Collaboration in Craft

At Sanborn Mills Farm, we’re often reminded that traditional craft is as much about people as it is about objects. For frequent students Ingrid Weigel and her husband, Patrick Meere, that spirit of connection recently took shape in a very tangible way.

Earlier this year, Patrick enrolled in Introduction to Ladderback Chairmaking with instructor Eric Cannizzaro. Over the course of the workshop, he transformed rough wood into a classic ladderback chair, carefully shaping each rung and joint. By the final day, he had created a solid, graceful frame—a chair ready to be brought to life.

Ingrid explains that at first, Patrick hadn’t given much thought to the seat. But once the frame came home, she began researching options, considering shaker tape, willow with or without bark, and bullrush. She discussed the project with instructor Jes Clark and turned to Hilary Burns’s book Cane, Rush, and Willow: Braiding, Binding, and Weaving with Natural Materials.

When Ingrid attended Jes’s Willow Basketry Skills Week in September, she realized that stripped willow would not do Patrick’s natural-finish chair justice. Ingrid explains, “I then decided on one of Jes’s beautiful natural bark willows (britanny green), which complements the wood grain nicely and gives the chair a more rustic character. I had never woven a chair seat, so this was my first attempt at this craft. Under Jes‘s expert guidance and some help from the book, I was able to do a reasonable job, and Patrick is pleased with the outcome.” The chair has since taken its place in his woodworking studio, where he uses it daily.

Ingrid has hopes of one day harvesting her own materials—willow from her willow plantation and bullrush from local ponds to continue to explore the craft of chair seat making.

Ingrid and Patrick have long collaborated—as spouses, parents, colleagues in their joint private practice, and now in retirement on their farmstead and in their workshops. Patrick describes their process as follows: ” We tend to complement our efforts and interests to achieve a synthesized greater outcome than either of us could have achieved individually. Not always without ‘artistic differences, ‘ but mostly very satisfactorily. It keeps us challenged and happy.”

Their ladderback chair is more than just a piece of furniture—it’s a symbol of shared learning, creativity, and the spirit of craft at Sanborn Mills Farm.

Lunch Registration

Logging with Oxen and Candle Holders

Join instructors Ray Ramsey and Tyler Allen at Sanborn Mills Farm to learn safe, efficient techniques for working oxen in the woods, from using logging equipment to handling and hauling timber with confidence.

Build your blacksmithing skills while forging medieval-inspired candle holders, sconces, and chandeliers, with a focus on mastering peen work, scrolling, sockets, and traditional joinery.

Sanborn Mills Farm | www.sanbornmills.org

Sanborn Mills Farm | 7097 Sanborn Road | Loudon, NH 03307 US