The Wicker Woman

We just updated the resource Links page for Basket Classes, Basket Conventions and Art Galleries at WickerWoman.com to include the Wolf River Basketry Guild in Shawano, WI and an art gallery in Pepin, WI called, Lake Pepin Art & Design Center! Check them out!

Do you cane chairs as a hobby or maybe as a part-time or full-time business? Ever feel alone and need others to talk with about this art/craft of chair caning and other types of chair seat weaving?

Well then, join us on the Seatweaving, Chair Caning & Wicker Repair Forum sometime where you can ask questions, help someone else with their problem or just plain lurk, listen and learn!

We’ve been online since 2004 sharing our expertise with others in the field. We encourage all new weavers to join this forum and the movement to promote and preserve this nearly lost art so the next generation will benefit from our preservation efforts and appreciate the fine antique furniture of the past.

Welcome all you fellow chair caners, register today and start conversing with friends! Happy Weaving! Hope to “see” you at the forum, soon!

Have you ever wondered what it would cost to get your chairs recaned or maybe to have that primitive slat-back chair with the natural rush seat rewoven ? Or your antique wicker furniture restored?

Then check out the Pricing-Charges page here to get an idea of what I charge for doing restoration work. Although I’m not currently taking on any new seatweaving or wicker repair work, you’ll find a listing of my current prices, so you can compare to seatweavers near you.

Remember that pricing varies across the country and typically charges on the coasts are a bit higher than in the Midwest and the South, because the cost of living is generally higher there. Check out the Furniture Repair Directory to find an expert near you.

Happy Weaving!

Now that winter is approaching, it might be a good time to contact the Wicker Repair Experts on the Furniture Repair Directory to put your name on their repair list to get work done during their traditionally “slow” time of the year.

There are 17 states and Canada represented on the Wicker section of the Directory, so surely you will be able to find someone there to restore your prized family heirlooms or flea market finds! Contact them today and mention you found their ad through WickerWoman.com!

The Events Calendar on WickerWoman.com has been updated to include many basketry workshops, conventions and exhibitions taking place in 2009. Visit the calendar today and save the dates for many of your favorite basketry events!

The 2008 Art in the Round Contest is a publicly juried, online competition for fine craft artists who create 3-dimensional vessels - such as bowls, vases, teapots, platters, urns, etc., $6,500 in cash will be awarded. For details, visit www.artintheroundcontest.com

Cathryn Peters’ three antler basket sculptures are featured in the competition and can be viewed here on the weblog for the contest. http://artintheround.wordpress.com/learn-more-about-the-artists/cathryn-peters/

Since this competition will be judged by the public, everyone is invited to sign up for the jury pool. It should be a lot of fun and the jury process started September 1st, but runs until November 15th, so there’s still time to be on the jury and cast your vote!

This online event is hosted by BeautifulBowls.com, an online gallery that offers handcrafted art bowls by a variety of emerging and professional fine craft artists.

Questions? Comments? Press? Contact Martha Wooldridge at 405-701-2511 or via email at info [at] artintheroundcontest [dot] com.

The SeatWeavers’ Guild, founded in July of 2007, now has a new website!

We just began the site a few months ago, but plan to make this a “one-stop shop” for everyone interested in belonging to a group with common interests of chair caning, rush, splint and other types of chair seat weaving.

Eventually our official SeatWeavers’ Guild website will feature photos that guild members have submitted, a membership application form, newsletter, calendar of events and much, much more.

Please take a moment to look at what we have posted so far and consider joining us sometime soon as a member or supporter!

Make sure you are visiting the original and official site of the guild organization and not an imitator commercial site. You can find us at  http://www.SeatWeaversGuild.org

Thank you and Happy Weaving!

Check out the newest additions to the Furniture Repair Directory in the Seatweaving section:

We have RICK’S WOOD & WIRE in Pemberville, Ohio with owners Rick & Bonnie Rashleigh able to cane your chairs and do refinishing too!

Joyce Curtis in Haslett, Michigan owns BACK PORCH CANING and specializes in all types of seatweaving to include; strand cane, hand cane, rush, splint and a host of other techniques.

Read all about them on the Furniture Repair Directory and take your sad-sack pieces to these two fine businesses!

Does your favorite piece of furniture need some help? Is the seat worn and sagging, are the springs no longer “springy”? Do you just hate seeing the stuffing sticking out of the holes in the upholstery?

Well then, sounds like you need to check out all the wonderful work done by the craftsmen and craftswomen featured on the Furniture Repair Directory Upholstery!

They will be happy to repair your furniture, offer helpful hints and suggestions and to get the fabric you desire to turn your “sad sack” into an exceptional piece you can be proud to own, display and use for years to come!

When you contact an expert listed here, be sure to mention you found them on the Furniture Repair Directory on WickerWoman.com!

We had a wonderful time at the first Annual Meeting and Workshop of The SeatWeavers Guild held on July 18, 19 & 20, 2008 in Nelsonville, Ohio. There were about 20 members in attendance that participated in the workshops, discussions and meeting.

The date of the 2009 meeting and workshop hasn’t been decided yet, but hold your calendars open for the last week in July or the first week in August as a possibility.

Stay tuned here and on Mindy King’s website at http://www.ChairWeaver.com for more details as they are formulated.

We’ve set up a photo album for the guild on PictureTrail.com that you are invited to view at http://www.PictureTrail.com/seatweaversguild