This picture is of Cheryl Winter, weaving a hand-twisted bulrush seat at a class I taught at North House Folk School in Grand Marais, MN in February of this year.
Just got done talking with another folk school, the John C. Campbell Folk School and we’ve scheduled a two-day class for the hand-twisted bulrush or cattail leaf seatweaving class during the week of June 29-July 5, 2008!
I’m thinking of some other interesting seat weaving projects for the remainder of the week, so if there’s anything you’d like to explore, be sure and let me know. There’s plenty of time yet, but send me your suggestions ASAP so I can construct the class. Thanks!
Cathryn:
Do you know of a commercial source for cattails?
I harvest my own here is Virginia, but someone has asked who doesn’t want to trudge the wetlands themselves.
Thanks,
Chris Swan
Furniture Conservator, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Good for you that you are able to gather your own cattail leaves, Chris. But in answer to your question about commercially available cattail suppliers I’m sorry to say the answer is, no. But you can check for yourself with some of the companies listed here on my Cane & Basket Supplies Directory™.
For many years in the 1980s-2008, I would purchase imported Portuguese bulrush from H.H. Perkins in Connecticut but about 15 years ago, they were no longer able to obtain it. And for many years, The Caning Shop in California used to supply cattail leaves but they too, are not carrying it in stock anymore.
I have thought about becoming a supplier myself but there are so many things to consider when you try and tackle that sort of a shipping product, which I am not willing to do. Plus, I have too many irons in the fire to add one more to the mix!
How about you, could you sell a bundle or two from your own stash to this customer, especially if they are local to you and you don’t have to ship?
Sorry I didn’t have a better answer for you, I get this all the time, too, especially with the recent resurgence in weaving hand-twisted rush chair seats!