Hereke Rugs found me on Google+

If you haven't heard of Google+ yet, you may want to check it out.   It's Google's answer to Facebook and appears to be a very powerful tool.  I joined Google+ about a week ago and my very first friend request was from Solveigh Calderin, owner of Hereke Carpets in Istanbul.  As a rug designer, I was thrilled to have this connection to a potential new supplier in Turkey (I'm in Minneapolis, Minnesota).  There must be some very clever algorithum hiding behind the wall of Google+ because not only did Solveigh find me, but Google+ automatically found my Twitter and Facebook pages and my Picasa web-based photo album.  I didn't have to do a thing, they all just instantly came together on my Google+ page.

As a result of the connection, I was able to see this beautiful Hereke silk carpet...  It is 42 X 68 cm and has 100 knots per cm2 which translates to approximately 667 knots per square inch.  Amazing level of detail in the design!

Sell your unique value as a designer and create a custom rug!

Creating a custom rug is easier than you think.  Carrie Rodman, Design Director at Martha O'Hara Interiors, selected one of over 200 designs on my website and specifed a custom size and her client's colors for the hand-knotted Tibetan wool runner below.

STEP 1:  Create a digital rendering.

STEP 2:  Create a 1' X 1' or 2' X 2' strike off

STEP 3:  Begin weaving the rug in Nepal

And, in 12 to 14 weeks, depending on the size of the rug, you will have your unique, artisan hand-knotted Tibetan rug which will last for generations.

Flat weave rugs are all the rage!

Flat weave rugs are a popular and less expensive alternative to a hand-knotted rug.  They are easily handled, light-weight and typically reversible.   In a flat weave rug, the colored weft strands of wool are woven across the loom over and under the warp strands.  Without any knots, flat weaves do not have a pile.  Due to their construction, they are thinner than knotted rugs and not as warm and plush.  Simple curves are achievable but stripes and squares and other more boxy shapes are rendered best in a flat weave.

Over the years, flat weaves have been used as wall hangings, saddle pads and prayer rugs.  Following are 3 examples of flat weave rug construction.






  SLIT WEAVE             WARP SHEARING       INTERLOCKING WEFTS

Here are a few fun flat weave designs.

Square Chains

                                                               

Interlocking Rings

                                                                 

Honeycomb

                                                                       

Genie Bottle

                                                           

Designing a Tassel Runner

Inspiration comes from lots of different places.  Most recently, a common drapery tassel inspired me to create a damask runner in 2 colorways:  taupe & cream and sky blue & cream.  A lovely bathroom, kitchen or bedroom rug with an updated traditional motif.

Tassel Damask Runner/Sky Blue & Cream

Tassel Damask Runner/Taupe & Cream


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Rug Yarns

Preparing and dyeing woolen yarns for hand-knotted Tibetan rugs is labor-intensive.  First, the wool is sheared from the sheep (typically Tibetan sheep that live above 14,000 feet in the Himalayan mountains).  Sometimes New Zealand wool is used but currently NZ wool is much more expensive than Tibetan wool for the Nepalese carpet makers.  Once sheared, the wool is machine or hand-carded to separate and straighten the fibers, remove impurities and prepare the fibers for spinning.  Hand-carding is a traditional method where a pair of wooden paddles with wire faces is used to brush the wool.  The result is a batt or rolag of lofty wool that makes spinning easier.  After carding, the wool is hand-spun and then wound into balls.  The yarn balls are used to hand-knot the colors into a beautiful Tibetan wool rug. 

Shearing sheep

Brush for hand carding

Spinning wool by hand

Winding yarn balls and separating into colors

Photo:  Courtesy of Goodweave

Weaving of Concept Interiors Rug Design in Nepal

World Day Against Child Labor

As a licensed importer with Goodweave, a non-profit based in Washington, D.C. which is working to end child labor in the rug-making industry, I am very aware that children are still losing their childhoods to the rug loom.  Despite pronouncements by the Indian government that child labor no longer exists in the country’s hand-woven carpet sector, there are still innumerable shacks and village huts where children are coerced to work 16 or more hours a day weaving carpets for export to Europe and North America. These children are either paid a pittance for their efforts, or are exploited through outright bonded and forced labor. 

Goodweave is working to get these kids off the loom and back into school.  Each year, Concept Interiors Rugs donates a percentage of our profits to help their efforts.  By becoming aware of this issue and considering it in your purchase of rugs, you are helping children get an education and have hope for their future.

Today is World Day Against Child Labor....

www.conceptinteriors-us.com

Sangita was in 3rd grade when she was forced to leave school because her family could no longer afford the tuition. When her family lacked the money for basic necessities like food, Sangita had no other option but to travel to Kathmandu and work in a carpet factory to send money home.  She was only 12 years old. After a few months of toiling at a carpet loom in a dark space, with little to no food, pay or rest, a GoodWeave inspector discovered Sangita and rescued her. Once at GoodWeave’s rehabilitation center, Hamro Ghar, Sangita was happy to continue the education she had abandoned years ago and live in a friendly environment with other children who escaped a similar plight. One year after being rescued, she was reunited with her family. Sangita is now 16 years old and in 9th grade at Nava Jyoti Secondary School in Makwanpur. GoodWeave continues to  sponsor Sangita’s tuition, school supplies and food.  She says, “It is only because of GoodWeave that I am here to talk about my life. Otherwise I would still be a child laborer in a carpet factory. I want to give many thanks to GoodWeave and its family for everything they have done for me. Thank you.”

Child working on a rug loom

Designing a Paisley Rug

A few months ago, an interior designer in my building approached me with a paisley inspiration that she drew for a rug.  With this drawing in hand, I created a 10 X 13 foot rug for a young couple's living room with bright, fun colors and paisleys that were positioned to have just the right "pop" under the homeowner's furniture.  The design firm is Lilu Interiors...I just LOVE their tag line..."we don't just throw a pillow at a problem and call it a day!"  Lilu has a wonderful team of talented interior designers that can add tremendous value to a design project and they are great fun to work with!