Working With Chairs

"And now for something Completely Different"...A 70's joke 😏
I acquired some old kitchen chairs, and decided to try my hand at weaving rush seats. They were in need of refinishing, so I cleaned & painted them.
Of course, found a video on YouTube. 

I painted this one with glossy polyurethane paint. The weaving was much more confusing than expected-many back-up-and-do-overs, and redo's seemed to redouble my confusion. I had a problem keeping the laps square, so I ended up with a nasty space toward the middle.

Second chair. This one is painted with a more sensible Rustoleum spray paint. This time I got the whole thing covered. I learned how to unravel the material a little bit & make it wider to fill spaces, and finally got a feel for the weaving pattern.

Third chair. A little better. I got the strands in a little tighter on the edges and fewer noticeable gaps in the weave. I now realize that it takes more than three chairs practice to get the weave looking  neat. 😏

Redux of the first chair. I learn a few more details every time. This time I discovered that I can wet the material more than I previously thought, for "molding". I kept the tension on the strands  throughout the process.