My witch's broom

My besom

A witch's broom

My witch's broom. It started as The Twisted Sisters, which had some halloween vibes put onto it, and was all cool and stuff, but... oh my GOODNESS is it inconvenient! I mean those branches sticking out, they look awesome, it wouldn't even look right without them, but WOW was it getting in the way! And FRAGILE. So after years of it sitting sitting with the other staves, forever making everything inaccessible, staves getting caught behind it, around it, those branches just *forever* being in the way. And I frustrated around it, until one day, someone in one of my online groups mentioned making a besom. And over the past, others have done so, and it was all awesome and stuff. And one day after it stuck in my craw one too many times, I decided, the best way to solve this was to turn The Twisted Sisters, which had been my default witch's broom because of the branches anyway, into a full besom. The bristles would protect the fragile head, bulk up the head around the branches in general to keep it from snagging on everything, and I could hang it on the wall to keep it out of the way in general, until actually using it for witchy purposes, like sweeping out the bad energy and such, also maybe sweeping in general.

So, to fill it with good energy from the start, I went on a walk around to look for the leaves from the cabbage palm trees around England. There's some sticks in there too, roots, even some grass straw. I found my way to a large foresty area and spoke with the forest Spirits there, and was offered specific branches and sticks and such, which found their way into the first layer or so of the broom. Also a crow feather, since I wear a crow pendant around my neck. And the palm fronds (more technically I suppose palm leaves, since this particular type of palm has long individual leaves rather than the fan style, which are also around, but wouldn't make as good of broom bristles, but I digress), those have more or less been somewhere nearby to where I live every since my first time even meeting Abby in London, so it seemed fitting to use that as the majority of the besom bristles. Also, they would make for a fairly nice sweeping broom as a whole.

And so with supplies gathered, we used some elastics to get our first layer of leaves wrapped around the staff (also where most of the branches, twigs, and feather are), and conveniently the leaves are able to bend over the elastic without breaking, so that I could cover the elastic with an elegant folded band of leaves. We then did the same to add our second layer of leaves over and slightly below the first, making for an elegant widening of the broom. I mean, the stave's branches are still gonna stick out, but it'll be a LOT better. And it can always be reverted to The Twisted Sisters down the road if I wish, and just remake my besom. But we'll give this thing several more layers of bristles to at least get a lot closer. I set the first layer to about the middle point of the grip, since I pictured that just looking the best, with that bit of swirly carving leading to the broom head, but not too much.

And at this point, mid July when this began, I've now gathered all of the palm leaves in my surrounding area, and must wait for more to fall throughout the autumn.

Stage 1 made July 16, 2025

The head of The Twisted Sisters, which at this point has a splash of blood looking paint on it, a halloweeny touch. But those branches, sticking out from all sides about 3 inches apiece, were just too inconvenient to work around. And so, my default witch's broom would become a more darling, more traditional looking broom.

The beginning stages, the head of the staff surrounded by dry light brown palm leaves, several feet long, thin, but durable and very much broom like. The heads of all of the leaves, where they fell from the tree, are all sticking out about 3 inches from an elastic holding them all to the staff, covering about half of where the handle grip once was.

The first two layers of leaves being attached, and tied with white string tightly over the folded second layer of leaves, which are set about an inch and a half below the folded band of the first layer.

The broom being held up to show what was once the grip and part of the lower part the staff, and the entirety of the broom head, which is still somewhat thin after having been tied tight at the top, and bundled close with a green pipe cleaner wire lower down.

And then more leaves were collected! It took like... literally months, just finding one or two leaves, maybe like 5 or 6 after a strong windy day, but every day or so I went out and collected any of the fallen leaves and gathered them together. And now finally... we have enough!

Barely. For the last few, I had to go scrounging in the bushes and beside the parked cars to get the last few, but it's... NEARLY done! And should be, tomorrow, the day before Samhain/Halloween, so that seems almost destined.

So, we sat down, put a big elastic around the two-tiered broom bristle head like you can see above, and proceeded to tuck aaaall off the (keep a note of that) leaves under that elastic, which just nicely, densely circled the other bristles, and I wound a few circles of cotton string to firm up where the elastic was. I then, like before, folded the bases of all of the leaves over (wow these leaves are awesome, SO STRONG), and then, with considerable difficulty, got a series of pipe clamps attached around that, because it was INCONCEIVABLE for me to get it that tight with string alone, and also I wanted the added tightness to keep the head from sliding up and down the handle (there's no physical attachment yet, until the strings will trap it between those outjutting branches, but also to really secure it all together). So we clamped it down... quite solid with the pipe clamps, not overboard but solid, and... I had a dilemma. Those leaf bottoms were really enjoying splaying out, quite stubbornly. I mean... I *could* probably just power them down with string, but... it was gonna get a wash anyway at some point (I figured at the end tbh), but like... maaaaybe water will soften up the leaves for me. Or maybe with the pipe clamp, the water will cause it all to swell, and they'll all snap and sproing apart at the clamp, who knows! So we gave it a shot, it's gotta get water eventually, may as well be now. So I took it into the shower and gave it a good scruffling and rinsing, and really soaked it well, and... oh WOW, that was the best idea ever, those leaf bases just flattened RIGHT down, nothing sproinged apart, everything tamed together, like, look at those first two photos here, just much more bunched together, and I wrapped some tape around those now flattened down leaf bases so it would dry flat, and we let it dry, and we started stringing the head together and it's looking awesome.

And then I was left with another question. I don't want it just sitting on the ground bristle-down, because the leaves tend to bend, and if it sits in one position for a long time, like all brooms, it'll permanently acquire a curvature like that. Now, I've been pondering... how do I want to display it. Over the door, ehh, kinda... well, you can see the door is in the corner, it wouldn't be centered. Upside-down just leaning in a corner? Ehh, then the bristles will droop over time. Dangle it from a loop thing? I think we have a solution. So we made a loop thing! Or more specifically, since I had previously used *all* the leaves, I at this point scrounged outside for the last few leaves I could find, and found enough! And so, I soaked the leaves in hot water for a bit, braided the three longest leaves together, and kinda... not really knowing a technique, wound this braid around the handle, kept from slipping off by a convenient knot in the wood (I like having knots near the base of my staves for added fibre bundles), made a loop to put over a wall hook, and tied the ends together in, well, take the thin part, have that go around and through the wide part a few times (WOW I am always more impressed by how strong these things are, not a SINGLE LEAF broke through all of this knotting), and... there ya go!

And so, we have exactly one more update to go. Presently, it dangles from the wall, both because the leaf bases that were covered by tape to keep them flat were still slightly damp, so that's open (in photo 4) to be allowed to dry (the current tape there is overtop of string only), and the only reason I'm not stringing that right now-now is so that the loop at the top can dry into the shape of the hook on the wall, and with weight on it. So that gets to dry overnight, and I fully expect part 3 to be complete... tomorrow.

Stage 2 done October 29, 2025

The bristles of the broom, facing upwards, with the third tier of leaves tightly clamped with metal pipe clamps, and the bristles lightly held together with a green pipe cleaner.

The broom, held with the bristles down, right after being washed, with all of the bristles now relaxed closer together, and the leaf bases taped tightly to flatten them as they begin to dry. The pipe cleaner has also been tightened somewhat to keep the leaves drying straight.

The top of the handle, with a braid of cabbage leaves wound twice around the handle, pushed through itself, and then knotted at the top after a loop has been created, and the leaves snipped off about a centimeter or so above the knot.

The full view of the besom hanging on the wall, behind the door when it's open to stay out of the way, and also I had wall space there, with the carvings of the twisted sisters running down the handle, leading up to the three tier broom head, a portion of string tightly wound around where the pipe clamps once were, and with a second, wider, finished band of string wound around the bristles between two of the branches, to lock the head into place on the staff.

And with one more sleep, the final steps were taken. With all of the leaf bases now dry, we trimmed them all down to the same length going down, tapering them up so it's not such a large step, and to follow the grade of the gentlest of the naturally tapered leaves, and proceeded to wind a whoooooole pile of string around the head.

And technically we needed ooooone more leaf, because one of the branch-covers (it just looks better if the outjutting branches are the same colour as the bristles) had come loose, so we poked around outside for another leaf, soaked it, and re-wrapped that one branch. And with that final step, we have a finished besom! My witch's broom, which was immediately used to sweep bad energy out of the room, and sweep the good in.

And now it resides where it shall stay when not in use, resting by the door, awaiting its next sweeping, mundane or magickal. Awesome :D

Finished October 30, 2025

The head of the finished broom up close, showing the three tiers of leaves that make up the bristles, and the bands of string that hold it all in place.

A further photo of the head, now hanging against the wall, with the bristles cut off to the same length, about three inches below where the top of the staff is inside.

The full view of the staff, dangling from its hook on the wall, resting peacefully in wait of its next energetic sweeping. The door opens to cover over it, keeping it somewhat subtle, but present.