I mentioned in my last article that I was attending a course on how to train adult learners. I am pleased to report that my skills demonstration on how best to use the Colour Wheel was well received - even by the members that I least expected to enjoy it (all jokes aside one of my audience admitted to being colour blind and said that to know the theory behind colour was really helpful as he struggles to actually see it!)
The scope of demonstrations was amazing. We had demonstrations on everything from how to make a Pavlova to the history and design of a teleprompter. Before demo day I had no idea what a teleprompter was! The talk that interested me the most however, was the one delivered by a retired carpenter on how to weave a Sugan chair. Being an Interior Designer it would be a given that I would have an interest in all things 'home and furniture' but it was the sheer simplicity of the method and result of this application that really astounded me.
Arthur arrived with a converted golf cart on which he had carefully balanced 3 sugan chair bases, a reel of sisal, a mallet, some scissors and a few shuttles (a massive wooden needle type thing used like a needle to thread through the weave). He then called three of us to the stage and proceeded to instruct us in the art of weaving. It was so simple and something I remember doing donkeys years ago in my junior education.
Arthur produced this small little Ladybird book titled 'The Story of Furniture' which he has had for over 40 years. Using rush and straw as seating material dates back centuries. Hepplewhite, Chippendale and Adams all have variations of some of their chairs where they have used rush as the seat material. It is comfortable and stretches with the contours of the 'behind'.
The Irish Sugan chair traditionally used straw which was woven into strings to make the seat but we have progressed to using sisal and other more easily pliable natural materials. The original frame for these chairs is made from woods such as oak, ash and beech. There are no nails used and dowel rails are glued into place. Due to the weaving of the seat this stool / chair is robust and can often survive generations of use. The sisal can be dyed different colours and the bases painted or stained to suit your room. The ones displayed at our demo day were merely varnished using linseed oil and you could just see some of us being drawn down memory lane when the smell of this oil had permeated into the room. One of the participants said that she had been transported into her grandmother's house and could literally see her on her fireside Sugan chair.
I have decided to try my hand at it. The frames can be bought from second hand shops, woodworkers or in my case I have enlisted my father in law who is a world class carpenter to make me one. I think that I will start with the simple four legged stool variety. The legs I plan to paint in a sage green colour and then distress. I will use a plain natural coloured sisal for the weaving the seat. It takes a master craftsman about 3 hours to make the chair and weave the seat. Going by these times and allowing for a few mistakes, I reckon I should be finished in time for Christmas!