RUG DESCRIPTIONS

MOROCCAN Morocco’s unique rural weaving culture produces something that has been unencumbered by outside influence. The are made by Berber tribesmen in the Atlas Mountains and less often Arab ethnic groups on the plateaus on simple looms for their own purposes. They use longer piled rugs for the more mountainous regions and a shortcr pile for the lowland areas. The designs are from the weavers’ unique pictorial language and have changed the way rugs are perceived. Using ancient symbolism and the surrounding environment as inspiration, they have a spontaneity not seen in more traditional rugs. The combination of minimalist patterns and a long lustrous textured wool create an abstract work of art.

CACTUS The “Cactus” silk kilims locally known as “Sabra” are a rayon (cellulose) based weave, handcrafted by indigenous female artisans in Morocco. they are woven on a simple wooden loom using the background as a canvas then adding simple yet bold ancient symbolic motifs with embroidery or a float wefting technique. They are sun bleached to give them a vintage character creating something that is utterly unique.

HEMP Hemp is one of the fastest growing plants and is harvested before flowering as that is when the fiber is at its best for use as a textile. It is grown close together so the plants are tall, thereby giving longer fibers. It was one of the first plants to be spun into a usable fiber. The Hemp flatweaves we have are repurposed, they have been washed and sunned and used as is or unraveled and rewoven into a particular size or design. Previously they could have been used as outdoors and indoors as floor coverings, grain bags, for collecting fruits at harvest time and even at bakeries for kneading dough on! They are natural, versatile and organic. As growing hemp in these areas was made illegal over fifty years ago, all hemp material in use was produced prior to the ban.

MUD CLOTHS Mud Cloth is one of Africa’s most unusual and unique textiles. Making mud cloth is a time consuming process, taking four to seven days to complete. Each piece is 100% cotton and completely made by hand. Traditionally, men start the weaving process on a handheld loom making five to six inch strips of hand woven cotton. The strips are pieced together and then patterns and symbols painted by women using a variety of natural dyes. These dyes include fermented river mud. Each one-of-a-kind mud cloth creation has a story to tell. The patterns are rich in cultural significance, referring to historical events, mythical concepts or proverbs. Precise meaning in the patterns are difficult to tell, as different people apply different meanings to the same pattern or color combination.

RUG DESCRIPTIONS

VINTAGE OUSHAK Oushak is a town in West Central Turkey. Since the fifteenth-century Oushak is the most famous and important rug producing center of Turkey. Particularly well known are the rugs known by their pattern such as “Large Medallion Ushak, “Star Ushak” and “Small medallion Ushak”. They frequently appeared in sixteenth and seventeenth-century European paintings: there is a group of paintings depicting King Henry VIII of England and family members standing on several different well-known types. From the late eighteenth and through the twentieth century it became an important center for the production of carpets for export to the West. The rugs from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century are highly favored for their decorative appeal with their soft palette, excellent color combinations, and informal drawing.

VINTAGE FLATWEAVE The term flatweave encompasses any rug without pile and can apply to aKilim or Sumak (Soumac). They are made in all rug weaving locations and can come in multiple materials such as wool, cotton, hemp, and jute forexample. Whereas in a kilim where the weft is used to create the design a flatweave can also use the wefting but also use multiple weaving techniques and embellishments to create the design. They can be used on the floor, as covers for furniture, beds and as wall hangings.

VINTAGE STRIPED BLANKET These blankets are different than the wedding shawls or mantles that are made solely for decoration. These blankets are made for the cold winter nights in the mountains or desert where there can be extremes of temperature between day and night. Being all wool they are light, easy to transport and have excellent insulation properties. They can come in brightly contrasting stripes which give a splash of color in any abode.

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