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Rustic Shows
Gatherings and
Art Shows
that are rustic friendly
Books
Making Gypsy Willow Furniture by Bim Willow®
(paper back)
Books by
Dan Mack
So You Want to be a Rustic Furniture Maker?
Tips of the Trade by
Bim Willow®
a free E-book
Groups
Twig Furniture Group
Canadian Rustic Furniture Group
Workshops
Do you teach?
Wendy Lisanby
Willow Creek Rustics
see about my 2005
Workshops with online
registration
A rustic approach
What most people would regard as yard waste, Wendy Lisanby can bend, saw and craft into a chair, a table or a trellis.
As you approach her rural Mackinaw home, your eye is immediately drawn to willow armchairs that line the porch. Take a stroll with her around the four-acre back yard and you'll see where her raw materials come from.
"That's sandbar willow," she points out. "Typically you find it around ponds and rivers and drainage areas. You just have to ask the property owner permission to get it.
The Mackinaw artist belongs to a community of woodlanders who create rustic furniture, which hark back to a simpler time, as reflected in its rough or natural finish.
As its name suggests, rustic furniture is made of roughly dressed branches or roots. There is no finish applied for furniture used indoors. For outdoor furniture, Lisanby recommends using a 50-50 mix of boiled linseed oil and turpentine.
Rustic furniture makers have a deep appreciation and love for nature which is why they don't fell trees to build furniture, but instead use whatever will not affect the re-growth of plants or trees.
Most of the material Lisanby uses is from what she calls sustainable harvested wood, which she artfully designs using various joints, the most
traditional being the mortise and tenon joinery.
A former iron worker, Lisanby is as comfortable working with nails, drywall screws and loppers (to clip the branches) as she is bending a steel frame. She was the second woman to ever go through Iron Workers Local 112's apprenticeship program and was part of the crew that did the rebar work when the Bob Michel Bridge was constructed.
"Being in the iron workers apprenticeship taught me wonderful skills as well as taught me how to take pride in what I build," she said. "Due to an injury I sustained, I was no longer able to return to ironwork so I went on to pursue a degree in biology."
Although it took her a while to get her associate's degree at Illinois Central College, Lisanby had three children along the way and graduated with honors. She went on to earn a bachelor's degree at Western Illinois University, majoring in biology with an emphasis on zoology and natural resources as a minor. She graduated with honors last year.
Lisanby attributes her love for nature to the many hours she spent as a child playing in the woods.
"My great love for the outdoors, nature and wildlife all stem from this childhood fascination I have had with the woods. Since I have a great a respect for the beautiful world God has made, I choose to build primarily with sustainable materials such as sandbar willow."
Once sandbar willow is cut, or coppiced, the tree then sprouts several new saplings from the base which grow back quickly, Lisanby explained. In England, coppicing has been done for centuries as a way to promote regrowth and maintain a sustainable woodlot.
"In my woods I also have an overabundance of sassafras that grow too closely together and compete for light and nutrients, so I harvest (thin) out some of those as a way to better manage my woodlot," she said. "I also try to use materials that most people would otherwise burn or throw out such as trees that have to be removed, old barnwood, etc."
She is always looking for more wood to use in future projects.
One of the first items she built was a chair for her daughter, Rebecca, 3, and a bunk bed for the cats. This year, she turned her hobby into a cottage industry. She sold some of her furniture at the Peoria Riverfront Farmer's Market this summer, and she's currently focused on acquiring wholesale accounts at area gift shops.
"The main reason I decided to turn it into a business is that I thought it would be a way I could still enjoy the outdoors, be able to do something I enjoy, as well as a way to make some money to put towards my children's future college expenses," Lisanby said.
The mother of four teaches classes on making rustic furniture both at home and through Illinois Central College. Starter projects include making a trellis for the garden, a plant stand or a small table.
Lisanby is currently working with fellow rustic furniture builders Bim Willow, Richard Bullock and Ed Jenkins to organize the Rustic Lifestyle Show next year in Michigan.
The event, she says, will showcase the many talented rustic artists in the Midwest, and there will be workshops for those who are interested in learning to build with rustic materials. Those who want to know more about the show should check out this Web site: www.rusticfurnituremakers.com/lifestyleshow.htm.
The people who attend these events are a fraternity of woodlanders who have gatherings in Wisconsin and New York where they meet to exchange ideas and hold workshops. Next year's gathering is July 1 to 4 in Wisconsin. Go to www.woodlanders.com for more information.