Chair Caning and Seatweaving Experts

Two shops in one–The Chair Man specializing in antique chair restoration; chair caning, fiber and natural rush, splint, Shaker tape and regluing the joints of chairs. The Tea Lady specializes in antique and vintage porcelain, pottery and glassware.

Over 20+ years of seatweaving experience and service. Pickup and delivery available for local Boston area.

Keeping wonderful (sometimes very old) chairs in use and circulation is our goal. We love the stories of how many chairs have been handed down within families or found on the side of the road.

Visit our website, see our work samples and us at antique shows!

Business Level Member of The SeatWeavers’ Guild, Inc.®

(12/24 GFSUBTC)

Sherman Chair Caning–I have been in business since 1995 and specialize a wide array of caning services: Hand and Pressed Caning, Fibre and Natural Rush, Danish Cord, Splint Weave, Shaker Tape, Binding Cane, Specialty Caning and Wicker Repair.

In addition to working with my own customers, I have been called upon to work with some of the top furniture restoration businesses in the region, fulfilling any or all of their chair caning needs.

Therefore, if you bring me a chair that is in need of chair caning as well as restoration, you should know that no matter what condition it may be in, I have resources available to ensure that you will have many more years of enjoyment left in your chair.

(12/9 GFSUBTC)

Saggy Bottom Girls Caning has moved location! In August 2022 we moved our residence and business from Greenwood, Indiana to Salem, Alabama! We are now offering our chair seat weaving services in and around the Salem, AL area, which is 1 1/2 hours south of Atlanta between Columbus, GA and Auburn, AL. 

We specialize in cane, fiber rush, seagrass, flat reed, binding cane, and others.  We are a home-based family business and I personally weave each chair.  We also work with local restoration companies should your chair need structural repairs.

I started this business several years ago as a way to spend time with my dad.  People began asking me to fix their chairs with saggy bottoms and that is how the business began.

This is also how I came up with the name. It’s a play on the movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” starring George Clooney, and my Saggy Bottom Girls Caning seemed like an interesting twist to their Soggy Bottom Boys band.

Business Member of The SeatWeavers’ Guild, Inc.®

(4/01/23)

Chair Caning, Splint, Rush, Danish Cord, Rawhide, Rattan and Wicker Repair are the specialties of The Caning Shop Restoration since 1969. Chair caning and basketry classes are available, too.

Jim Widess, owner of The Caning Shop in Berkeley, CA sells chair caning and basketry supplies and is the author of two best-selling weaving books: The Caner’s Handbook and The Complete Guide to Chair Caning.

Honorary Lifetime Member–The SeatWeavers’ Guild, Inc.®

(11/01/23)

Wellfleet Chair Caning specializes in Hand and French Caning, Porch Chairs, Splint and Reed, Mid-Century Modern, Shaker Tape, and Danish Cord.

I have been involved in seat weaving since 1986, continuing a tradition that began with my great-grandmother in the 1920s.

Quality work and reasonable prices are my policies, not mere goals. I serve Cape Cod and the Islands year-round.

Business Level Member of The SeatWeavers’ Guild, Inc.®

(9/30/SUB-TC)

East Street Arts is dedicated to fostering the creation of art through artisan training programs, workshops, and community interactions for persons of all abilities.

In our chair caning studio, Association of Artisans to Cane, we provide hands-on learning to artists of all abilities in the craft of seat weaving.

The artists use these skills to restore chairs for community members with oversight from highly trained staff. Each artist has the opportunity to learn various forms of seat weaving, including hand cane, pressed cane, paper rush, and flat reed/splint weaving, as well as other techniques.

The artists advance at their own pace; as one style of seat weaving is mastered, another style is taught. While most of the seat weaving is done to restore chairs for community members, donated chairs in good condition are also restored and sold in the shop.

Charter & Business Member of The SeatWeavers’ Guild, Inc.®

(3/01/23)

Dick Knotts, owner of The Seat Doktor has nearly 20 years experience as a seat weaver in hand woven and loom-woven cane, fiber rushing, Danish cord, wood and reed splint seats, and Shaker tape. Color matching for cane replacements is also a specialty. Light chair repair, pick-up and delivery available. Free estimates.

After 10 years in Hickory, NC, The Seat DoKtor moved to Vernon, CT in 2020 and is ready to help Connecticut furniture owners with their caning and other seatweaving needs.

Call 828-404-8195 or email at [email protected] for consultation and free estimates.

Cottage Member of The SeatWeavers’ Guild, Inc.®

 (10/28/SUB-TC)

The Randolph Chair Doctor, owned by David K. Peirce is a home-based artisan who, in retirement, learned the art of chair caning to repair a vintage family heirloom Lincoln rocker.

With a full-service wood-working shop, Dave can repair chairs and other pieces of furniture as well as providing hand caning in regular and fancy patterns, pressed (or machine) caning, porch weave with binder cane, blind caning, seagrass, Shaker tape and Danish cord weaving.

Preliminary estimates for weaving can be given based on submitted photographs, but a more accurate estimate will be given after physical evaluation at which time any repairs will be discussed.

All chairs leave the shop cleaned and rubbed down with a beeswax and citrus oil solution.

Cottage Level Member of The SeatWeavers’ Guild, Inc.®

(8/23/TC)

At Doug Werner Seatweaving and Furniture Repair we have been providing seatweaving including Cane, Rush, Splint, Danish Cord and Wicker since 2005.

We serve SE and Central Texas, including the Houston Metro area.

(12/29 TC)

Natural Environments is a chair caning and seat weaving business in Waukesha County Wisconsin started in 1980.

I offer expert weaving in:

• hand caning
• pre-woven cane
• Shaker tape
• reeds
• Danish cord
• binder cane weaves

Your piece is not just a chair or just a rocker, it is a memory of gatherings with friends and family, and of hours spent rocking generations of babies.

I learned to weave on a child’s rocker and high chair which have been in our family for 4 generations.

I work with individuals, refinishers, antique dealers and decorators. And I take pride in restoring pieces to an attractive, useful state again.

Make your appointment by phone or email today and then send a picture to share with me so we can discuss your project.

(12/27/SUB-TC)

Ellen Harford, owner of Island Maide, learned her craft at an adult education class.

Since taking that first class, which sparked her entrepreneurial spirit, Ellen has been providing chair seating in a variety of weaving techniques and materials for 30+ years.

Island Maide creates handcrafted seating to replace worn or broken chair seating. Services include traditional hand caning, pressed cane, half-round oval seatweaving and rush, extending the life of memorable family heirlooms.

Located on an island in Casco Bay in Maine, Ellen has made it her mission to help bring business and the arts to the island community.

She’s doing her part by adding chair caning and other types of seat weaving repair services.

Fee-based pick-up and delivery services within 50 miles of Portland, Maine are also available.

(10/05/MO-TC)

The Crooked Rim Chair Caning & Seat Weaving, located in Massillon, Ohio, is a home-based business owned and operated by the husband and wife team, Jeff and Robbin Huss.

Robbin has been weaving baskets and chair seats for over 30 years and Jeff has been weaving for over 15 years.

The Crooked Rim offers traditional 7-step hand cane, fancy cane patterns, pressed cane, woven patterns, natural and fiber rush, seagrass, splint, reed, and Shaker tape.

Pictures of your project can be sent via text or email for a rough estimate. A final quote will then be given upon physical inspection of the chair.

If you want to learn to cane your own chair seats, we also teach FREE classes in Cuyahoga Falls at the Quirk Cultural Center alongside Master Caner Janet Noall.

Contact us today for caning class schedule dates and times or to make your seatweaving repair appointment.

Members of The SeatWeavers’ Guild Inc.® (TSWG)

(11/4/TC)

At American Caning Company we repair or replace almost all types of chair seat weaving; traditional, French, Star of David, Daisy, Snowflake, Spiderweb, plastic, and sheet caning with over 30 types and color matching.

Other specialties include; ash, reed, and oak splint, seagrass, Danish cord, paper and pre-twisted natural rush, Shaker tape, hickory bark, chair gluing, repair and restoration.

Call or email today to discuss your project and to set up an appointment!

Cottage Member of The SeatWeavers’ Guild, Inc.®

(6/1/23)

B-Reseated Chair Weaving has 25+ years experience in all forms of woven seating repair & restoration: hand cane, pressed cane, fiber rush, natural rush (hand-twisted & pre-twisted), Danish cord, splint, leather, etc.

We also offer our customers stripping and refinishing services and free estimates.

Our customers include:

• PQ Brands/David Iatesta Studios in Stevensville, MD
• Martin’s Chair Company, New Holland PA
• McLain-Wiesand Home Furnishings, Baltimore MD
• The Dobbin House Restaurant, Gettysburg PA

Our seat weaving work for Smilow Design has been featured in Martha Stewart Living (September 2015) and Elle Decor (December 2014).

Charter & Business Member of The SeatWeavers’ Guild Inc.®

(SUB-TCGF-9/19)

David W. Dick Chair Caning has performed expert cane seat weaving and restoration, serving Illinois, Indiana, and the greater Midwest, since 1975.

We weave strand cane, sometimes called lace cane, and loom-woven (pressed cane), wide binding cane, and splints.

We gladly stain to match the original material and furniture. And are always more than willing to discuss your seat weaving needs including giving free estimates.

Nothing leaves our shop until it’s perfect — count on it! References available upon request.

Proud Charter and Cottage Member of The SeatWeavers’ Guild, Inc.® (TSWG)

(12/24 GFSUBTC)

Martha’s home-based business, Briar Creek Studio is located in the Upper Catskills of the Southern Tier of New York near Oneonta.

She has over 30 years of experience teaching and offering all types of chair caning, rush, splint and Shaker tape seat repair.

Work is of professional quality and prices are reasonable. Free estimates. Call or email for hours, prices and possible pick-up.

(SUB 1/31/22)

Silver River Center for Chair Caning is operated by two chair nerds on a mission to cultivate and inspire a reverence for a worldwide chair caning legacy.

Our vision is to promote an enthusiasm for the craft through education, published work, restoration, and travel. Be on the lookout for our instructional manual to be published in 2023! Also, see our article in Mother Earth News (August/September 2021).

We aim to dispel the myth that chair caning is a dying art. We want to empower everyone to learn to restore their own chairs. So we expanded our chair caning restoration business into Silver River Center for Chair Caning, the nation’s only chair caning school and museum. We teach small classes at our shop in Asheville as well as regular classes at John C Campbell Folk School, Penland, Arrowmont, and the Island Farm.

Silver River is an official education center of the Southern Highland Craft Guild. Memberships include The SeatWeavers’ Guild, The Furniture Society, The American Craft Council, The River Arts District Association, and we are a heritage member of the Southern Highland Craft Guild (Brandy is a 4th Generation Chair Weaver). We are proud to honor a family tradition, the craft, and all chair nerds (past, present, and future) with Silver River Center for Chair Caning.

Visitors to Silver River can–

• See daily demonstrations on an incredible variety of chairs with woven seats.
• Take classes from beginner to advanced tutorials, volunteer, or apply for apprenticeships.
• Take a self-guided tour d’ chairs and read about the material, history, and process of 8 styles of chair seat weaving. A permanent collection of historical chairs is on display as well as rotating exhibits including #canespotting and Historic Western North Carolina Chairs.
• Enjoy the reference library and educate yourself on ancient and global traditions.
• Bring their family heirloom in for restoration by our seat weaving experts
• Donate their chair for student practice
• Purchase restored chairs for sale
• Get advice on their chairs
• Quickly become total chair nerds.

NOTE: Due to the “Pandemic Pivot” as well as persistent overuse injuries, we are stepping away from MOST restorations. We still love to weave chairs, we just have to be more selective with what we bring in. Our main goal is education through classes, both in-person in our shop and at craft schools across the country, and online.

We shoot videos for YouTube and we are building an online school for on-demand learning from the comfort of your home. We travel to speak and demonstrate at museums, craft shows, schools, woodworkers associations, etc.

As such, our restoration waitlist is often 6 months-1 year out. Restoration inquiries should be emailed to [email protected] and should include photos of the chair attached to the email. Classes at the moment in 2022, are by appointment only, call or email to schedule.

Corporate & Board Member of The SeatWeavers’ Guild, Inc.®

(4/1/NCHG)

V.R. Weaving has over 27+ years of experience doing cane, fiber rush, splint wood seats, Danish cord, and teaching classes.

Most reweaving can be completed within two+ weeks. Pick-up and/or delivery in the DC area, Richmond, and others for an additional fee.

(12/12 TC)

WICKER, CANE & RUSH WORK   “Sagging Seats – Our Specialty”

Heirloom pieces are always resurrected with museum-quality work. All types of cane work, ash and reed splint woven seats, and rattan furniture lovingly restored. Owner Tricia Vandewater learned chair seat weaving from her mom over 45 years ago as a child.

“We’ve never met a piece of furniture we couldn’t bring back to pristine condition.”

(SUB-1/21/24)

WOVEN FURNITURE REPAIR–

JC Caning specializes in hand cane, pressed cane, flat reed, round reed, splint, fiber and natural rush, seagrass, Danish cord, and shaker tape.

Services include cleaning and refreshing the finish, minor repairs, and sealing of finished weave if required. Staining to match is extra.

Approximate estimates can be given from a photo but are subject to change as each project is unique and may provide certain challenges.

Pickup and delivery are available for New Kent County and surrounding area. Call, text or email to discuss your restoration and make an appointment.

Visit my website for more information, testimonials, and photos of completed work.

Business Member and Treasurer of The SeatWeavers’ Guild, Inc.®

(3/01/23)