There are times when I come across a weaving project and I have trouble finding the right materials. Today, I got a beautiful chair that probably belongs on a 3-season porch. It is woven with a flat leaf that have been braided into a 1 inch flat weaver. The entire chair is woven in a traditional basketweave design, with this leaf weaver, and it is a big arm chair.
To be honest, this is the second time I have worked on this chair. I am being asked to repair the top corners of the arms of this chair. It seems a pet dog has enjoyed teething on the edge of the arm. The damage this time is limited to the round reed braiding that makes up the edging of the chair. The first time I saw this chair, I pulled my hair out trying to find out what this flat braided weaver really was.
I was able to narrow my search with the help of a couple of reed and caning supply specialists. Franks in Huntingdon Beach, CA was able to identify the flat weaver as Banana Leaf that had been braided and 'ironed' flat. I was able to come up with a lot of nice chairs and other furniture that was woven with Banana Leaf, but the life of me, no one seemed to have a supply of this stuff for doing repairs. Frank's had some narrower Banana Leaf, but the wider weavers were just not available through my leads.
I was able to repair the corners of the arms. After consulting with the owner, he agreed that he could sacrifice a few strands of the flat weaver from the back of the chair, (normally hidded from view), in order for me to repair the damage around the visible corners of the arm chair. It worked out great. I replaced the sacrificed weavers with some regular flat reed and it blended fairly well.
When the owner called and said his pet had worked over the chair again, my stomach turned. Another ventrue into locating the weavers that no one seems to import. Well. the case is resolvable today. The round reed edging can be replaced without having to try to locate the Banana Leaf or sacrifice the backside weavers again.
This past spring and summer, I spent my spare time trying to locate a 3/8 braided material that was used to weave a unique Rattan frame chair. The material ended up being hand-braided seagrass. It was a bulky braid and the entire chair has been either wrapped or woven with this material. It took about 3 months of research to locate a supplier, then another 4 months to await it's arrival here in the US. It was on order and the shipments from eastern China can take 6 months to arrive in port.
The chair had a wonderful story. Bought in the 1920's it was a part of a seasonal retreat cottage in New Hampshire for years. The owner recalls the chair from his childhood. He is not retired. At one point the cottage caught fire, and the seagrass chair was saved before the entire building went up in smoke. What a recovery.
This is one chair that I have never seen listed in the furniture and antiques catalogs. It may be a lone sole. Now the chair has been restored to original condition and the owner is pleased.
I think one of the unique challenges of restoring antique chairs and wicker funtiure is the venture to find the unfindable. To repair the chairs that no one else seems to want to tackle. It's a bit scary at times, knowing that someone has entrusted you to recover a family heirloom, but the final product is well worth the time and efforts.
Preserving America's Heritage,
Charles Elliott
Posted at: 04:07 PM | Add Comment