Hands-On Heritage: Cane Footstools

Since the introduction of the Hands-On Heritage workshops in 2017, one of our most requested activities has been chair caning. So, we’ve teamed up with Sally Hamby of Crawfordville, FL to offer a workshop designed to teach you the mechanics of caning on an introductory project!

Participants will learn the process of caning a wooden footstool. Registration is $30 for members and $35 for non-members and includes all necessary materials.

To participate, please register on line by Friday, September 6. This workshop is open to all skill levels but is designed for the true beginner. Please bring along a pair of tweezers to use during the workshop.

Cane furniture features a mesh of split cane stretched and woven over a framework. Cane has remained a popular material for chair backing and seats since for centuries and reached new heights of popularity during the Victorian era.

Sally Hamby learned how to weave and hole cane in a college arts and crafts course, becoming the third generation of her family to pick up the skill. After moving to Blountstown, she met a refinisher who convinced her to re-cane chairs for him. Over the next twenty years, Hamby taught herself to do fiber rush, re-cane porch rockers, and the Danish cord method. Hamby does caning demonstrations at Bradley’s Country Days and the North Florida Fair. Hamby stays busy caning chairs outside of her work as an accountant for the State of Florida. Hamby has even taught her husband and children the trade. Hamby says, “I look at numbers all day, so caning is relaxing to me. I don’t have to think about it. I enjoy caning and look forward to doing it full time after I retire.”