Area Rugs | How They're Made

Being familiar with area rug construction also helps you understand and evaluate performance aspects: why certain rugs wear better and longer. Understanding how area rugs are created helps you better determine rug value and keep you inside the borders of your budget.

Machine made

less expensive
not considered investments
more flexibility and variety
woven rugs created on automated weaving looms
elaborate designs created by placement of different colors of yarn

Man made

handmade (also called hand knotted)
custom-made
one of a kind designs
incorporate creative, brilliant uses of color
unique details and intricacies in each due to the village, city or country of the creator
often created with natural dyes for color longevity
considered an investment
many become heirlooms
ancient and unique process

Elements that tie any handmade rug together

WEAVE

technique used in making handmade rugs

Three major techniques: pile weave, flat weave and hand-tufted

Pile Weave

method of weaving used in most rugs
rug is woven by a creation of knots
different weaving groups use different types of knots
every single knot is tied by hand
can consist of 25 to over 1000 knots per square inch
skillful weavers tie knots in about ten seconds (meaning it would take a skillful weaver 6,480 hours to weave a 9x12-foot rug with a density of 150 knots per square inch)
time reduced with workshops or multiple weavers

Flat Weave

technique of weaving where no knots are used
warp strands used as the foundation
weft stands are used as the foundation and in the patterns
called flat weaves since no knots are used in the weaving process and the surface looks flat

Hand Tufted

created without tying knots into the foundation
pile height determined by amount of yarn cut off
less time consuming than hand-tying each knot
requires a high level of craftsmanship
can be made faster than hand-knotted rugs
generally less expensive than hand-knotted
highly durable and accurate
weathers foot traffic for years

KNOT

woven by tying knots on the warp strands
two predominant types of knots: asymmetrical and symmetrical

Asymmetrical (Persian or Senneh) Knot:

used in Iran, India, Turkey, Egypt and China
to form, yarn is wrapped around one warp strand and then passed under the neighboring warp strand and brought back to the surface
creates a finer weave

Symmetrical (Turkish or Ghiorde) Knot:

used in Turkey, the Caucasus and Iran by Turkish and Kurdish tribes

Knot Density:

refers to the number of knots per square inchor square decimeter in a handmade rug
measured in the imperial system in square inches and in the metric system in square decimeters
KPSI is sometimes used to indicate value
higher the number of knots per square inch, the higher the quality, and price

DYES/DYEING

process of changing the natural color of materials such as wool, silk and cotton
two types of dyes: natural dyes and synthetic dyes

Natural Dyes:

natural dyes only used until late 19th century
include plant dyes, animal dyes and mineral dyes
plant dyes come from roots, flowers, leaves, fruit, and the bark of plants
woad, a plant from the mustard and indigo family, is used for blue dye
yellow is produced from saffron, safflower, sumac, turmeric, onionskin, rhubarb, weld, and fustic
Madder, Redwood and Brazilwood has been used since ancient times for reds
browns and blacks come from catechu dye, oak bark, oak galls, acorn husks, tea, and walnut husks
henna is used for orange
for green, indigo that is over-dyed with any variety of a yellow dye is used
mineral dyes come from ocher (yellow, brown, red), limestone or lime (white), manganese (black), cinnabar and lead oxide (red), azurite and lapis lazuli (blue), and malachite (green)

Synthetic Dyes:

mid-nineteenth century, when demand for handmade rugs increased in the West, production increased in the East
need for easy-to-use and less expensive dyes with a wider range of colors caused development of synthetic dyes in Europe
synthetic dyes imported to Persia (Iran), Anatolia (Turkey) and other Eastern countries
first synthetic dye, Fuchsine (a magenta aniline), was developed in the 1850s
other synthetic aniline dyes followed, later banned by the Persian king
Persian weavers discontinued the use of synthetic dyes until the modern synthetic chrome dyes developed between World Wars I and II
chrome dyes are colorfast, retain their intensity and are produced in a variety of attractive colors and shades
mostly chrome synthetic dyes are used for coloring weaving yarns
natural dyes are used in places where they are easily obtainable