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HOME > REWEAVING> REWEAVING RUSH & OTHER OPEN FRAME WEAVES, page one / go to page two The defining feature of this category of woven furniture is that the woven material is woven onto an open frame on either a seat or a back. The rocking chair pictured below is an example of a chair with an open frame on both the seat and the back. To help see the frames clearly we have provided a picture of the seat taken from above and the back taken from the front. On each we have applied a colored box over the frame that will be used for the weaving. The prototypical weave and material for open frame seats is pictured to the right. This page focuses on the common diagonal cross pattern used when weaving rush. Several other materials and weaves can also be used on these frames. More on these below and on page two. Cattail/Seagrass/Fiber Rush /Other Materials // Binder Cane/Shaved Slab/Ash or Oak Splint/Flat Reed/Flat Oval/Seagrass/Danish Cord/Shaker Tape/Rawhide | |||||||||
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There is evidence that the rush weave illustrated here originated in ancient Egypt. The term "bulrush" (from which comes the name "rush") is a British usage for a plant of the genus Trypha. North Americans call the same plants "cattail". Cattail is the material used in genuine rush weaving and is the common marshland plant found almost everywhere in northern latitudes. The leaves of the cattail are harvested, dried, pressed flat, twisted together two to five strands at a time to make various widths, and woven in some variation of the diagonal cross pattern you see. Cattail is unique in its beautifully variegated coloring featuring hues of pale greens and ambers. With time cattail mellows into an equally attractive golden brown. The photos below show the actual strands of cattail leaves before they are twisted and woven, chairs in various stages of weaving and a closer view of a completed seat. Be forewarned, cattail is genuine and beautiful and very durable, but is the most time consuming of all materials to weave. For this premium hand woven material, expect to pay quite a bit per seat. Click the following link to view a brief video about cattail reweaving. | ||
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The high cost of creating cattail seating and the geographic limitation of the plants to northern latitudes has led to material innovations in forming these seats. The best widely distributed alternative to cattail is pre-twisted seagrass, also called Indonesian rush. This grass comes in varying strand sizes and can also vary in the tightness and uniformity of the twist. The color is more uniform in the strand than cattail but the color can vary from coil to coil. Seagrass begins a pale green color and will become a light brown with age. Because it comes pre-twisted it is less time consuming to weave. The bar stool seat below left is an example of seagrass. It is woven with a large strand which gives a more rustic appearance. It is an attractive look but even in a smaller strand does not have the fineness and visual appeal of cattail. Cattail and seagrass can also be wrapped with wheat leaves which gives a glossy, golden, highly-refined look as seen on the chair seat below right. In our judgment there is little to be gained by using the more expensive cattail underneath the wheat. This beautiful material looks wonderful on more formal pieces and deep, rich colored woods. | |||
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Now that you have seen what we have done for others, what can we do for you? CONTACTING AND FINDING US | ||
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A further way to reduce the cost of both labor and materials is by using fiber rush. This material is made from heavy kraft paper twisted to form uniform strands and formed into large coils. Strands of fiber rush are uniform in color and size, the color remains consistent over time, and the material is durable. On the other hand, fiber rush will weaken if allowed to get wet and can become somewhat brittle after many years and break at the sharp edges of the seat rails. When economy, durability or uniformity are the primary interests, fiber rush is an excellent choice. The photo below left shows a seat being woven with fiber rush and a shuttle loaded with the rush. Below right is another seat in progress. The color of the fiber rush is an alternate golden brown color not as widely used as the kraft brown shown in the other pictures. You can see the cardboard packing that has been laid down under the fiber rush. The packing helps prevent wear at the point the strands are pulled over the edge of the frame and adds fullness and loft to the seat. One form of packing or another is used in all authentic rush weaving. Cattail is used to pack cattail seats, for other seats a combination of cardboard and newspaper are most commonly used. However, one of the first things to go when weavers are trying to accomplish lower cost rush weaving is to eliminate the packing. The picture below right also illustrates one of the many challenges often faced reweaving these seats. For this windsor style chair, the back had to be opened to access the weaving slot. This and several other issues that sometimes arise make the weaving more difficult, and more expensive. | ||
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Because moisture will cause fiber rush to weaken and lose its tightly twisted form, items made with this material are usually coated with some type of wood finishing material. To the left is a stool with a fiber rush seat we rewove. We have coated the fiber rush with orange shellac. The shellac adds water resistance, a nice color and some shine. | The seat to the right is an arm chair, the arm posts of which are inserted through the holes in the weave. A detail of the lower left corner is shown. | |||||||||
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Other materials used in the common rush weave are danish cord and rope twisted seagrass. Danish cord is a finer, polished version of fiber rush usually with a rope-like appearance. These materials give a different look and need to be woven more loosely. Because of the looser weave, the strands can migrate and need periodic repositioning. | ||||||||||
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A seat woven with a roped seagrass. | ||||
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Now that you've seen what we've done for others, what can we do for you? CONTACTING AND FINDING US All text and graphics Copyright 2001 - 2010 Craftsman Furniture Service California Furniture Refinishing • Folsom Furniture Paint And Finish Removal • El Dorado Hills Fine Antique Furniture Restore Antique Finish Sacramento • Furniture Repair Roseville • Restore Antique Furniture Elk Grove | ||
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