Fibonacci Sequence Used in Basketry

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accents, algorithms, Basketry, Cane, computer, Fibonacci, Fibonacci Numbers, Fibonacci Sequence, floweres, Golden Mean, Golden Proportion, Golden Ratio, Leonardo Pisano Fibonacci, mathematics, medicine, Nautilus Shell, pleasing, Zigzag Twill

The use of Fibonacci Sequence Numbers in Basketry

All the years that I have been weaving baskets I have always used what is called the Fibonacci Sequence, a group of numbers found in nature, in almost every aspect of life as we know it.

The Fibonacci sequence was brought to light in the middle ages by a mathematician, Leonardo Pisano Fibonacci.

This group of numbers is used today in everything from Analysis of Financial Markets, to Bio Medicines, Computer Algorithms, almost every aspect of life as we know it.

This group of numbers is found in the spiraling of petals of flowers, arrangement of the segments of a pine cone, pineapples, artichokes, unfurling of a fern, the arrangement of leaves on a stem. The sequence of numbers can be found in the design of a Nautilus Shell, literally everywhere.

You can read more of the complexity and how the Fibonacci Sequence lives and works in everything we do and is around us in daily life by clicking on this link to Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibonacci_number

You may ask yourself what is the common thread with the series of numbers which is found here.

1,1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34 etc. and goes out forever. the sum of any two number is found by adding the sum and the preceding number to it. hence 1+1=2, 2+1=3, 3+2=5 etc.

It has been found over the centuries that these numbers when applied to basketry, or any other art for that matter, is pleasing and appealing to the eye, so just like with the many changes in a twill basket, as in the example above the Cane Zigzag Twill Work Vase Basket, all of the pattern changes are made only on one of the Fibonacci numbers, also in regular basketry, in the color and pattern changes within a market basket and the number of rows contained within any given basket I weave always end or begin on one of the Fibonacci numbers. These baskets always seem to pleasing to the eye.

Years ago I did a test, I wove three nearly identical market baskets, one plain, the weaving stopped on the Fibonacci number, the second had dyed accents, so say the basket had 3 rows of initial weaving, then a color change of 2 bands of color, then 8  rows of plain weaving, 2rows dyed accents, 6 rows plain weaving, and the total number of rows came to 21 rows, not counting the rim/false rim, as these count as 1 in the sequence.

The third basket I just put the color accents in wherever I wanted to making sure they were not in the sequence, in short the two baskets, woven on the Fibonacci Sequence sold immediately, the third I had for several years, customers would pick it up and say nice things about it (to be polite) one repeat customer of mine, came to me one day and said she did not know what was different about the basket but she just did not like this one. I have used the Fibonacci Sequence ever since.

The following is an excellent video that explains the Fibonacci Sequence and the Golden Mean or Proportion is simple to understand language.

 

Braided Handles for Baskets

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Art Form, Basketry, Braided Handles, Cane, handles, interest

Diamond Braid

This coming week I plan on posting an article on the “Art of the Braided Handle” Last year I posted an article of the same name, however this year there seems to be a lot of interest in the Braiding of Handles, which I feel is an Art Form in its self.

Arrows Braid

Gathering Basket/Diamond Braid

Pressed Cane and Rush Seats this Week

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Austrailia, Cane, Chairs, Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Chairs, Eucalyptus Furniture, Fiber Rush, Furniture, Genuine Rush, Hand Crafted, Oak, Pressed Cane, Rush, Word Press Problems

Eucalyptus Chair-Australia

Well the week ahead looks like we will be honing our skills on pressed cane and rush seats. In the studio we now have several oak chairs with pressed cane seats, in addition is several nice chairs from a customer in Northern Virinia, that were aquired while they were living in Singapore. These chairs were hand made in Australia and are of Eucalyptus Wood, they are finely detailed with Queen Anne Legs. These chairs are very elegant and have pressed cane seats, as well as backs, however just the seats need replacing.

There are also a pair of Oak dinning room chairs with small pressed cane seats, typical of this style of chair, as compared to the Eucalyptus chairs above, which have the entire sitting area of the chair in pressed/sheet cane.

The final chair in the studio in pressed cane is a black dinning chair, which need gluing and clamping in several places before the seat is replaced.

The Rush chair on hand to do at this time are Hitchcock in design, one having the drop in seat, meaning tht the framework that the rush is done on pops out of the chair, it is re-rushed and put back and held in place with screws. The second originally done in genuine rush (you twist the rope itself by hand) from cattail leaves into a hand twited rope and rush the chair from start to finish. This art while done years ago, has been widely replaced by the use of Fiber Rush (a tightly twisted brown kraft paper) that forms a rope, from that it is woven onto the seat or drop-frame. Asa “Genuine Rush is costly and time consuming and is usually reserved for heirlooms and museum quality work in today’s world.”

Oak Pressed Cane Chair

Seat Detail

The second picture shows a broken side piece that needs to be glued, and clamped and screwed back into place before the cane can be installed.

The two pictures on the left show an Oak Chair, which the pressed cane has totally worn out.

When the new cane has been installed, the cane will be stained to give it an aged appearance.

Rush Seats

Next on the list for this week is the replacement of two rush seats. One having a genuine rush seat that has deteriorated and will be replaced with Fiber Rush. Hitchcock style chairs usually incur a dis-assembly/re-assembly charge, as you have to remove button covers in the rear of the chair, also prying out wood strips from around the chair and removing a front decorative piece that is screwed into place, this forms a decorative as well as protective frame work around the rushed interior of the seat.  All of this takes time to do just to get to the seat itself before rushing can take place.

The second chair has what is known as a drop in seat, it has been rushed with fiber rush that has worn and broken on the front rail, this is the common place for most rush to weaken and brake, as it gets all the weight and pressure from the thighs rubbing along the front edge of the seat. The interior of this seat is removable, however in some ways it it makes it more difficult over the rushing taking place directly on the chair rails itself.

Hitchcock Style Genuine Rush Chair

Hitchcock Style Genuine Rush Close Up

Note the back, side and front wood trim that needs to be removed and replaced in order to get to the seat to be woven.

In some cases there are wooden dowels or buttons in the rear behind the seat that need to be removed, that cover screws to release the wood frame on this type of chair.

This seat is not that way, most of those have heavier wide trim going around the seat.

Underside of Genuine Rush Seat

The next chair is the Hitchcock style with the removable drop in seat, where the inner frame must be removed in order that the rushing can take place, while this seems to be a simple task, it is much easier to re-rush in the chair frame. Nails or small strips or blocks of wood need to be tacked into place where the top of the leg posts would be normally, this is to hold the new rush in place until the finished seat can be replaced into the chair.

Drop In Rush Close Up

Modern day manufacturer’s of Rush Style Chairs, that specialize in mass production often resort to the drop in seat, as the chair can be manufactured in one country, and the seat in another or in another totally separate area of the factory, the assembled in another.

Premium furniture manufacturer’s such as Suter’s Hadcrafted Furniture- Harrisonburg, Virginia and Chlore”s of Madison, Virginia still rush the chairs they make right in the chair and do not use drop in frames. I am sure there are many others, however this is still done mainly by manufacturer’s of Hand Crafted Furniture, not neccessarily mass produced.

Pictures of the finished chairs will be posted in a separate post, later this week.

Please Note: The layout of this article is not the way it is supposed to be. I have found that Word Press has a mind of its own. It shows you what you think you will get, publishes something entirely differnt. Please be patient until I can find out how to correct this.

12″ Cane Twill Egg Basket

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12", Cane, Egg Basket, Hoops, Oak, Reed, Ribbed, Twill Work

I just wanted to share the basket that I just finished June 2009. It is a 12″ Egg Basket, woven with 11/64 ths inch wide flat reed. This basket has 38 ribs, including the two top tension ribs. The weavers around the gods eye are of split 11/64ths flat reed.

This basket also features cane twill work around the inside/outside rims and bottom of the basket. The cane twill work took approx. 7 hours to weave due to the curve of the hoops the inside takes the longest amount of time to weave.

This basket is woven on 12″ Oak Hoops, and is stained a golden oak, for lasting beauty, and also to highlight the cane twill work which does not stain and provides cantrast.