Renew and Reuse

Peter giving the book the once over.

For Peter's birthday in December of 2009, he was given a 2 lb. coil of fibre rush and a 'how-to' book on chair caning.  I think he'd casually mentioned that it would be a shame to have to stop using the stool by the fireplace, as it was definitely losing it's structural integrity.  Apparently, his parents agreed and were delighted at his interest in the well being of the small stool that was living at our house.  Knowing the stool could be repaired with a little time and effort, they purchased the tools necessary to complete the project - and made him a birthday gift of them.

As Peter was keen on the project, he attempted to document with photos just how it was - the pattern of the rush, how it was being held together, where the pieces joined together, etc., just in case we didn't get back to it for a while, or alternately, it fell apart completely! 

You should know that this stool has played a long and distinguished role in Peter's family history.  It was originally made by Peter's maternal grandfather before he left high school at 16 years of age (he was born in 1896).  When his grandfather got married in 1928, the stool moved with the young Edmonds family to begin family life in the interior of BC.  Mary Jane tells the story that during the late 1960's when the stool was in need of re-stringing, her mother called the Institute of the Blind in Vancouver to get directions on how to do this.  Well, the verbal directions were apparently so clear that she had no trouble with the process of repairing the stool and bringing it back to life.  She had been so pleased with the result that she phoned the woman who had originally spoke with her and invited her for lunch to see the successfully completed project.  Much to her surprise (and disappointment, no doubt), the woman replied she wouldn't be able to attend lunch - because she was blind! 

Early in the 1980's, Peter's parents took over the care and feeding of the stool when his aging grandparents moved to a care facility.  It was probably at that time the stool made another big move, this time to the Hornby Island cabin and where it became a fixture near their wood stove.  However, with the constant use there, Frank had to strengthen and stabilize the stool with a dowel crossbar.

Shortly after we moved into our own house on Hornby Island in 2006, this very same footstool was bestowed upon us - and, believe me, it was a welcome gift!  The stool was perfect for us to use when tending our wood stove.  It was the exact height to sit at to light and tend the fire with ease.

Since that time, Peter and I  have moved from Hornby Island to Victoria, and we very consciously moved the stool, fibre rush and book of instructions with us, fully intending to put the stool back together.  This past summer, Peter's health improved enough that the stool repair moved closer to the top of the list of 'things to accomplish'.  So, with renewed energy Peter took the stool with him back to Hornby, where his friend Rob helped put the wood frame back together, square it up, sand, and refinish it. He then brought it back to Victoria where we could apply the final touch - the weaving of the fibre rush seat.  In my opinion, the seat is definitely the most time consuming part of the project - aside from waiting for the right moment to start the project.  The weaving was several weeks from start to finish, as we had to pace ourselves on pulling what seemed like miles and miles of fibre rush through ever decreasing spaces in the seat.  It's hard to see in the photo on the right, but there is pile of unwoven rush sitting on the floor, just waiting to be pulled, one arm's length at a time, from right to left, the left to right, and so on, and so on.  Who needs an exercise class when you have projects like this?

So, while it has taken a couple of years (okay, technically it's been three), we finally finished the stool renewal!  It was truly a team effort (very gratifying, don't you think?) and we're proud of it.  Here is photo of the repaired stool in front of our 'fireplace' in Victoria - approximately 100 years after its creation.  We may have to take it with us on our next trip to Hornby, where it can once again sit in front of a real wood stove and be a key component in the very important work of tending the fire.

As I've said before, "Life is good."