How our rugs are made
Part Two: Design and Weave
Here is where the rug's style is first conceived, in the minds of
craftsmen and artists who scale designs on paper. These are later
used like a map for the weaver.
Handknotted wool rugs are woven on two different types of looms, in
two different settings, as seen below.
Most wooden
looms reside in rural villages or cottage homes, whereas modern steel
looms can be found filling large factories. In these workshops, weavers
are paid by each square foot completed.
The rug is now woven!
But not quite finished...
Native handwashing
and stretching is an important step that accomplishes many things:
- Removes all
dirt, impurities and excess dye.
- Preshrinks
the rugs and sets their colors.
- "Blocking"
or stretching the rug removes wrinkles and allows the rug to lay
perfectly flat.
The
finishing touch to a rug is the shearing. This process crops the
wool threads to a constant length.
Again, both rural and modern techniques can be used.
This high volume micro-shearer gives a nice uniform surface.
The same result is
also achieved through traditional hand shearing.
They will come to rest in a fine home, where their beauty and craftsmanship
are appreciated for decades to come.
Finally, the rugs are readied for transport. They are carefully packaged
for a long voyage west by sea or air.
We hope
you have enjoyed this documentary.
If you would like to learn more about the art and history of Oriental
and Persian area rugs please take a look at our
book list or glossary.
The following table shows the time it takes to make these beautiful hand-made rugs and not the machine-made rugs.
| |
4 x 6 Size |
6 x 9 Size |
9 x 12 Size |
(81 knots per. sq. inch.) 7/52 quality |
53 days |
119 days |
237 days |
(120 knots per. sq. inch.) 9/60 quality |
78 days |
175 days |
351 days |
(196 knots per. sq. inch.) 14/14 quality |
113 days |
254 days |
508 days |
Return
to Part One
1-800-624-7847
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