ASK the SEATWEAVING EXPERT
Need help? If you have questions, we have answers to just about all your chair seat weaving weaving needs! Here you will find answers to some of the most frequently asked questions I get about chair caning and other seatweaving techniques.
- How can I learn chair caning?
- What instruction books should I get?
- I have a hand-woven chair seat with drilled holes in the frame, but the back has no holes?
- Can I change a spline cane seat to a hole-to-hole?
- How do I fix a sagging cane chair seat?
- How do I remove mold or mildew from the cane seat?
- How do I tell the difference between a paper rush seat and a natural rush seat?
- How do I clean a rush seat?
- Where can I buy materials, instruction books and tools to weave chair seats myself?
- Is there an online chair caning group or forum I can join?
1.) QUESTION: What’s the best way to learn how to cane chairs myself?
Answer: In my opinion, the best way to learn any type of seat weaving, caning included, is to take a class from an expert. 
Teaching yourself through examining old chairs and learning from books is also a good way, too. That’s how I started, but it’s more difficult, takes more time, and you don’t get the benefit of the mentor’s years of experience.
Try to find a class through community education classes, basketry workshops, conventions or guilds, woodworking shops, and the Internet. Check out my teaching schedule to see if I will be in your area sometime soon, or you can email me and arrange a class and I’ll come to you! Be sure to also check the Folk Schools, Workshops, Conventions resource links page for a very extensive listing of classes offered across the country through different venues.
2.) QUESTION: What book should I get if I want to teach myself how to weave a variety of seat patterns?
Answer: These are excellent, excellent chair seatweaving books that should be a staple in the personal reference library of everyone that does chair seat weaving! Please use the Alibris Book Search Box to the right to make your purchase. The Wicker Woman receives a small monetary commission, which helps to sustain the WickerWoman.com site.
Make your purchase through Alibris to help support WickerWoman.com ==>
- The Craft of Chair Seat Weaving by George Sterns
- Chair Seating by Johnson, Barratt and Butcher
- The Caner’s Handbook by Jim Widess and Bruce Miller
- Caning and Rushwork by Yvonne Rees
- Seat Weaving by Ricky Holdstock
- Cane, Rush and Willow by Hilary Burns
- Ideas for the Experienced Caner by John & Lillian Peterka
- Ideas for the Experienced Caner #2 by John & Lillian Peterka
- Chair Seat Weaving for Antique Chairs by Marion Burr Sober
- Seat Weaving by L. Day Perry
3.) QUESTION: I am familiar with the regular looking cane chairs with holes drilled in the frame, but what about chairs that the holes are only drilled part way in and not through?
Answer: This type of chair caning goes by a few different names; French Caning, Blind Caning and Continental Caning. It is done using regular sized cane, woven in the traditional 7-step method design, but the holes drilled in the framework do not go all the way through.It is usually reserved for use in the backs or under arms of chairs rather than in the seats, because it’s a delicate weave and not very strong. Since the holes do not go through the frame, each length of cane must be cut to the exact length needed, then woven and fixed in the holes with a plastic peg and a small spot of glue until set. Usually only one step at a time is woven, so that the glue can set, making this a very tedious job indeed. Leave this one to the experts! For instructions to do the weaving yourself, check the Alibris Book Store listed above for the book, "Chair Seating" by Johnson, Barratt and Butcher. It is the greatest and has the most thorough coverage of all types of chair seating. It’s the best buy for your money, no matter what the cost!
4.) QUESTION: I want to practice weaving a traditional strand cane chair seat, but only have a spline cane chair on hand. Can I change this seat to the other kind by drilling holes where the spline is?
Answer: Yes, it can be done, but I really don’t recommend you change the way the chair was originally made for a couple of reasons. First would be that you might damage and weaken the chair seat frame, and second, you will destroy any antique value of the chair by altering it in this way. You would be far better off to ask family members if they have a chair that needs to be rewoven in the hole-to-hole method or traditional caning method, or buy one from an antique dealer or at a flea market.
5.) QUESTION: How do I fix a sagging cane chair seat?
Answer: Cane is the skin or bark of the rattan palm and actually does not require much in the way of maintenance. A light spray coat of Scott’s Liquid Gold furniture polish or using lemon oil will help to keep the cane flexible and will add luster to the cane seat.
To fix the sagging cane seat: once or twice a year, you can turn the chair upside-down and lay a warm, wet cloth on the wrong side of the cane seat, but not on the wooden framework. Let the cloth dry overnight, and as the cane dries it will shrink up tight, firming up the seat. Don’t allow anyone to sit on the seat until the cane is completely dry, otherwise it will stretch out of shape again! Keep in mind that this will only work for about the first five years after the seat has been newly woven and will not work at all if several strands are broken.
See the chair cane care tip sheet in the Articles section for more hints and tips on caring for your cane furniture.
6.) QUESTION: How do I remove mold and mildew from my cane seat chairs?
Answer: Mold and mildew on cane seats can present quite a problem and removal is not always easy, or permanent. First of all, try to avoid this situation by maintaining an even humidity level in the room where the cane furniture is used and or stored. If you have high humidity, consider using a dehumidifier to protect your furniture and maintain your own comfort level. Storing cane or wicker furniture in a damp or high humidity basement or outside on a porch is just asking for trouble.
On a warm, sunny, and windy day take your chair outside and clean the cane using a soft scrub brush and a strong solution of bleach in soapy water. Take care not to damage the wooden framework with water, but if it too has mold or mildew on it, scrub it with a cloth dampened in the bleach solution to remove the mold.
Rinse the cane seat well, and leave out in the shade to dry thoroughly. Don’t allow anyone to sit on the furniture until it has dried for several days. If after this treatment, you still see little black specks of mold, you might try applying full-strength bleach to each spot, using a small artists paintbrush or a Q-tip. Here again, be sure to rinse and dry well. Sometimes, the black mold spots cannot be removed no matter what you do, but will not be visible on the bottom side of the cane seat, anyway.
7.) QUESTION: How do I tell paper fibre rush seats from natural cattail or bulrush?
Answer: Turn the chair over and look at the bottom of the seat. Twisted paper fibre is made in one continuous strand, so the weaving is smooth on the bottom with possibly an occassional knot or two. The strands can also be unraveled since it is twisted paper.
Typically the strands of cattail leaves or bulrush ends are joined in the corners, so the butt ends usually hang down about a 1/4"-1/2" on the underside at the "X". The cattail leaves and bulrush look like a grass and are twisted together using several strands to get the rope-like appearance. Like a dried grass, they will crack and break when unraveled.
8.) QUESTION: How do I care for paper fibre rush seats on my dining room chairs?
Answer: Since these are made from the same paper fibre material that was used in a great deal of wicker furniture manufactured after 1904, the cleaning treatments are the same for both. Vacuum frequently, use a damp cloth to clean stubborn dirt, a toothbrush to get into tight corners. And do not hose down or immerse in water, but instead, use a warm wet cloth to wipe up spills as soon as they occur.
Paper fibre rush seats are usually protected by coats of varnish or shellac, which helps to prevent damages with spills and also acts as a glue, keeping the strands together. Sometimes these seats to be refreshed by a new coat, which can be done about every five years or sooner, if necessary.
Natural bulrush or natural handtwisted cattail rush seats, on the other hand, are usually treated with boiled linseed oil and turpentine mixture when weaving is complete, before the seat dries out. Then sometimes, at least with more modern rush seats, a coat or two of varnish, shellac or polyurethane is added for protection against spills and also to act as a glue to hold the strands in place. So to clean a natural rush seat, just use a warm wet cloth to wipe up spills.
9.) QUESTION: Where can I buy cane and basket raw materials, instruction books and tools?
Answer: I do not sell materials to the public, with the exception of the students enrolled in my classes. So you can go to my Cane & Basket Weaving Supplies page and click on any of the over 40 cane and basket suppliers I have listed there. They all have websites and do mail order and will be happy to assist you in any way possible.
10.) QUESTION: I live out in the country and feel really isolated doing my weaving by myself, is there an online group or forum I can join to feel more connected?
Answer: So glad you asked that question! And yes, there is a group you can join, right here on the Internet. We’ve been online since 2004, so visit us anytime for help with questions of any kind or just plain chatting with like-minded weavers! Lost the link? Find it again at the lower left-hand navigation area on every page of WickerWoman.com! or click on the link below or subscribe using the form below!
Seatweaving, Chair Caning, & Wicker Repair Forum — Whether you are a beginning chair seat weaver or a seasoned professional, join others in the fields of chair seating and wicker repair to discuss these nearly lost arts. Have questions about a technique? Need to get help on a business problem? Contribute whatever you can by either posing or answering questions. You can also just plain "lurk" and learn if you wish!
