Lost Art Press

Stick Chair Merit Badge Extension

Posted on by fitz

With 165 Stick Chair Merit Badges remaining, we’re extending the deadline to earn one until they are gone (we’d much rather you have a little more time than to dispose of the ones that are left). When they run out, we’ll announce it here.

The merit badges are one to a customer, and the rules remain the same:

  1. Build a stick chair with your own hands. (Not a frame chair, ladderback chair, Windsor/Forest chair, IKEA chair, folding chair etc.) A genuine, vernacular stick chair. (A stool without a back is not a chair. A backstool, which is essentially a side chair, is indeed a chair.)
  2. Take a picture and print it out on any paper.
  3. Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) to us with the picture of your stick chair. (International readers are welcome to participate; you’ll need a U.S. Global stamp on the SASE.) Here’s how to address the envelope:

Stick Chair Merit Badge
Lost Art Press
837 Willard St.
Covington, KY 41011

I will in return insert a badge into said SASE, seal it up (with tape if it’s not self-adhesive…I’m not licking your envelopes!) and drop it in the post box on the corner near our shop, or – if it’s raining or I’m feeling lazy – at the drive-up box at Cincinnati’s main Post Office, which is on my way home.

– Fitz

31 thoughts on “Stick Chair Merit Badge Extension”

  1. What is the difference between a “vernacular stick chair” and a Windsor?

      1. Ah, I totally understand now, thanks. I’ll just send in the picture and if it is a stick chair maybe I will get a merit badge. If not, it is still pretty comfortable to sit in

  2. Great news (and I forgot about the deadline…). I’ll get on cracking (hopefully not the seat…).

  4. OH MAN – I might actually be able to earn one of these! Just got The Stick Chair Book for Christmas and excited to get to work.

  5. This sounds pathetic I know, but up to today, the only chair styles I could confidently identify was Campaign, and Maloof. Everything else I’ve always categorized as “A Chair” style. Furniture styles have always been an enigma to me that I’ve never bothered to decode. This is definitely ‘a blame the student’ situation, but I’ll catch up some day. I hope.

    I wish this comment was one of my lame jokes.

  6. Will there be different kinds of merit badges in the future to earn?

    1. Probably not. These were paid for out of my pocket ($400) as an experiment. It was fun. But it was also a lot of work, there were a lot of people who refused to follow the instructions, and a few tried to bully us into sending them a badge without a photo.

      Perhaps when we forget what a PITA this was, we’ll consider doing another one.

      1. That’s a shame people try to do stuff like that. Thank you for creating something fun to do. I’m almost done with mine. Can’t wait for my family to sit in it.

      2. As someone who has also done a number of giveaways and contests, you can feel comfort in knowing that even The Champ can’t get people to follow the rules. And yes, it takes all the fun out of trying to do something nice for other people.

  7. I just got mine in the mail today and was very excited to see it. Thanks for doing this, it was a little extra encouragement to get me to make a chair!

  8. At some point there was talk of a stick chair “collage”… or “Schwarz interpretive dance” using all of the sent in pictures… still a possibility or has that idea slipped into the maybe pile. No worries here – just didn’t want to miss it if it happens.

  10. Yes! Thank you! Been trying and failing for a number of reasons so pumped to have a bit more time to earn a badge for losing my chairginity.

  11. I really appreciate my merit badge, it was the push I needed. Thank you all at Lost Art Press for all you do.

    I was planning a chair based on info in Anarchist Design Book (fabulous book) while I waited for The Stick Chair Book to come out for the final courage since doing a chair was intimidating for me. As you mention in those 2 books it’s not really intimidating once you do it (after reading the books). The hard part was in my head.

    Again a big thank you. I hope that others are encouraged by these badges to get the first one started. I was sitting on my first ever chair surprisingly fast.

  12. I was excited to receive mine in the mail this week, looking forward to sewing it on my shop apron!

  13. I finished my first stick chair right before Christmas just it time for Santa. It was a hit at family gathering with the sheep skin. Sent out a picture for my badge last week.

    On a side note, after building among other things; a Workbench, a pair of staked high stools, two creepies, a stick chair and an ATC in 2022, my wife is wondering if you could write the ”Anarchist’s Fireplace Surround”, or perhaps something along the lines of, ”Mudroom Storage Cubby I’ve Been Promised Book”…

  14. I think it was a fun idea. I enjoyed sending in for one, and my kids enjoyed teasing me about it. Plus I cleaned up my kitchen a bit so I could pose my chair. All good all around. Thanks!

  15. Thought these would be quickly snapped up so I didn’t submit. I just did. I built a batch of 5 chairs – one to test each step, four for my daughter’s kitchen.

  16. Hi. I just found an image of an Irish stick chair in a filim, if all places. In the new movie, The Banshees of Inisherrin, you’ll see the chair in Colm’s cottage at minute 21:00. It’s lovely and someday I’ll recreate it.

  17. I can’t find 5/8 bits anywhere. Until then I’ll just have to look at this nice pile of wood

  18. I’m mailing in Monday. Started in June, got injured, long recovery + work = Irish stick chair completed yesterday.

    Perhaps the badge will have a secret message like “be sure to read your LAP”.

  20. I need some help efficiently transferring my paper pattern to a more durable plywood pattern. Any tips would be great

    1. Cut them out, then use spray adhesive to stick them to Masonite or 1/4″ ply. Cut just a hair outside the lines, then clean up the cuts.

Comments are closed.