Seatweavers' Guild Annual Gathering 2011

Just back from Noblesville, IN where 23 of the faithful gathered to share the latest in seatweaving tips and techniques, marketing ideas and business practices. It was a very worthwhile trip, and meeting folks that have only been names on the Caning Forum was gratifying. Had a chance to weave natural bullrush and cat-tails for the first time -- tedious and challenging, but beautiful results.
The most notable piece that someone brought along for display was a wicker potty chair, which had been very popular with the grandchildren of that family.

Acorn Skiff Carvings

Here are the finished carvings for the Acorn Skiff. The nameplate is painted with marine grade poly based paints and the pelicans are stained with a mixture of ammonia and black walnut hulls. Now to get these on the skiff and row somewhere!

Here are a transom seatback and nameplate for the stern of an Acorn skiff a friend from Tennessee has built with a little of my help -- 5 hrs. separate us. This boat will be the tender for his 16' Cape Cod catboat which we manage to drag to the NC coast once a year.

McGuire (San Francisco) Chair Repair

 This is the finale to the mysterious rattan chair. A simple machine cane and oversize spline which could be reduced, trimmed and contoured to match the rattan chair parts. Staining was a torture, but the customer was happy with the end result. Thanks to all who responded here and on the Caners' Forum.

Here is a chair with an overlay instead of reed spline. Anyone handled this kind of repair? The overlay is placed with great precision, mitered corners. Probably not the place for too much steam on this kind of construction. I don't want to start digging without a real firm idea of the "exit strategy".
I'll try adding in a new thought. This chair back is wrapped front to back with a sheet of cane  and a veneer is applied over it. How to fix that??
UPDATE:
4/27/11 -- Discovery! Slowly, With help from a Hickory furniture designer, for whom I had rewoven a rocker bottom, I am learning about how this chair was caned at the factory, probably Phillipines or Malaysia. There is apparently a groove and rattan spline, with the splines mitered at the corners. The spline is then sanded and finished even with the rattan  rails and stiles(or verticals). A perfect place for the skills of a former surgeon,eh? Now to approach the customer after finding the appropriate materials.

Binder Cane -- Simple Weave

Encountered a rocker with a very simple 6mm binder cane open basket weave. Finishing off the ends of heavier cane like this is a challenge to keep neat and clean. I used some spline reed plugs glued in with hide glue in several spots where tying in to adjacent loops was untidy.
Comments?

Fiber Splint-Child's Chair

The child's chair is finished and you won't believe it, but I let it get away without a photo -- serious error. I was positive that I had gotten a photo. Sorry about that.    Thanks to Katherine at weavingrestoration.com for supplying the splint for this project. The splint had the look of ash splint. Very nice restoration and the customer was very happy.
Actually, my wife wanted to wrestle the customer for the chair!
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2 problems, 1 solved

Here is an armrest blocking the spline groove, now way to remove armrest -- no screw below,etc. Henredon Mfgwas not thinking about  reseating when they manufactured this chair! The seat was caned and then the chair assembled. Appears to me that only by removing a piece of wood can you access the groove. I love intricate, detailed work, but this has me baffled.

Here is the child's chair with fiber splint(paper) seat.

unusual seatweaving material

Need some help here. A customer brought a child's chair from the '40's the has 1/2" flat material which looks to be kraft paper. It is light brown with a darker center. Anyone seen this and where can I get it?