Chair Caning Not Quite a Lost Art in Bellefonte

I visited JPT Chair Caning, Etc. on Brandywine Blvd. last week during the First Friday art events in Wilmington and Bellefonte. Fascinating place!   Paula Thomas and Jackie Palmer are the owners, and I got a little explanation of her work from Paula, who has been in the business 13 years. When she started taking classes to learn how to create these intricately woven chair seats, it seems that by the end of the series of classes, she was always the lone remaining student. So you can see how determined she is!  

What looks like the simplest method is the pressed cane, which comes by the roll. But it turns out to be the hardest kind to do, since the old seat must first be removed without damaging the chair. It is held in place with a spline, sort of like a screen on a window. But some sort of gunk is usually filling the corners, and it is really difficult to remove.

Then there are the various patterns of weaving the cane, which is the stripped outer bark of a tree. It must remain damp while being worked, or it will break. There is a good explanation of the ins and outs of caning (no pun intended) on a website from a man in Minnesota. And Paula and Jackie have a nice website explaining their caning business. 

So come to Bellefonte and visit this fascinating shop, even if you don’t need repairs, they have chairs for sale, along with other antiques. And if you are looking for an older home in Bellefonte, Delaware, check out my website.