I love shopping at flea markets and garage sales. I never know what I’m going to find that becomes a fixture in my home.
Recently, I picked up a small four-legged stool. The turned legs were adorable, and the wood was in good shape. The only problem was the raffia seat rotted away long ago. No problem, I thought. I’ll figure out how to make a new seat for it.
I refinished the wood quickly, but couldn’t find a traditional woven seat pattern until recently. A friend moved into her first apartment, and “subtly” hinted she loooved my stool, how nice it would look in her place, since she had no furniture, and I hadn’t given her a housewarming gift yet. I picked it up, and gushed about how wonderful it would look in her apartment.
So now, sometime this fall, I’ll build one out of PVC. If I make it ugly enough, hopefully no one will want it. I wouldn’t count on it, though. Camping furniture never needs to be “high-end” fancy. It just needs to work. Okay, I’ll make a few (dozen) for Christmas gifts.
On with how to weave a raffia stool seat:
You will need:
· A stool or chair that needs a seat · Rafia, household twine, rope or heavy ribbon for a small child’s chair
Step One:
Check the stool to ensure the joints are sound, and it is usable. If it needs repair, do it now. This is also the perfect time to refinish it, since the paint/stain won’t affect the seat.
Step Two:
Since the amount of twine/raffia/rope needed will vary with the material and size of stool, give your best gestimate and purchase enough to complete the project. I took a tape measure and measured around the length and width of the chair. I then multiplied that by 50, and then purchased what I thought was enough. I came out short, but since I was using regular raffia available at the grocery store, buying more wasn’t a problem.
Step Three:
Using the first ball of raffia, tie a clove hitch at one corner (for example, the left side) of the stool and leave the end free. Take the ball of raffia and pass it over the top of the far side (on the same side as the hitch, the left side), and under the bar, take it sideways to the left, and over that bar to the right side of the stool.
Pass the raffia over the top of the right bar in the corner opposite the one you just wrapped, and under, coming out the front of the stool side opposite to you in the right corner. Bring the raffia up over the top, and towards you. You should be at the corner opposite the clove hitch. Take the raffia over the top of the bar, under and outside the stool.
As you pass the original corner, capture the loose end from the knot and encase it in subsequent wraps.
It’s important to keep the raffia tight the whole time. I practiced the wrapping first, undid everything when I was comfortable with the method, then wove the seat. Keep the wraps next to each other.
Remember, you aren’t going under the wraps, you’re going over them.
Step Four:
As you continue, you’ll notice a weave pattern develop to your seat.
On square stools, the weave pattern will meet in the center. On rectangular seats, the weave pattern won’t. Choose how close you want the weave pattern to meet, then begin to wrap the raffia around from front to back (no turns) until the space is filled.
Tie the end of the raffia to one of the cords underneath the seat. Use a square knot.
If you have to add new raffia, use a square knot to tie the two ends together. Adjust where you tie the knot so its located on the underside of the seat.
Rescue an old chair or rocking chair- they often had twine or raffia seats. A little TLC, and no one will know you didn’t shop at a high-end expensive store.
Source: George Vondriska, “Build Your Own Twine Stool,” Woodworker’s Journal website, no date given.