and if you can’t find a tool, you can use quite sharp knife. In order to give the canvas the necessary bend, it should be processed with a sharpener. Some are good at beating the blades, which allows you to get jagged edges that help you cut down the stem. If you want to build a house under a thatched roof, then the preparation of roofing material must be done in dry weather in mid-summer. When you plan to use reeds, you can prepare meadow grasses along with them, which can be used as an auxiliary roofing material.
Schemes for fixing sheaves to the base
The thatched roof of a hut can be installed according to several schemes, one of which involves the use of wire stitching technology. The second involves the additional use of screws. The following techniques are accompanied by the use of nails or constrictions. In the first case, you should use a special needle into which the wire is threaded. If the sheaves will serve as a ceiling and roof, then manipulations must be carried out with the help of a second person. One craftsman will guide the needle from the inside, while the second will stitch from the outside. If the structure has a ceiling, the method may be more labor-intensive. Access to the roof from the inside will be excluded, so you can use a rounded type of needle that has special rings. The wire is fixed to the latter.
Before making a thatched roof, you must decide what laying pattern will be used. It may involve the use of wire screws. This technology is not only simple, but also fast. The sheaves should be fixed to the sheathing or beams using screws. In this case, you can get rid of the strapping under the roof, since it will not be needed. The wire must be attached to the screws in advance, which will ensure the required length of the material. If you do not have the opportunity to use the help of a second master, then you should choose this method, since fastening can be done alone.
Method of stitching with nails or constrictions
Houses with thatched roofs are often nailed in the roof area. This method can only be used on those systems that are equipped with durable sheathing. It must withstand the additional weight of the fasteners, so the requirements for it are particularly stringent. For work, you should prepare three types of nails, the first should be 300 millimeters long; it should be used to secure sheaves from the middle of the roof. The second type of nails is 250 millimeters long and is attached to the middle. The third type is the smallest, its length is 200 millimeters; these fasteners should be used for cornices.
The nails are selected in such a way that the shape is the same for all sizes; one end of the element should be pointed, while the other should be made in the form of a hook. As decorative decoration For roofs, the most commonly used scheme is flashing with constrictions. This work must be carried out using small pieces of wire, wood or bamboo stems.
Technology overview
When setting up straw work, you should start with preparing the sheaves. They are knitted using strands of straw, which are called “svyaslo”. These elements carry out dressing of the prepared material. In order for the coating to be aesthetically pleasing and neat, the sheaves should be made of the same size. They are measured in handfuls; about 8 guests will be needed to cover the roof of the house. If the gazebo or veranda is blocked, then the number should be reduced by 2 times. Prepared and well-measured bundles of straw should be laid out on a flat surface and then tied with a damp bundle. It is recommended to start in calm weather. To simplify the task, the material can be sprinkled with water. You need to start laying from the first row; single sheaves are placed in it, but you can tie elements together in twos. They will differ in density and strength. The fit to the roof is quite strong and aesthetically pleasing.
Work methodology
A gazebo can also be covered in this way; the thatched roof will be just as durable and waterproof. Before attaching the material to the roof, it is prepared. To do this, each sheaf must be placed on a solid base so that the butt part extends beyond the edge. Next, the material needs to be combed using a board with nails packed into it. During these manipulations, it will be possible to remove broken straws and all kinds of branches, as well as other debris, from the sheaf. Using a special spatula, the sheaf should be tapped at the ends and leveled. Only after this can it be lifted onto the roof.
Nuances of laying material
Experienced builders claim that it is possible to cover such a roof without using outside help, will not work. One master must feed the sheaves from below, and the rest fix them on the roof. The material should be laid as tightly as possible, the row along which the rest will be oriented should be very even. In order to eliminate mistakes, you can mark the roof or pull a rope. The number of sheaves that will be needed for laying on the roof can be easily calculated. To do this, a meter is measured on the ground, sheaves are laid out on it, which will allow you to count how many elements come out. Once you measure the length of the roof, you can determine required quantity material.
In all subsequent rows, unconnected bundles should be laid, which are pressed with pressure slats. You can fix them to the base using ropes or. In some cases, soft ropes are used. To give the system special strength and reliability, meadow grasses can be laid under a layer of reeds.
Conclusion
The finished roof should look uneven, as each row creates a small step. Some homeowners leave the roof this way, believing that it adds curb appeal to the house. But traditionally, steps can be leveled using a special comb, which is made from boards with cutouts on one side and nails on the other. Before starting work, many craftsmen wonder what a thatched roof is called. In different areas there are different names, namely: knitting, svyaslo or sling.
Recently, natural and harmless materials in construction have become very popular. Therefore, more and more often you can come across the question of how to make a thatched roof, what a thatched roof is and how many years it can serve “faithfully.”
A thatched and reed roof only means general concept roof coverings. So, the material can be not only straw, but also reeds, palm leaves, sedge, reeds and many other similar plants. A house with a thatched roof looks simply amazing, against the backdrop of urban metal and slate roofs.
Pros and cons of a thatched roof
In most cases, reeds are chosen for work of this type, since their service life can reach 50 years. Another advantage of this plant is its flexibility. It allows you to make the roof yourself weird shape. Nowadays, a thatched roof and reed roofing is an indicator of wealth and is considered elite among a variety of roofs.
Natural thermoregulation. This advantage of both straw and reed coverings allows you to maintain a comfortable microclimate in the premises. There is no need to install forced ventilation, since the material is like wood coverings, is able to “breathe”. In addition, straw keeps the building cool during the hot season and does not allow heat to pass through during the cold season.
Unique appearance thatched and reed roofing. Due to the fact that all work is done by hand, the roof becomes truly unique. Thatch also gives the roof an original appearance. Any roof can be covered with thatch, regardless of its size.
Elimination of appearance harmful insects. If no mistakes were made during the installation of the roof, then the appearance of harmful insects in the straw is absolutely excluded. The thing is that when covering the roof, the straw is compressed very tightly, thereby making the roof very dense and insects cannot settle inside it.
In addition, reed and thatch roofing does not accumulate dust and is protected from the appearance of microorganisms. This happens thanks to a special impregnation done during production. It also provides protection against moisture absorption, the appearance of fungus and loss of shape.
Elimination of flammability. Recently, engineers have managed to produce a product that can reduce the risk of fire to a minimum. It is also recommended to install additional fire sprinklers.
Environmental friendliness and low weight of reed and thatch roofs. The materials are completely harmless to human health and are also beneficial. Using straw can significantly save on strengthening the foundation.
Disadvantages of thatch and reed roofing
Complex and long installation. All work must be done manually, so it is not only time-consuming, but also expensive. That is why roofing made of straw and reeds is considered elite today, because you need to spend a lot of time and effort on its creation.
High price of material. The coating itself is also much more expensive than regular coating. However, its use eliminates the need for a waterproofing coating, as well as a heat-insulating layer.
As can be seen from the above, thatch and reed roofing has more advantages than disadvantages. Therefore, the question of how to make a thatched roof is fully justified by the naturalness and harmlessness of the materials used.
Creating paintings from straw is a decorative and applied art associated with dried plants and cereals, which presents amazing masterpieces of craftsmanship. They make you admire both the perfection of the greatness of the world and its extraordinary beauty. Sometimes you wonder - how could this be made from a simple straw?
What is a straw? These are dry stalks of grain crops. What's so special about it? But what is special is the sun’s shine and the energy accumulated by the plant during growth and maturation, the natural energy of light, sun and beauty. Look at ours, doesn’t it really give off the warmth and smell of summer?
Preparing straw for work
Without properly prepared straw for work, a florist is just an artist without paints. Indeed, in “straw” floristry, various stems are used cereal crops(cultivated and wild). They serve as the material for making the most interesting works - paintings made from straw. The main thing is not to miss, to have time to collect and dry the collected ears in time.
The straw is collected shortly before the harvest. And during the period of milk maturity, the rye is cut off. Although even when overripe, the ears can be surprisingly beautiful. It all depends on the soil, the variety of cereals, the amount sunlight and precipitation.
Raw straw material
A how to make straw suitable for handicrafts? Straw material can be prepared using a hot method: a tube in a soaked and steamed state turns into a soft, beautiful plate or ribbon when cut and ironed.
With the cold preparation method, the cut straw tube is firmly clamped on both sides with the rings of scissors and thus “ironed” several times. Cold-processed ribbons acquire better shine, brightness and elasticity, which allows you to create more original crafts.
The richness of natural tones and shades of straw ears is various varieties and different periods of their collection. Although, the same straw will have lighter shades, only dried not in the sun, but in the shade. If you need to get special color shades of straw ribbons, there are also additional methods their painting and bleaching.
- Can bleach straw, placing it in a solution of hydrogen peroxide for several hours;
- Dark shades are acquired by boiling straws (for example) in a decoction of onion peels;
- To get lemon or bright - yellow shades, during the period of boiling the straws, add baking soda (calculated at 1 teaspoon per 1 liter of water);
- Many florists do not use straw dyes, but use various methods burning: with a soldering iron, a burner, in the oven. Safety precautions must be observed here.
Straw ribbons It’s not a matter of color at all, but a combination of different shades of shadows and penumbras, the choice of the direction of the fibers, the choice of texture. This can be seen clearly in the picture. Go for it! Everything is in your hands and depends on the vision and experience of each master!
