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Curved-back armchair 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
Settee of close-meshed weave 
August, 1911 
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Square-back armchair 
Furniture for the Home 
Willow Furniture 
By Vernon Powers 
(A 
tremely crude and limited way. About 
eighteen years ago, two or three Polish 
families and one Englishman were making 
willow chairs in their homes and selling 
them to the stores, a few at a time, as they 
completed them. Since that period, several factories have 
sprung up, each employing 
from fifteen to fifty “hands,” 
and the importation of foreign 
osiers. for  furniture-making 
now runs into the hundreds of 
thousands of dollars. The best 
willow comes from’ France, 
near the Belgian border, and 
the traveler may see acres upon 
acres of beautiful, tall osiers 
growing everywhere. The wil- 
low is planted carefully, and 
each year the shoots or osiers 
are cut close to the ground. 
No shoots or “suckers”? from 
the willow trees are of sufh- 
cient pliancy to be of any value. 
The osiers, as soon as cut, 
are gathered into bundles and placed on end in tubs of water, 
and allowed to stand for some time in order to aid the sap 
in running throughout the entire length of the stalks. Then 
the process of peeling is begun. 
This is accomplished by the aid of 
a specially designed knife, which 
is made in the form of a blade, 
with projections at either end, so 
as tobe held in position by the 
fingers, thus bringing the blade 
between the fingers. A. skilful 
“veeler”’ deftly runs his hand the 
entire length of the osier, remoy- 
ing the bark ina moment. The 
shoots are then gathered into bun- 
dles and bound by wires, ready 
for shipment. Each bundle is 
made up of carefully assorted 
stock, so as to have shoots of the 
Al 
f 
y, V4 
twin 
fie 
Porch luncheon set 
Broad hanging seat 
same diameter in one bundle. About four or five sizes of 
shoots are required in the manufacture of willow furniture. 
All of the weaving is done by hand, and several hundred 
designs of chairs, tables, swings, chaise-lounges, beds, side- 
boards, and dining-room suits are included. Like every- 
thing else made in America, the majority of the manufac- 
turers are at present trying to vie with one another to see 
how cheaply the goods can be produced, and the depart- 
ment stores of the country are 
clamoring for low-priced 
goods. ‘The result has been to 
sacrifice quality, but a few of 
the leading manufacturers are 
adhering to prices which wili 
warrant the making of the first- 
class goods. Cheap willow fur- 
niture is not sufficiently durable 
to warrant its purchase, but 
well-made French willow chairs 
will last a lifetime. 
The original use of willow 
furniture was for the summer 
cottage or the porch, but to- 
day the variety of patterns and 
beautiful brown and tan color- 
: ings have induced consumers to 
furnish their winter homes in part with willow. Many imi- 
tations of the willow furniture are made in reed, which is 
nothing more than the smaller sizes of rattan, and these 
goods are not as strongly built as 
the willow pieces. Willow furni- 
ture, like everything else, can be 
produced at all kinds of prices, 
but if one desires strength, dura- 
bility, harmony of color, and 
pleasing design, it cannot be ob- 
tained at cut rates. A tastefully 
and durably furnished willow 
room will cost, including cushions, 
from seventy dollars to two hun- 
dred or more. When this is ac- 
complished, the purchaser will 
enjoy the ease that comes from 
the use of well-constructed ware 
when made of very good material. 
