What kind of questions do you have about chair caning and other furniture with woven seats?
Sometimes, you just need to ask the question, get the answer, and then you can be on your way to completing your project.
I know when I was first starting (50 years ago) to weave chair seats as a hobby and later as a part-time SAHM, stay-at-home-mom, I had lots of questions, but there was no one around to get answers from.
No hands-on classes, no internet, no professional or other chair caners nearby, and only little pamphlets put out by the suppliers; you can bet I had a ton of questions.
So, take a look at the questions below that I’m asked most often and see if the answers will help you.
- I’m not sure what the material is or what the pattern is called, can you tell me?
- How do I stain the cane to match others in a set? How about the day-to-day care and cleaning of any woven seat?
- What books do I need to learn how to weave seats by myself?
- What are the best books to have in my personal reference library?
- How can I find a teacher if I want 1:1 help?
- What are the differences between chair caning, rush, Danish cord, and other types, techniques and patterns of chair seat weaving?
- How do I get rid of the mold or mildew on my chairs?
- I don’t want to weave cane through the holes, can I change it to groove caning?
- On my cane chair the holes are only drilled part way. What’s up with that?
- The cane seat on my chair is sagging, what can I do to make it better?
Cathryn answers Your chair caning questions
Check out the Seatweaving FAQ page on WickerWoman.com, where Cathryn answers several of the more commonly asked questions she receives about chair caning and other types of furniture pieces with woven seats.
I hope the Seatweaving FAQ page helped you with your chair caning and seatweaving questions and has provided the answers you need.
There are no bad, silly, or stupid questions, as I tell my students, so ask away by doing a Search on the site if your question wasn’t addressed on the Seatweaving FAQ page.
If you still have any unanswered chair caning questions, after doing the Search, you can Contact me to set up a paid consultation.
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~~Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much ~~
Happy Weaving, until next time!
There years ago I caned 2 chairs and have been happy with the results. I have started a new caning project and it is not going well. In weaving the first diagonals I have broken the first cane of each of the first 5 horizontal. I have been soaking and spraying the cane as I did 3 years ago.
The only variable I can come up with is that my cane has sat in the attic for 3 years. My project is a standard chair bottom using “Fine” chair cane 2.50 MM, purchased in January of 2015.
Question: Does cane get brittle with age despite soaking?
Any suggestions would be appreciated, Thank you for your time, George
Hi George,
Thanks for asking this question about cane storage. Cane can be used for several years after purchase, providing it’s been kept in a dark place, without any moisture or in high-temperature areas. So, storing the cane in the attic would absolutely dry it out and make it brittle. I would suggest you purchase a new supply of cane for this chair to cut down on the frustration factor if nothing else. You can buy all the materials, tools, and instruction books from the list of reputable weaving supply companies I have on my Cane & Basket Supplies Directory™. Also, visit my Chair Caning Instructions page for directions on weaving a hand-caned seat. It could be that you are making a slight mistake which is causing the cane to be more apt to break. Hope this helps and wishing you all the best at finishing your seat.