These two chairs are very special as they were my grandmother and grandfather's first chairs. Enever Jaye and Ray Meacham (Sharon's and my mom's mom and dad) set up housekeeping with these chairs.
My mom, Grandmommy, remembers sitting in one of these chairs to eat when she was a little girl.
Sharon had the chairs refinished and now Joan and I are adding the seats to the chairs using cane. We've never weaved before but we found instructions on the internet at the University of Illinois
We have to let the cane dry in between stages so it is taking a few days to accomplish. We soak the cane so it is pliable and bends around the chair without breaking. Joan is doing a fantastic job!
You can see the final pattern here. It is called New England Porch weave. We should be able to use these chairs for many years and then pass them down to one of our kids! I was in the middle of caning one of the chairs when I was flooded with emotion just thinking about it being Mamaw's chair when she was newly wed! She was a wonderful lady! Below is a photo of Mamaw, Nanmama (my Dad's mom), and Mama (my mom's grandmother). Three great ladies!!!
8 comments:
Thank you for posting these pictures. Y'all are doing a beautiful job of caning!!!! Mamaw would be so happy to know that they have sentimental value to you and you want to use them and pass them down. I, too, became emotional when I saw the pictures and especially when I saw the one of Mamaw, Nanmama and Mama.
That is awesome! It looks great too! I love the family history!
Thank you for preserving our family history. Mother would be so happy but not surprised because she knew your heart and the values you possess. You and Joan have done a superior job. You all are so talented.
Wow! Y'all are doing an awesome job! I can't wait to see them finished!
P.S. I love your post title ;)
What an ambitious project! Looks like that could be hard on your nails. :-) Very cool.
I am so impressed! I love the history of the chairs - what a cool keepsake for your kids. (And not many people can say that they have an aunt and uncle who weave in their spare time!)
I only thought you saw people caneing chairs at places like Williamsburg. Looks as if you should be there demonstrating how to do it. They look fabulous.
Every time I see this post I think, "That's such a cool post title!"
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