Marian Vavra Wheat Art: Symbolic Ornaments
If the art piece is already made, it will be mailed out in two to three days. If the piece needs to be handmade, Marian will need one to three weeks. Marian will be in communication with the customer through email, text, or phone during this time.
Material - Each piece is made from hand-cut Kansas Hard Red Winter Wheat
Treble Clef: Music symbols are meaningful for many people. Here six stems of Kansas wheat are woven together to create a lovely, round textured plait. Carefully twisted into the shape of the Treble Clef, this art piece makes a special gift for music lovers. A red and black checked ribbon decorates this treble clef or Marian will work with the customer for ribbon variations.
Size - The size varies due to the natural properties of wheat. The piece is sewn into place on a 4.5” w x 9”h cardstock for packaging.
Flower Ornament: A ring of plaited wheat straw makes this a lovely ornament as it showcases the wheat heads in an artistic way. Six straws are wrapped around a straw-covered-wire to create this unique design called an arrow-plait. When the plaiting is finished Marian takes her thumb and forefinger and bends it into the shape of a circle or oval. A silk or paper flower is added to the wheat heads along with a bit of ribbon. Here the ornament uses a pink paper rose and a jute bow or Marian will work with the customer for embellishment variations.
Size - The size varies due to the natural properties of wheat. The piece is sewn into place on a 3½” w x 5”- 6”h cardstock for packaging.
Horseshoe and Tassel: Kansas has a strong culture of horse breeding, raising them for pleasure and for ranching. This ornament pays honor to them by using straw with an authentic horsehair tassel and a horseshoe nail. The horseshoe shape uses six straws wrapped around a straw-covered-wire to create this unique design called an arrow-plait. When the plaiting is finished Marian takes her thumb and forefinger and bends it into the horseshoe shape. The tassel and nail are then tied on to complete the art piece.
Material - Hand-cut Kansas Hard Red Winter Wheat, authentic horseshoe nails and horsehair.
Size - The size varies due to the natural properties of wheat. The piece is sewn into place on a 3½” w x 5”- 6”h cardstock for packaging.
From Field to Table Sunflower Ornament: This wheat weaving design was created by Marian to decorate the dinner plates for a Kansas harvest celebration in 2018. She and Daughter Christy made eighty five of them! Each one uses seven straws to create the arrow-plait. The sunflower is made from yellow and orange dyed straw that is flattened and applied with glue to a lightweight paper. When dried, a paper punch cuts the flower shapes. A green checked ribbon finishes the ornament.
Size - The size varies due to the natural properties of wheat. The piece is sewn into place on a 5”- 6” w x 8”- 9”h cardstock for packaging.
Candy Cane or Sheppard’s Crook: Biblically known as the Sheppard’s Crook this traditional Christmas ornament will look festive on the Christmas tree or used as a package tie for the presents under the tree. A red and black checked ribbon decorates the ornament. Marian will work with the customer for ribbon variations.
Size - The size varies due to the natural properties of wheat. The piece is sewn into place on a 5” w x 8 ½” h cardstock for packaging.
About Marian Vavra Wheat Art
Rose Hill, Kansas
Marian SyWassink Vavra gathers and artistically works with wheat. During the beginning of June every year, Marian cuts the first harvest from the bountiful Kansas wheat fields, doing so a week to ten days before the wheat is ready for the farmers to combine. She uses a hand-held sickle to cut heirloom Turkey Red and Larned wheat varieties along with the newest production varieties from her garden and area farms. Sundried, cleaned and sorted, the golden wheat is ready to use.
From this wheat she creates traditional and contemporary straw art, specializing in sacred religious symbols. Marian creates harvest symbols, love tokens, house blessings, ornaments, jewelry, crosses, and much more. She is available for commissioned artwork, group presentations and hands-on projects. And, she works with families to design memorial art from the last wheat harvests of their loved ones.
In 2016, Marian published her book Celebrating the Cross: The Sanctuary Crosses of Marian SyWassink Vavra. Woven into this colorful, photograph-filled book are the stories and inspiration for the design of nine masterpiece crosses. It is also a comprehensive how-to, technique filled book with instructions and illustrations so others can recreate her art and make their own.
For more information, visit https://www.fromthelandofkansas.com/member/family-handcrafts
