Create straw trophies and decorations with Penny Malty as part of our Beautiful and Useful Craft Fair 2025.
Penny Maltby from the Ministry of Straw will be leading this fun workshop in how to make a harvest trophy decoration. Using traditional corn dolly techniques and heritage wheat, you will learn how to tie the straw workers’ preferred knot and make a small item such as a love knot to practice your skills. Penny will then show you how to make your harvest trophy in a round or heart shape using the arrow plait and additional wheat heads, all adorned with a ribbon of your choice.
Bio
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Penny Maltby
Penny Maltby
Penny Maltby is a designer-maker and strawworker based in Oxford. She teaches traditional straw work skills to arts organisations, individuals, corporate clients and works to commission for film and TV. Drawing on her interest in heritage crafts, straw techniques and stories from rural customs and traditions, she has designed a range of contemporary textiles. These celebrate the shapes and aesthetics of her craft with modern and wearable interpretations. She describes her work as ‘looking both ways’: to the past for the techniques and traditions, and to the future using sustainable digital production methods for her luxury silk scarf designs. Wherever possible her materials and production are UK-based.
