Elizabeth Coffin to teach the art of chair caning and rush seats

Art for art's sake is all well and good, but if you are creating something beautiful that can be used in everyday life that is even better. On September 9, Elizabeth Coffin will begin a three-day course in chair caning and weaving rush seats at the Nantucket Historical Association's 1800 House.

PHOTO BY PETER B. BRACE Elizabeth Coffin revives the ancient craft of caning chair seats. "It's a great way of rescuing furniture and putting it back into everyday use. That's primarily why I started doing it. I really like refurbishing and recycling old furniture," said Coffin, sitting on a porch at her home where she works on chairs in nice weather. "The NHA has quietly been reviving the various older techniques. Most are 18th and 19th century skills, and once you've got the design applications in hand you can make something look very contemporary. You don't have to make it look like a historical object."

As is the case with each of the 1800 House courses, which continue through November, all necessary materials are included in the class fee. For Coffin's course, the $275 non-member cost includes the fiber of choice, a snipping tool, measuring devices, wooden pegs for the caning process and a chair, unless participants bring a chair of their own that needs a new seat.

"Hopefully, this will set them going doing their own work," said Coffin.

Though Coffin has a long history of crafts work, she did not know how to make chair seats until last winter when she apprenticed with former resident Peter Wilson who restored furniture, was an NHA docent and used to lead the caning and rush classes.

"A lot of this is visual learning," she explained, adding that this fall she will be harvesting Nantucket rush, which is a grass. "Apprenticeship for hand craft works out the best."

Early use of rush came during medieval times when it was strewn about in homes for flooring. It was first utilized for chair seats during the 15th century or before by itinerant craftsmen who traded food and board for their services. Caning, which is similar to basket weaving, was used for chair seats in the 17th century when the material was imported from China. Though cane, or rattan, began as a rather lowly fabric, eventually it became so desirable it was used in the finest French court ceremonial furniture.

"What I've come to admire about caned chairs is that they travels around any way you want to use it. People like portable furniture," said Coffin. "The cane is also an innately stronger fabric [than rush], and when it's woven six times it has great strength."

Cane is used for chairs with flat wooden seat frames having drilled holes around the frame's perimeter. Rush is used for chairs with round dowel side stretchers. The rush wraps around the dowels multiple times in two directions.

Sometimes, but not always, rush is twisted to make it more durable, which takes a certain amount of skill and finger strength. With the cane, after it is soaked to make it pliable, stems are poked into the chair seat holes front to back and side to side, then held in place with wooden pegs until the material dries and tightens. Two layers are applied side to side and front to back, then two more layers are applied on the oblique in two directions. This creates the familiar octagonal design of the caning weave.

Either type of seat can be completed during Coffin's three-day course. When the seats are finished, the tops will be coated with polyurethane varnish as a sealer.

"The bottoms have to breathe and need the humidity, because if they dry out too much they become brittle," Coffin said, noting that Nantucket's moist climate is ideal for fiber chair seats.

For more information on Coffin's class or other 1800 House courses call 508-228- 1894, ext. 128. The 1800 House is at 4 Mill St. I