Henry Tschetter has been making brooms for over 60 years. He was born and raised in a Hutterite colony in South Dakota and learned broommaking from his father and grandfather.

For many of his brooms, he uses antique de-seeder, broomwinder, stitching press, cutting knife, broom hammer and needles. Some of the brooms are made entirely by hand.

He enjoys creating brooms in many different sizes, shapes and colors using unique items for the handles. The Grand Rapids Press referred to Henry as a broom “artist”.

It should be noted that his brooms are functional as well as decorative.

Henry is often asked how long it takes to make a broom. To assemble it can take from 20 minutes to an hour. However, most of the effort and time is spent growing, harvesting and dying the fiber. Broomcorn is a sorghum variety that grows on a plant that looks like other corn, without ears. The broomcorn fiber grows upward at the top of the plant.

Broomcorn grows in many climates but prefers hot, dry weather. It can grow 10 to 18 feet tall. Henry harvests the top portion all by hand, one at a time.

The next step is to lay it out somewhere to dry.

Henry has an antique de-seeder that he uses to remove the seeds from the rest of the fiber. After the seed is removed the broomcorn is bundled and moved into the barn loft to cure (dry). The seed can be reused. It also makes great bird feed.

One year’s crop is used in the following year.

Traditionally, broomcorn is dyed green before the broom is made. Some varieties of broomcorn have a nice natural color to them. At a gathering of other broommakers, Henry was introduced to a vibrant dye that was originally created for the florist industry. It is applied to the fiber through a process of soaking the broomcorn fiber in very hot water bath and then laying it out to dye. A very hot job on a hot summer day.

The Lost Art of Broom Making – YouTube Video

Henry demonstrates broom making and sells at several antique tractor shows and other events, such as the Fallasburg Festival of the Arts, Port Oneida Fair and Greenfield Village Farmers Market. Please check the Events page on the website.