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Rugs 101
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Rugs 101
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Newsletter
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| Rugs 101 - Information Center for Oriental Rugs |
Weaving and Construction
The weaving of pile rugs is a difficult and tedious process which, depending on the
quality and size of the rug, may take anywhere from a few months to several years to
complete.
To begin making a rug, you need a foundation consisting of warps strong, thick threads
of cotton, wool or silk which run the length of the rug and wefts similar threads which
pass under and over the warps from one side to the other. The warps on either side of
the rug are normally combined into one or more cables of varying thickness that
are overcast to form the selvedge.
Weaving normally begins by passing a number of wefts through the bottom warp to
form a base to start from. Loosely piled knots of dyed wool or silk are then tied around
consecutive sets of adjacent warps to create the intricate patterns in the rug. As more
rows are tied to the foundation, these knots become the pile of the rug. Between each
row of knots, one or more shots of weft are passed to tightly pack down and
secure the rows.
Depending on the fineness of the weave, the quality of the materials and the expertise
of the weavers, the knot count of a hand made rug can vary anywhere from 16 to 550
knots per square inch.
When the rug is completed, the warp ends form the fringes that may be weft-faced,
braided, tasseled, or secured in some other manner.
Looms do not vary greatly in essential details, but they do vary in size and
sophistication. The main technical requirement of the loom is to provide the correct
tension and the means of dividing the warps into alternate sets of leaves. A shedding
device allows the weaver to pass wefts through crossed and uncrossed warps, instead
of laboriously threading the weft in and out of the warps.
Horizontal Looms
The simplest form of loom is a horizontal; one that can be staked to the ground or
supported by sidepieces on the ground. The necessary tension can be obtained
through the use of wedges. This style of loom is ideal for nomadic people as it can be
assembled or dismantled and is easily transportable. Rugs produced on horizontal
looms are generally fairly small and the weave quality is inferior to those rugs
made on a professional standing loom.
Vertical Looms
Vertical looms are undoubtedly more comfortable to operate. These are found more in
city weavers and sedentary peoples because they are hard to dismantle and transport.
There is no limit to the length of the carpet that can be woven on a vertical loom and
there is no restriction to its width.
There are three broad groups of vertical looms, all of which can be modified in a
number of ways: the fixed village loom, the Tabriz or Bunyan loom, and the roller beam
loom.
The fixed village loom is used mainly in Iran and consists of a fixed upper beam and a
moveable lower or cloth beam which slots into two sidepieces. The correct tension is
created by driving wedges into the slots. The weavers work on an adjustable plank
which is raised as the work progresses.
The Tabriz loom, named after the city of Tabriz, is used in North Western Iran. The
warps are continuous and pass around behind the loom. Tension is obtained with
wedges. The weavers sit on a fixed seat and when a portion of the carpet has been
completed, the tension is released and the carpet is pulled down and rolled around the
back of the loom. This process continues until the rug is completed, when the
warps are severed and the carpet is taken off the loom.
The roller beam loom is a traditional Turkish village loom, but is also found in Iran and
India. It consists of two movable beams to which the warps are attached. Both beams
are fitted with ratchets or similar locking devices and completed work is rolled on to the
lower beam. It is possible to weave very long rugs by these means, and in some
areas of Turkey rugs are woven in series.
quality and size of the rug, may take anywhere from a few months to several years to
complete.
To begin making a rug, you need a foundation consisting of warps strong, thick threads
of cotton, wool or silk which run the length of the rug and wefts similar threads which
pass under and over the warps from one side to the other. The warps on either side of
the rug are normally combined into one or more cables of varying thickness that
are overcast to form the selvedge.
Weaving normally begins by passing a number of wefts through the bottom warp to
form a base to start from. Loosely piled knots of dyed wool or silk are then tied around
consecutive sets of adjacent warps to create the intricate patterns in the rug. As more
rows are tied to the foundation, these knots become the pile of the rug. Between each
row of knots, one or more shots of weft are passed to tightly pack down and
secure the rows.
Depending on the fineness of the weave, the quality of the materials and the expertise
of the weavers, the knot count of a hand made rug can vary anywhere from 16 to 550
knots per square inch.
When the rug is completed, the warp ends form the fringes that may be weft-faced,
braided, tasseled, or secured in some other manner.
Looms do not vary greatly in essential details, but they do vary in size and
sophistication. The main technical requirement of the loom is to provide the correct
tension and the means of dividing the warps into alternate sets of leaves. A shedding
device allows the weaver to pass wefts through crossed and uncrossed warps, instead
of laboriously threading the weft in and out of the warps.
Horizontal Looms
The simplest form of loom is a horizontal; one that can be staked to the ground or
supported by sidepieces on the ground. The necessary tension can be obtained
through the use of wedges. This style of loom is ideal for nomadic people as it can be
assembled or dismantled and is easily transportable. Rugs produced on horizontal
looms are generally fairly small and the weave quality is inferior to those rugs
made on a professional standing loom.
Vertical Looms
Vertical looms are undoubtedly more comfortable to operate. These are found more in
city weavers and sedentary peoples because they are hard to dismantle and transport.
There is no limit to the length of the carpet that can be woven on a vertical loom and
there is no restriction to its width.
There are three broad groups of vertical looms, all of which can be modified in a
number of ways: the fixed village loom, the Tabriz or Bunyan loom, and the roller beam
loom.
The fixed village loom is used mainly in Iran and consists of a fixed upper beam and a
moveable lower or cloth beam which slots into two sidepieces. The correct tension is
created by driving wedges into the slots. The weavers work on an adjustable plank
which is raised as the work progresses.
The Tabriz loom, named after the city of Tabriz, is used in North Western Iran. The
warps are continuous and pass around behind the loom. Tension is obtained with
wedges. The weavers sit on a fixed seat and when a portion of the carpet has been
completed, the tension is released and the carpet is pulled down and rolled around the
back of the loom. This process continues until the rug is completed, when the
warps are severed and the carpet is taken off the loom.
The roller beam loom is a traditional Turkish village loom, but is also found in Iran and
India. It consists of two movable beams to which the warps are attached. Both beams
are fitted with ratchets or similar locking devices and completed work is rolled on to the
lower beam. It is possible to weave very long rugs by these means, and in some
areas of Turkey rugs are woven in series.
Cross-section of a hand-knotted rug.
Parts of a typical Vertical Loom.
Setup for the Horizontal Loom.
