Antique Soumak Repair- Process

The first step we took on our recent project was to professionally clean this Soumak rug.  Generally, it is always advisable to clean a rug before undertaking any rug repair or restoration.  After the cleaning, we removed all the damaged and compromised yarns surrounding the affected area.  Next, we rebuilt the warp and weft, the grid-like structure in white pictured above.  With the warp and weft in place, the next step is to outline with a pencil the shape of the motifs that must be woven.  The next step, which we will highlight in our next post, will be to weave the motifs in colored yarns that will match the original yarns as close as possible.  --www.traditionalrugrepair.com