What is it Winter already? Time to look at old photos then.

Strange times. This week the weather has swung from mosquito ridden damp warmth, to very heavy rain, then sunshine followed by chilly, cloud free nights. I'm obviously not the only one who's confused by this weird weather. These are emerging daffodils in our garden today.

And this is a beautiful flower that has decided that October is the month to shine.

All so very topsy turvy. The rhododendron hedge was in flower at the end of last month for the second time this year and oddest of all, a white rhododendron flowered white in the Spring and then purple in the Autumn. Peculiar.

However, the unpredictable weather is a perfect excuse for getting all of the admin and other boring "housekeeping" duties in order. It was while I was in the process of filing old photos that I came upon these very old images of work I'd completely forgotten about. Work that was done at a time when I did more of the heavier restoration....and had more space! Here's a "before" photo of a well worn piece.

We still have this old shopfitting cabinet, it's perfect for holding all of the bits and pieces you need to use every day. Each drawer is familiar to me, I know exactly what is in each one without even looking. It still looks moreorless the same, even though I've used it everyday for about 10 years, but here was the photo I took immediately after it was finished.

I don't care where I end up, or what I end up doing in the future, this cabinet goes with me!

The end of the Summer Season

Where did the Summer go? We seem to have had wet, wild weather for months now and it's been punctuated by far too few days of sunshine and warmth. What's the betting we'll have beautiful bright clear skies right through the Winter when it's too cold to go outside and enjoy it.

The bad weather has made a lot of jobs more difficult. We've been trying to "get our house in order" for months, (if not years) now. Clearing out the detritus that seems to accumulate and multiply over time. We are getting there, spaces are beginning to appear and rooms are beginning to look tidier, but oooh it's hard work and the bad weather isn't helping!

There's always another weaving or restoration job in the workshop waiting to be done, which is wonderful, but also means that we are usually under pressure and get very little time off. We keep our diary of work over on Facebook these days,  https://www.facebook.com/FormerGlorySeatWeaving mainly because it is quicker and easier to update. We will still be blogging regularly, but I'll try and choose the subjects or jobs that deserve to be described in more depth than can be done on Facebook.

So....the last few weeks - what's been happening? Well we've had loads of Bauhaus Cesca chair panels to replace, (the 60's are definitely back in vogue). The second of four very large African chieftains chairs needed a new seagrass seat, a couple of sets of Moller Danish chairs needed re-cording and a surprising amount of pots arrrived for cane wrapping of the handles. We also did our last show of the year at Frome. For once, it was a gloriously sunny day! I'll leave you with some pics.....

 The early morning mist

 After the mist burned away it was a glorious day

Quite busy too.

An update on the embargo

I'm sorry, I didn't realise how long it had been since we last blogged. We have been busy on a lot of fronts.

In the last month, we have done our last two weaving demonstrations of the year. It was a strange feeling, demonstrating the craft that we have practised for so long, meeting new people wanting to have a go, their fresh faced enthusiasm, whilst at the same time knowing that the rattan embargo problem hangs over all of us involved in this specialist trade. Should we really be encouraging new blood into the craft when there is the possibility that the necessary materials may become totally unavailable? A difficult dichotomy.

We decided that we couldn't just sit by, watch and wait. So I e-mailed and tweeted a few people with a link to our blog post about the embargo. It took a while, but thankfully people are rallying. Robin Wood of the Heritage Crafts Association has told me that he is "on the case" bringing the Basketmakers Association and other individuals together to see what can be done. One of our customers, a full time professional weaver is so concerned that he has bravely set up an e-petition, thank you. Here is the link:

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/rattan-export-ban/

As I write, almost a hundred people have already signed and commented in the first two days. Now other organisations and individuals are adding their weight to the cause by blogging, tweeting or commenting on Facebook. Thank you all, please spread the word!

Whether all of this wonderful support will have any effect goodness knows - but doing nothing isn't an option, hope you agree.

On a purely selish level I want to be able to continue to restore things, bring stuff back from the brink. It hit me hard when I realised that without rattan peel, splint and reed, this crib would be have been landfill. Is it wrong to feel that way?

The Indonesian rattan embargo

A lot of our regular customers are worried. They have been asking us about the future of rattan supplies as they are hearing rumours.....

At the beginning of this year the Indonesian Government implemented an embargo on the export of rattan. Last year the Jakarta Post wrote:

"Early this December, the Trade Ministry of Indonesia, totally banned exports of raw and semi-processed Rattan starting from January 1st  2012 as part of efforts to revive the ailing local rattan industry and to give higher value to the commodity at home. Along with this move by the Trade Ministry, the Industry Ministry and Forestry Ministry show their support for this policy. MS Hidayat, Industry Minister, has also created a road map as guidance for developing the domestic furniture industry and boosting the competitiveness of locally made furniture during the next five years."

So yes, I'm afraid there is a problem for those of us in the restoration industry that use rattan products. Even though we pose no threat to the Indonesian home market, we are caught up in this event. At the moment, many of the processing factories outside of Indonesia have retained back up supplies of the raw materials, but these are dwindling fast and they cannot be replaced. Raw material prices have increased massively, we have had reports of rises up to 200% during this year alone. The factories that produce hand weaving cane and woven panelling are selling their stocks at hugely inflated prices and then closing. Their staff are finding new careers in other industries as even they see no future in rattan. We have been told by a friend of ours in the industry that up to two thirds of the factories have already closed.

Where does this leave us? For now supplies are available, but the prices are going to be much higher than we have ever experienced before. Some of the products that we are familiar with will no longer be available as the skilled workers who make them leave the industry. Indonesia isn't the only area of the world producing rattan, but is generally acknowledged that they are responsible for about 80% of the production and needless to say there will be stiff competition for the other 20%. Will the ban remain in place for long? We don't know, but it's effects will no doubt resonate for a long time to come.

So where's the good news? Synthetic rattan has already made itself a firm favourite and almost replaced rattan as the material of choice for conservatory and patio furniture in most areas of the world. Take a trip to your local garden centre and see how many suites you see in synthetic versus natural material. Maybe over time the dwindling demand for natural rattan furniture will encourage the Indonesian governors to view the export ban differently and see that there are other important markets for their semi-processed premium materials....that is all assuming that we as premium consumers can survive in business for long enough!

Meanwhile all is not lost. We have some ideas that we are already formulating to ensure that we can continue on helping our customers to stay in the restoration business, so don't worry. There is always an alternative.......we just need to find it first, but be assured, we are doing all we can.

Preparing for Stock Gaylard Oak Fair

There's still quite a bit of client work to do, but we are getting ahead as most of the jobs in the workshop now are scheduled for September delivery. Sooooo.....we can begin preparations for our final demonstration of the year at the Oak Fair. The "to do" list is endless, the horsebox needs work, we have very few pieces for exhibition, must make some footstool frames...etc....etc!

The vintage crib frame that we bought a few weeks ago is getting restored. It's time consuming, but I'm pleased so far.

Going to have to get my old sewing machine out and my thinking cap on - next task is to line the inside with something beautiful! Any suggestions? At least it will be something different to put on our display, with or without a lining!

Here's one of the most recent client jobs we've finished, this chair had a full restoration and is due to go home soon. A lovely old armchair that would originally have been on rockers.

We're also enjoying the Olympics, it's one of the great things about being your own boss, you can watch, (or at least listen to) the telly while you work. Thank goodness the weather improved over the last week, otherwise it would have been a complete washout.

Hey ho, onward and upward....lots to do.

Summer sunshine

It's amazing what a difference a bit of sunshine can make isn't it? The world seems like a different place. We love it when it's dry and warm, work dries more quickly and joy of joys, we can work outside. Case in point, on Saturday we sealed the seats on the last chairs for the National Trust outside in the sunshine, they were dry within the hour....

Ready to go back to Cornwall!

The garden has suddenly burst into life, plants that I thought had died in the torrential downpours had survived after all, triumphantly raising their heads to the bright warmth of a somewhat belated summer.

Glorious. Hope it lasts.

Whizzing along

Almost August.....can't believe it! At least it seems to have stopped raining for a while and the ground is finally starting to dry. The legacy of so much rain is obvious here, the drains in the road have sunk down at least four or five inches creating regular pot holes. Every so often you will hear a car or truck bumping it's way through - not good, there'll be some buckled wheels I think!

The good news is we have finished the commission for the National Trust on behalf of the Chapel at St. Michael's Mount in Cornwall. The first batch of 54 rush chairs that were delivered to us in January had to be finished for the Chapel opening at Easter and now the last 12 are due to be returned for a large wedding party next month - phew! It has been a long hard slog.

I still need to work it out exactly, but we've replaced 14 or 15 seat rails and a couple of stretchers to be able to re-weave the seats.

Now we can turn at least some of our attention to the last show of the season, (one of our favourites) the Oak Fair at Stock Gaylard. I found this little crib at the market last weekend, I'm so excited about restoring it and hoping that it will be finished for the show.

It looks very sad and neglected here, but I've got plans for it......progress is being posted over on our Facebook page if you're interested.

Well, must get back to it, lots to do!