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Lugh Decorations -
Corn dollies -
Any wheat weaving crafts -
Shafts of grain -
Sunflowers -
Indian corn -
Bread Lammas Centerpiece
(For Lughnasadh) Materials: - Basket or floral pot
- Floral foam (to stick fake flowers into)
- Dried or fake flowers resembling wheat
- Dried or fake flowers in blue or orange
- Small fake sunflowers or sunflower vine
- Indian corn
- Raffia or husk to make dolly
Directions: Simply arrange the items in the basket or pot in an aesthetically pleasing fashion. The dolly is made by folding the raffia or husk so that a loop of it resembles the head of a doll, and then it is tied with white ribbon. Arms can also be added with extra husk or raffia, but that is unnecessary; the dolly can also be dressed as a pregnant woman at this time if desired. Ritual use: The dolly can be made in ritual to symbolize the pregnant mother Goddess who is giving forth her bounty in the form of the harvest (but is still pregnant with the stored bounty of the future harvest). The dolly can be made and placed ceremoniously among the centerpiece. Corn Dolly
(For Lughnasadh) Materials: -
Wheat straw, hollow straws, or raffia -
Yarn or string -
Small amount of cloth -
Optional: A receptacle to display finished product, such as a basket or a horn of plenty -
Optional: Decorations for the dolly or her display case Directions: If you're using real wheat straw, you should get it when it is almost ripe but not totally dry yet. It should still be green at the bottom. Dry for a day, hung up, and then cut off the leaves and the head of the wheat below its first joint. When you use it it should be soaked before you try to bend it, for about half an hour. If you don't have access to the real thing, the best craft material to use is raffia, and it doesn't need to be moistened. It is easily found at the craft stores and resembles flattened straw. There are a lot of ways to make a dolly out of the material, but here is just one easy way. First, take a large clump--maybe fifteen to twenty-five strands--and cut it so that it is about a foot and a half long. This will be the main body of the dolly. Fold it over in half. If it seems too long right now to be the size of dolly you want, you should cut it, because it is not going to get any shorter during the process. Now, where the stalks are folded is going to be the top of the dolly's head. Take the string or yarn and tie it around the entire bundle about an inch and a half down from the top; that tie will be the mark of her neck. Before you tie off the section that makes her body, you'll need to make arms. This is easy; take more of your stalks and make a longer but thinner bundle--four to six stalks ought to do it--and fold them over. Tie off at the ends and cut the looped end so it is frayed just like the other side. The little frays represent her hands. Stick the arm bundle into the main bundle right under the neck, and then tie off the main bundle under the arms. That way they cannot slip out the bottom but can still be moved side to side or diagonally shifted. At this point the bottom of the main bundle is frayed and splayed out a bit like a skirt. This is the simplest form of corn dolly, and it can now be considered finished if all you need is a very basic doll for your purpose. However, you can of course take a few extra steps, especially if this is to be ornamental rather than just ritually used. You may want to make your corn dolly a dress. It is easy to cut a small piece of material--use a color or pattern that matches the season or a country print--and cut it in sort of an hourglass shape. Make a hole for the head at the center of the hourglass, and pull it over her head, then tie at the waist. The sides will be open but it doesn't much matter since it's just for effect. If you like you can even make a smaller version to make her an apron. Also, a nice touch is giving her wheat stalk or raffia hair. Of course, for hair you can use any material, but we'll take it for granted that you are not making the dolly to be professional-looking, it is a natural craft, so it is more likely that using the same material as you used for the rest of her body will be most appropriate. For hair, take a few strands of straw and loop them again; when looped it should be as long as you want her hair to be on either side. You'll put it through the slightly closed loop made by her head. If you want this to be really easy, you may want to thread the hair piece in before tying it up, like you did with the arms. Otherwise it's still possible but you may have trouble forcing it in. In any case, thread it through the head-hole and open it up on either side, then bring it up on top of her head and tie it in a double knot. You can then leave it loose if it looks nice, or give her a braid on either side. Then it is up to you how you dress her up; some nice touches are giving her a necklace, like a twig star or a string bracelet, or you can give her a bouquet of seasonal dried flowers for her hand. Use your imagination. But it is not considered part of the traditional craft to give her a face. The corn dolly makes a nice addition to a basket of fallen leaves or pinecones, or a wall-mounted horn of plenty with dried flowers or wheat stalks (with the heads on) protruding from behind her. Ritual use: This could be the same dolly used in other crafts, such as the dolly for Brigit's Bed. If that is the case, keep these other rituals and their purposes in mind as she has come to another spoke on the wheel. If this dolly was created just for this Sabbat, it can be placed on the altar during ritual and used to represent the harvest; if you have gone the simple route and not dressed it up, it is appropriate to use it as if it is the sacrifice for the harvest, and buried outside with any other libations from the ritual. It can instead be kept and hung up in the kitchen during the season and through the winter, where it can be buried or converted to a Spring symbol when the winter is past. |
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Corn Necklace Obtain an ear of fresh corn (I would probably use the one with the big and tough kernels, in fact the larger and tougher the better but not completely dried.) Break the ear in half after the husk has been removed and then begin popping off the kernels, beginning at the broken end of each half and going around and around. Try not to break the kernels in half, but to leave the white points on them. Then, with about two or three feet of heavy thread on a large needle, begin stringing the kernels by putting the needle through the very center of each one. When the strand is long enough to make a necklace (one ear is usually more than enough) tie the ends of the thread together and hang the necklace in a warm, dry place for a few weeks.
The kernels will dry, shrivel and shrink, and it may be necessary to tighten the knot. You can also use Indian corn that has been field died as it has beautiful colors. You want to be able to use this necklace year after year so you need to spray with polyurethane or varnish to protect from moths. Seed and Corn Necklaces Materials - Dried beans (several different kinds and colors)
- Dried corn which has already been removed from the cob
- Dried corn on the cob ("Indian" corn)
- 1 yard heavy thread or dental floss for each child
- 1 tapestry needle for each child
- finger bandages (just in case somebody gets stuck!
Prepare the strings in advance by threading the needles and knotting the end. Prepare the beans and dried corn by soaking overnight in water.
- Show the children the ear of dried corn (Not the corn you soaked!) and show them how the kernels can be removed from the cob. (Twist the cob firmly in your hands while holding it over a towel or blanket. The corn should pop off--once you get it started it isn't difficult to remove all the kernels.)
- Show the children how to use the needle to poke a hole through the center of each corn kernel and bean. Alternate corn and beans or make some other pattern.
- When the strand of strung seeds is about 24" long, set it aside overnight or hang it in the sun to dry (the seeds will shrink slightly). When it is dry, push together the seeds to cover any spaces which may have formed.
- Tie the ends together in an overhand knot and cut off excess string. Slip the necklace over your head or wind it around your wrist as a bracelet.
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Rosemary & Roses Candle Difficulty level: 1, adult help needed - paraffin wax
- wick
- pencil
- candle mold
- miniature roses, or large rose petals
- lots of springs of fresh rosemary, cut to different lengths
Cut wick to desired length (length of candle mold plus 3 inches).
Tie wick to pencil and lie pencil over candle mold with the wick inside the mold.
Gently heat paraffin wax in an old tin in a pan of hot water.
Drop a few petals/flowers and rosemary in mold.
Carefully pour some wax into the mold.
Add some more petals/flowers and rosemary, then more wax, and so on until the mold is full.
Let cool.
Remove pencil and remove candle from mold. |
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Maple Oatmeal Soap difficulty level: 1, adult supervision required - 1 bar Ivory soap, grated
- oatmeal
- a little maple syrup
- soap molds
Mix soap, oatmeal, and maple in a microwave-safe bowl.
Microwave for 30 seconds.
Pour into soap molds, let cool |
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Herbed Dream Pillows Difficulty level: 2, adult help needed
DO NOT ingest herbs or oils. - piece of plain or muslin cloth
- piece of fancy cloth or of a material you can decorate
- your choice of herbs and oils (look below)
- eyedropper
- wooden or glass bowl
- wooden spoon
(Never mix herbs and oils with or in anything metal.) Cut out two pieces of muslin or plain cloth 12" x 8", these will hold the herbs.
Place he wrong sides of the material (if there are any) together.
With a 3/4-inch seam allowance stitch the two 8" sides and one of the 12" sides.
Three sides of the fabric should be sown.
Turn this little bag inside out so the seams are now on the inside.
This is the "inner pillow" in which you will put your herbal mixture.
Using the fancier material cut two more pieces of material 12" x 8".
Stitch them the same as the "inner pillow" except sew only with a 3/8" seam allowance.
As with the inner pillow, turn it so the seams are on the inside.
If you wish embroider it in any design or decorate it with fabric paints, do it now.
If you plan to make this cover removable for washing, turn down a small hem on the open end and attach small Velcro disks or snaps to keep it closed.
In a large wooden or glass bowl, mix together the herbs you have chosen with a wooden spoon.
This is done gently, like tossing a salad.
With the eyedropper, add the chosen oils to the herbs.
Use no more than a total of 5-6 drops at a time until you reach the strength you desire. Remember what smells nice standing over the bowl may well be too strong when you sleep on the pillow, use restraint.
Fill your "inner pillow" with the herbal mixture.
Don't pack it full or it will be uncomfortable to sleep on. Leave it a little flat.
Turn in a little of the open end so the raw edges are inside, then sew this end shut.
Slide this inside your decorated cover, attach the fasteners, and you are ready for sweet dreams. Oils
Bergamot: (not the mint kind) soothes the nerves, gives relaxing sleep.
Hyacinth: stops nightmares.
Jasmine: helps increase psychic dreams, lifts depression, quiets the nerves;
is calming.
Lavender: relaxing deep sleep.
Lilac: recalling past lives.
Mimosa: prophetic dreams; getting to the truth; making decisions. Herbs
Angelica : prophetic dreams and visions.
Anise: use just a little to repel nightmares.
Bay Laurel: inspiration; repels negativity.
Cedar: helps to repel bad dreams.
Cloves: use just a tiny amount because of the strong odor. Retrieving buried memories.
Hops: restful sleep and healing.
Marjoram: relieves depression.
Mugwort: visions and prophetic dreams.
Mullein: repels bad dreams.
Rosemary: use just a little as it is very strongly scented. Avoid nightmares and headaches.
St. Johns Wort: banishes spirits.
Valerian: deep rest. Some cats love this herb as much as catnip so keep it
out of their reach! (Valerian is the root used to make valium, keep this out children's reach |
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