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Three years ago Linda Diaz took her first wheat-weaving class and became part of an ancient tradition that is growing again in popularity. The 35-year Sunnyvale resident had seen wheat weaving at a craft fair in Sonora and was fascinated. When she saw a class offered by the Sunnyvale/Cupertino Adult Education Program, she signed up.
"I just loved it," Diaz said. She took only one class because that's all she had time for, since she has five children and runs a day care business. But she was smitten.
Diaz now belongs to the California Wheat Weavers Guild and plans to attend its annual convention Feb. 3-5 at the Ramada Inn Silicon Valley in Sunnyvale. Guild members will offer 13 classes.
Diaz has signed up. One of her daughters is getting married in March, and Diaz is making the centerpieces using a Celtic theme with wheat weaving.
"He's Irish, she's Mexican," Diaz said. She sees the wheat weaving embracing both cultures. At the convention, she will take a class on making Welsh fans, which she plans to use for the wedding because they mean good luck and good fortune.
Wheat weaving has a long history.
It is found on nearly every continent, in almost every culture, and goes back 8,000 years, said Christine Swanson, who taught the class at Cupertino High School through the Sunnyvale/Cupertino Adult Education Program.
In Europe. farmers would save the last of the wheat harvest to capture the spirit of the grain and bring it inside. They would weave it into a hanging, perhaps a heart or a cross, and display it in their homes. It was a "house blessing" during the winter and kept the spirit of the wheat safe. In the spring, the farmers tossed the wheat back into the field and plowed it under as good luck for the next harvest.
Wheat weavers created small items as courting favors and larger ones as hats and wall hangings. As mechanized farming grew, the art and craft of wheat weaving almost disappeared. Making straw hats remained popular in New England in the 19th century.
In the 1960s, with a renewed interest in things natural, wheat weaving was rediscovered. In 1974, wheat weaving was part of the Kansas centennial celebration.
The California Wheat Weavers Guild held its first convention in 1989. Today, there are 77 members. They publish a quarterly journal, Straw Talk, encourage classes and hold "weave-ins."
Swanson learned wheat weaving eight years ago in Berkeley. She loved it, but didn't like the long drive. She decided to teach locally to build up a wheat-weaving community in this area.
Four years ago, she wrote a proposal for the Sunnyvale/Cupertino Adult Education Program.
"They were intrigued and had me come in and do a mini-class. They had no idea what wheat weaving was." Her proposal was accepted, put in the catalog, and has been drawing students ever since.
Diaz loves the idea that wheat weaving is ancient and that an abundance of wheat is associated with good fortune.
"I just wish I had more time to take classes," she said.
The 2006 Convention of the California Wheat Weavers Guild will be Feb. 3-5 at The Ramada Inn Silicon Valley, 1217 Wildwood Ave., Sunnyvale. Registration begins at 8 a.m. on Saturday. Classes start at 9 a.m. There will be trade show and sales tables with supplies, workbooks and straw art from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information about the convention, contact Pat Hatchel, phatchel@yahoo.com, or Jan Huss at 650.591.6260. For more information about local wheat weaving, contact Linda Diaz at 408.733.7059.
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Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer