Hello! i'm Janine the maker behind May Queen Crafts. I create traditional and contemporary straw work, plaited straw jewellery and home decorations. My work is inspired by golden wheat fields, the turning seasons, dried flowers, rural traditions and folklore.
I plaited my first stems of straw at a country Fair in Essex in 2012 and from that moment I was hooked. I bought up all the books I could find and attended workshops with the Guild of Straw Craftsmen to learn the skills and techniques used in the traditional craft. I started selling my straw work along with dried flower headdresses and home decorations at local craft markets in Bristol and North Somerset and ever since May Queen Crafts has been a journey of creative development and passion for my craft.
I use UK grown wheat straw varieties, rye grass and oats sourced from farmers growing especially for the craft and the dried flowers I use are sourced from UK growers or grown on my allotment. My work is grounded in the turning seasons and the history and rural traditions that surround straw crafts and I am continuously inspired by the creative possibilities of this heritage craft.
