We sell lots of different kinds of rugs here. People often ask how they are made.
So here is a rundown on rug construction.
The majority of rugs in our shop are woven. Two strands are interwoven to create cloth. Do you remember doing this at camp?
Image: Etsy
The up and down strands are called warps. The left and right strands are called wefts. Remember, wefts go WEFT and right.
Weaving is the construction for virtually all fabric. From simple burlap:
To gorgeous hand-knotted rugs.
Handknotted
Handknotted rugs employ the same in-and-out weft construction as any fabric. The wefts and warps are usually made of cotton.
The handknotting innovation arrived about 10,000 years ago and has continued until today.
Here's what's different: after each weft is installed, weavers tie a row of knots tightly, by hand, around every pair of warp threads.
This is a drawing illustrating the technique.
Image: Persian Weavers
Aesthetically, this technique opened a universe of possibilities. It enabled rug designers to create any shape or color in a rug.
The knotted yarn creates the pile of the rug and can be dyed endless colors. The yarn traditionally is made of wool and/or silk. Wool is the toughest most durable fabric material on earth.
Even though it takes a very long time to tie the knots, the rug repays the effort by looking beautiful for a long, long time.
There is no other way to make a hand-knotted rug than by hand.
A Nepalese weaver.
91-Caspian Jasper - Handknotted
Flat Weaves
These resemble the potholder example above. Thick weft yarns are weaved in and out between the warps. The resulting rug can be any size, any color. Generally, flat-weaves work best in less formal settings than hand-knotted rugs.
Hand Loomed
Flat weaved rugs on a hand loom offer an artisan, hand-made look. It's prized by designers and homeowners and is more expensive than machine flat weave.
34-TV-597, a captivating hand-loomed rug.
Machine Loomed
Machine loomed rugs are faster and easier to make and are naturally less expensive than hand loomed. These can be a great choice for budget savings.
34-KR-336, a beautiful example made on a power loom.
Tufting
Tufted rugs are not weaved. They are built from a piece of weaved fabric called a monk cloth which is then decorated with many strands of yarn called tufts.
Tufters tightly stretch cloth on a frame. They then "shoot" a piece of yarn through the monk cloth. When all the tufts have been shot, they are glued to the back of the rug. Then another backing is glued on.
Tufting gun
Aaron Mitchell of Addison/Dicus & Bailey has a side gig. He makes tufted rugs featuring Japanese anime characters and sells them online.
He's creating a rug with an anime character by the artist Akira Toriyama.
His tufting is the same as that of a rug and gives a closeup look at how it's done.
Before the shooting starts, he outlines the image.
Aaron then fills in the cartoon with colors and lines to produce a rug.
Still in production, this is what it looks like now.
Tufted rugs have much of the artistic potential of hand-knotted rugs. They can be less expensive because they can be made in days, not months. You can think of them as a different medium.
Jo Jen Denim - machine tufted rug
For more on tufted rugs, read When to Use Tufted Rugs.
Close Out Opportunity
Stitchery Stripe S and Sand Castle rug 11 x 14
Can be cut down; New Zealand wool; hand-loomed; machine serged.
Designer net: $3489.80
Close Out: $1750.00
Image Sources
If you want to know more about hand-knotted rug construction, I suggest checking out this video from Persian Weavers. The narrator knows his stuff! And he's a great teacher!