Date and time: Saturday, February 24, 2024, 9am - 1pm, and Sunday, February 25, 2024, 9am - 1pm Pacific time.
Cost: $110 ($40 class fee and materials fee of $70)
Location: Online via Zoom; registrants will get a link.
Number of students and skill level: 12. Beginner
Instructor: Cathryn Peters
Description: Have you ever wondered how chair caning is done? Do you like basket weaving but also want to try a different handcraft medium? Well then, this beginner, hole-to-hole cane footstool is perfect for you. You will learn the art of weaving cane seats in the traditional 7-step method of hand caning or “lace” caning. This class will be taught over the course of 2 days. We will weave in an easy-to-understand sequence of steps, and once the basic techniques are mastered in class, you will be ready to conquer more difficult chair seats on your own. Cathryn will share lots of tricks of the trade and a bit of chair caning history.
Soon, you, too, will be weaving to preserve this traditional handcraft and nearly lost art!
NOTE: Unassembled footstools will be shipped and students will need to assemble and stain or varnish their footstool before class begins. Specialty tools also needed. See “What you will need” below.
What you will need: Bath towel, scissors, tape measure, ice pick or awl, dishpan or bowl for soaking cane, wood glue for assembling stool, paint or stain for stool, flat barbecue skewer, chair caning needle, or flat caning steamer. (Using a flat barbecue skewer, flat caning steamer, or round chair caning needle makes weaving easier and quicker than doing without. Round, American-made caning needles can be purchased from several companies listed on the Cane & Basket Supplies Directory™ on WickerWoman.com. The flat, English-made steamers are only available from Peerless Rattan, also listed on my Directory.)
CBBG members only please. If you are not a member but would like to be, you may become one by clicking here.
To reserve a space, register below by clicking “add to cart.” The last day to register is January 27, 2024. If you need to cancel, please do so before January 27 to receive a full refund. If the class fills, but you are interested in attending, you can join the wait list by sending an email with the class title and your contact information to ColumbiaBasinBasketryGuild@gmail.com
*We strongly encourage you to have a second (smartphone) camera over your workspace for demonstration, questions, and problem solving. This greatly aids the instructor, as well as helping you. You can create a DIY camera stand, info here*
About Your Instructor
“Let’s weave up some magic together!” says The Wicker Woman, Cathryn Peters. Her love of weaving began in 1975 when her son was an infant and her mother-in-law encouraged her to weave a paper rush seat. The craft took ahold of Cathryn, and she developed a part-time home-based weaving business. From there her creativity has grown into a wide variety of beautiful and unique products. She not only creates chair seats and repairs wicker furniture; her antler basketry art and antler basket patterns are admired nationwide.
Cathryn has a mission to share the nearly lost arts of chair caning and wicker repair as well as promoting the crafts of basketry, woodworking, and fiber arts. She was a two-term President (2007-2011) of the first chair caning guild in the nation: The Seat Weavers’ Guild. Always ready to help any one – novice or professional - Cathryn continues to be a home-based business owner, blogger, mentor and weaving educator on www.WickerWoman.com.