Rush seat weaving: how to weave the rush pattern, round by round
The short answer
A rush seat is woven by wrapping the material around the four rails, one corner after another, round by round. Four triangles grow in from the corners and meet in the middle. If the seat is wider at the front, you fill the front corners first, so the rest of the seat is rectangular.
Natural rush is the traditional material. In our workshop we weave the same pattern in seagrass, which is woven dry and is easier to get, and in paper cord on chairs like the Wishbone Chair.
- Material
- Seagrass, rush or paper cord
- Level
- Beginner
- Danish name
- Kuvertflet (the envelope)
- Frame
- Four rails, no holes or groove
Rush is a pattern as much as a material
When people say “rush seat”, they usually mean the look: a seat where the strands run from each corner toward the middle and form four triangles. In Danish we call it kuvertflet, the envelope weave, because the finished seat looks like the back of an envelope.
You can weave that pattern in natural rush, in seagrass or in paper cord. The moves are the same. We teach it in seagrass, which is strong, holds its shape and is woven dry. Natural rush has to be dampened while you work and twisted as you go, which takes more practice. On the Wishbone Chair the same pattern is woven in paper cord; see the Wishbone Chair guide.
Same pattern, three materials.
What you need
Materials
- Seagrass twisted seagrass cord, the plant fibre harvested mainly in Southeast Asia. Weave it dry: it doesn’t like water.
- Or paper cord 3 mm or 3.5 mm, the same as the original seat.
- Padding (optional) offcuts of the material or triangles of stiff card, to fill out a deep seat so it stays firm.
Tools
- A good knife or scissors
- Clamps to hold the material while you rest.
- A flat stick to push the rounds tight into the corners.
- A weaving needle for the last rounds in the middle.
- A tape measure to check that the seat is square.
How to weave the rush pattern in eight steps
The steps are the same in seagrass and paper cord. Take your time with the first rounds: they decide whether the pattern ends up straight.
Step 1: Measure the seat
Measure the front rail and the back rail between the corner posts. Most chairs are wider at the front. Write down the difference: that’s what you’ll fill in step 3.
Step 2: Prepare the frame
Cut the old seat away, glue loose joints and sand any sharp edges on the rails. A sharp edge cuts into the new seat right where it bends.
Step 3: Fill the front corners
Weave around the two front corners only, round after round, fastening each round on the inside of the side rails. Stop when the space left on the front rail is as wide as the back rail. Now the rest of the seat is rectangular, and the pattern will meet in the middle.
Step 4: Weave the four corners, round by round
Start at a back corner and go around all four corners in turn, always in the same direction. At each corner the material goes over the rail and around it, crosses itself, then over and around the neighbouring rail, and on to the next corner.
Step 5: Keep the corners square and the rounds tight
After every few rounds, push the rounds together with the flat stick and look at the diagonal lines: they should run straight into the corners. If a line bends, correct it now. It only gets worse.
Pull each round tight as you finish a corner, not at the end of the round.
Step 6: Join new lengths underneath
Tie new material on underneath, inside the seat between the top and bottom layers, so the knot never shows or rubs. A flat knot like a reef knot holds well in seagrass.
Step 7: Fill out the seat so it’s firm
On a deep seat, a hollow forms between the top and bottom layers. Pad the four pockets as you go, with offcuts of the material, or partway through with triangles of stiff card slid in from the open middle, so the seat stays firm and doesn’t sag in use.
Step 8: Close the middle
Unless the seat is perfectly square, the shorter pair of rails fills up first. Then weave across the gap that’s left in a figure of eight, between the two rails that still have room, until the middle is closed. Pull the last rounds through one at a time, and fasten the end underneath.
Mistakes we often see
Not squaring the seat first
Without filling the front corners, the triangles meet off-centre. Measure, fill, then start the pattern.
Changing direction
Every corner is woven the same way, in the same direction. One reversed corner shows as a break in the pattern.
Wetting seagrass
Seagrass is woven dry. Water weakens the fibres and makes it lose its shape.
Gaps at the rails
Rounds that aren’t pushed tight into the corners leave gaps along the rails that never close.
Knots on top
Every join belongs inside the seat, underneath.
Questions we get a lot
Is seagrass the same as rush?
No. Rush is a wetland plant that’s twisted by hand as you weave. Seagrass comes ready-twisted and is woven dry. Both are woven in the same pattern, and a seagrass seat looks much like a rush seat.
Can I weave the rush pattern in paper cord?
Yes. That’s how the Wishbone Chair is woven: the rush pattern in 3 mm paper cord.
What is kuvertflet?
The Danish name for the rush pattern. Kuvert means envelope: the finished seat looks like the back of one.
Can I wash a seagrass seat?
No. Dust it with a dry cloth or a soft brush. If you must, wipe the surface with a cloth that’s only just damp.
Weave the rush pattern with us
The seagrass course takes you round by round: weaving the corners, filling out the seat so it’s firm, evening out a seat that’s wider at the front, and closing the middle neatly.