A straw mobile is a mobile made from reeds, straw or other similar material bound together with string, often forming geometric shapes such as octahedrons, and can be decorated further with craft supplies such as wood, yarn, or feathers. Such mobiles have been traditional in Northern Europe, Eastern Europe, and some countries in Central Europe (such as Poland and Germany) where they may serve as symbolic or religious decorations. Modern variations can be made from materials like brass or plastic.
In 2023, Lithuanian straw mobile “sodai” making has been inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. [1]
Different cultures have different names for straw mobiles. [2] For example, in some Germanic cultures they are often known as himmeli (heavens), while in Slavic cultures they are known as pajak (spider).
Name | Culture | Photo | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Саламяны павук, Павук | Belarus | ||
pająk, kierec | Poland | Pająki are often colourfully decorated [3] and the minimal form can use straw-only. | |
Різдвяний павук | Ukraine | ||
sodas, [1] liktorius, voras, žarondelis, šiaudinukai | Lithuania | Sodai translates to 'Gardens' in English, it can be translated as 'Chandeliers' as well. [4] | |
Паук | Russia | ||
Himmeli, olkihimmeli | Finland | While himmelis are no longer standard in Finnish homes, some people have taken on the tradition and revitalised it. [5] | |
jõulukroon, näärikroon, äll | Estonia | ||
puzuris, lukturis, krīģis, spurgulis | Latvia | ||
Himmeli | Germany | ||
halmkrone, julekrone, julekrune | Norway | ||
Himmeli | Swedish | Himmeli' (from Swedish : himmel – "heaven" and "sky") The himmeli base shape consists of 12 fragments, which symbolize the 12 months. [6] They are used as decorations from Christmas until Midsummer. Modern himmeli are also made of plywood, paper and even plastic straws. [7] Their purpose is to ensure a good harvest in the following year, and it functions as a home for the crop spirit. [8] It hangs from the ceiling over the dinner table. [5] [9] The larger the himmeli the larger the rye crop. [9] |
Straw mobiles are geometric structures, with the main diamond pattern thought to be reminiscent of the shape of the fields that farmers used. [8] The patterns vary from simple to extremely complex, from a diamond to an octahedron.[7] Regardless of the pattern, straw mobiless are symmetrical from their hanging points. Different patterns are created by the straw mobile as it rotates. [5]
In addition to increased popularity in their traditional form, straw mobiles have also experienced modern twists within the craft and décor community. Alternative materials such as straws and metal tubes have become common. [10] [11] [12] Straw mobiles made out of metal tubes are sold as year-round décor as opposed to solely a Christmastime fixture. [9] [13] [14] Sometimes they keep the same form as a mobile, but some retailers sell Straw mobiles designed to hold air plants or potted plants. [9] [13] [14] Straw mobiles have even made it into high-end design. Designer Paul Loebach used himmelis as inspiration for a line of pendant lights and his designs have also been recreated by other companies. [15] [16] Another way that Straw mobiles have gained popularity is as a simple craft. While Straw mobiles can be extremely intricate and complex, smaller versions are relatively easy to make, resulting in many websites creating how-to articles and suggesting it as a kid’s craft. [10] [11] [12] [17] [18] Some websites give a list of materials, while other retailers sell prefabricated kits with all the necessary supplies.
Straw mobiles have inspired other artworks that incorporate similar geometric patterns, [19] such as a 5.2m sculpture made of aluminum and LED lights by artist Ray Bartkus. [20]
The process of creating a straw mobile begins with the harvest. The best straw of the rye harvest [21] is cut into sections about 2m long and laid out to dry. The rye changes from green to a golden brown and the process takes several weeks. Once dried, the rye is cut at the joints and separated into groups based on the thickness of the stalk. At this point the construction itself can begin. The straw is cut into sections of the desired length and thread is threaded through the hollow stems to join them together. The thread should be hidden within the straw and near invisible when viewing the Straw mobiles. [5]
Beadwork is the art or craft of attaching beads to one another by stringing them onto a thread or thin wire with a sewing or beading needle or sewing them to cloth. Beads are produced in a diverse range of materials, shapes, and sizes, and vary by the kind of art produced. Most often, beadwork is a form of personal adornment, but it also commonly makes up other artworks.
Cross-stitch is a form of sewing and a popular form of counted-thread embroidery in which X-shaped stitches in a tiled, raster-like pattern are used to form a picture. The stitcher counts the threads on a piece of evenweave fabric in each direction so that the stitches are of uniform size and appearance. This form of cross-stitch is also called counted cross-stitch in order to distinguish it from other forms of cross-stitch. Sometimes cross-stitch is done on designs printed on the fabric ; the stitcher simply stitches over the printed pattern. Cross-stitch is often executed on easily countable fabric called aida cloth, whose weave creates a plainly visible grid of squares with holes for the needle at each corner.
Straw marquetry is a craft very similar to that of wood marquetry, except that straw replaces the wood veneer. It is thought to have first been practised in the East; examples were brought to England in the 17th century.
Hardanger embroidery or "Hardangersøm" is a form of embroidery traditionally worked with white thread on white even-weave linen or cloth, using counted thread and drawn thread work techniques. It is sometimes called whitework embroidery.
Bobbin lace is a lace textile made by braiding and twisting lengths of thread, which are wound on bobbins to manage them. As the work progresses, the weaving is held in place with pins set in a lace pillow, the placement of the pins usually determined by a pattern or pricking pinned on the pillow.
In geometry, the truncated octahedron is the Archimedean solid that arises from a regular octahedron by removing six pyramids, one at each of the octahedron's vertices. The truncated octahedron has 14 faces, 36 edges, and 24 vertices. Since each of its faces has point symmetry the truncated octahedron is a 6-zonohedron. It is also the Goldberg polyhedron GIV(1,1), containing square and hexagonal faces. Like the cube, it can tessellate 3-dimensional space, as a permutohedron.
The decorative arts are arts or crafts whose aim is the design and manufacture of objects that are both beautiful and functional. This includes most of the objects for the interiors of buildings, as well as interior design, but typically excludes architecture. Ceramic art, metalwork, furniture, jewellery, fashion, various forms of the textile arts and glassware are major groupings.
Jamdani is a fine muslin textile produced for centuries in South Rupshi of Narayanganj district in Bangladesh on the bank of Shitalakhwa river.
Armenian needlelace is a pure form of needle lace made using only a needle, thread and pair of scissors.
Amigurumi is the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small, stuffed yarn creatures. The word is a compound of the Japanese words 編み ami, meaning "crocheted or knitted", and 包み kurumi, literally "wrapping", as in 縫い包み nuigurumi "(sewn) stuffed doll". Amigurumi vary in size and there are no restrictions about size or look. While the art of amigurumi has been known in Japan for several decades, the craft first started appealing to the masses in other countries, especially in the West, in 2003. By 2006, amigurumi were reported to be some of the most popular items on Etsy, an online craft marketplace, where they typically sold for $10 to $100.
Persian embroidery is a type of Persian art and handicraft.
Straw paintings are craft objects made by shaping straw into patterns and representational images.
Embroidery in India includes dozens of embroidery styles that vary by region and clothing styles. Designs in Indian embroidery are formed on the basis of the texture and the design of the fabric and the stitch. The dot and the alternate dot, the circle, the square, the triangle, and permutations and combinations of these constitute the design.
Torchon lace is a bobbin lace that was made all over Europe. It is continuous, with the pattern made at the same time as the ground. Typical basic stitches include whole stitch, half stitch, and twists, and common motifs include spiders and fans. Torchon lace was notable historically for being coarse and strong, as well as consisting of simple geometric patterns and straight lines. It did not use representational designs, for the most part.
Reed mats are handmade mats of plaited reed or other plant material.
The maker culture is a contemporary subculture representing a technology-based extension of DIY culture that intersects with hardware-oriented parts of hacker culture and revels in the creation of new devices as well as tinkering with existing ones. The maker culture in general supports open-source hardware. Typical interests enjoyed by the maker culture include engineering-oriented pursuits such as electronics, robotics, 3-D printing, and the use of computer numeric control tools, as well as more traditional activities such as metalworking, woodworking, and, mainly, its predecessor, traditional arts and crafts.
Lacemaking in Croatia is a tradition dating back to the Renaissance when lacemaking began spreading throughout the Mediterranean and continental Europe. Throughout the years, Croatian lace has become notable for its unique patterns and designs. In 2009, UNESCO recognised lacemaking in Croatia as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Threadbanger is an American YouTube channel run by Rob Czar and Corinne Leigh producing primarily DIY and crafting content. The channel is known for such series as Man vs. Pin, Corinne vs. Pin, Man vs. House, and the YouTube Red series Do or DIY.
Annelise Caroline Knudtzon née Kiær (1914–2006) was a Norwegian textile artist. From 1946, she managed her own studio in Oslo where she and her employees produced brightly coloured hand-woven woolen fabrics, especially upholstery. In collaboration with the painter Knut Rumohr, she revived the old technique of using rye straw for weaving. Together they produced carpets with abstract designs based on nature. Knudtzon designed patterns for the Norwegian textile firm Røros Tweed from 1958 to 1975. In 1984, she received the Jacob Prize, a Norwegian cultural award.
Vytautas Katkus is a Lithuanian film director, cinematographer, and screenwriter.
Media related to Himmeli at Wikimedia Commons