Our Friend Joyce Banbury & Wheat Weaving

We met our friend Joyce Berridge-Banbury for the 1st time in Oct. 2008. I read on a message board that there was going to be an eBay event in Hays, KS the first weekend of Oct. Hays is only about 4 ½ hours from our home and since we are always anxious to meet other eBay buyers, sellers and staff, we decided to go. It was one of the best things we have ever done. Our eBay Listings



There is a long list of wonderful people who presented on all different eBay related topics. The gathering was small enough so it was easy to chat with and really get to know a lot of the eBay staff and other attendees. There is another Kansas Jubilee planned for the 1st weekend of Oct 2009.


Joyce is an eBay Education Specialist. Her passion is Christmas items so her listing activity on eBay starts in July and goes to the holiday season.


This is also where we met Danna & Jimmy Crawford –Powersellingmom.com. I have posted about that meeting in another blog. http://Powersellingmom.com/


The route for us to go to the Indy 500 race took us on I 70 straight across Kansas, so we made plans to meet with Joyce our 1st night out.


Rather than staying in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Hays, Joyce made arrangements for us to stay in the parking lot of a church, which just so happens to be her backyard neighbor, in a nearby city.


Joyce & Conrad’s red brick house was built in 1920 and is beautiful. Lots of soft, honey stained woodwork, built in cabinets and even a transom (window above the door) in the bathroom. Having lived all over this country from northern NY to New Orleans to California, they have been settled in this small rural Kansas city for over 40 years.


And then she started showing me some of her ‘pretties”.


One of her collections is Santon figures. They are made of clay from the Provence region of France. They are world-renowned and are crafted by the local townspeople

But best of all and most impressive is her Wheat Weaving. When crafting and craft shows were all the rage, Joyce and her husband had a greenhouse and florist business. In conjunction with that she was designing and doing Wheat Weaving.

This is the book she wrote will all the illustrations by her husband. Her work was well known nationally and Joyce was even featured in an article in McCall's magazine.

This doll was done over 20 years ago. At it’s peak she would cut over 40 acres of choice wheat, bundle it and most was presold to individuals who were also Wheat Weaving. Besides those sales she had a few wholesalers who would repackage in smaller bundles for their retail customers

An angel. the halo is all twisted. Who knew wheat was used for other things than making bread!!??

See all the flat sections? The wheat was ironed flat to get that effect. Amazing! And it all looks like it was done with one strand of wheat because there are no ends.

What a delight it was to get to know Joyce, to have a tour of her city and get a feeling of what it is like to live in a small, quiet farming community, rich because of all the oil in those thar’ fields!!!

Thanks Joyce for a great visit. 

Straw Ornaments for Sale