Moroccan Rug Cleaning - Cleaning a Work of Art

 

Professionally cleaning any authentic handmade rugs can be a challenge.  One must be sure to clean the rug thoroughly, but also be sure neither to damage any sensitive fibers, nor cause any color run.  For Moroccan rugs, this last consideration is especially important.  Many Moroccan rugs, such as the very popular Beni Ourain rugs, have very pale backgrounds against more graphic dark designs.  This is a perfect recipe for unsightly color run if a dark color is allowed to seep into white or cream wool pile.  For this reason, doing a color run test in a small discrete area is of paramount importance.  While there is no full proof way to prevent color run (because it is impossible to assess definitively if dyes are color fast before testing them all), a color run test can go a long way to help prevent damage.  Damaging these beautiful works of art would be a shame, and it is important to take the utmost preventative measures to ensure that a professional cleaning is done as safely and properly as possible. --www.traditionalrugrepair.com

Goat Hair Kilim Repair Project - Before and After

 

Goat hair is a difficult material to work with because it is very coarse.  Despite that, however, goat hair kilims can be very beautiful as their natural color and texture lend themselves to wonderfully stark contrasts and graphic patterns.  This kilim restoration project compelled us to work with goat hair.  As the photo above shows, an area of goat hair yarns was damaged.  We reconstructed the goat hair warp and weft, and embroidered the missing motifs.  Below is the after shot of the damaged section.  Another enjoyable kilim restoration project completed! 

--www.traditionalrugrepair.com

Turkish Kilim Restoration

One of the most enjoyable aspects of working on Turkish handwoven kilim restoration projects is the immediate improvement that one can see as the project progresses.  When restoring a hand knotted rug, the result is somewhat delayed until after the newly knotted sections are shorn down.  But with a kilim, the restoration results are immediately visible and gratifying.  Restoring a kilim almost feels like painting in that way, albeit much, much slower.  Kilims are a delight to live with, as are the more ubiquitous hand knotted rugs.  Kilims are flat woven and tend to have more geometric motifs because of the nature of the weaving process.  The designs can be wonderfully bold and intricate, making them look like paintings for your floor.  They are a treasure to behold, and a gift to restore. --www.traditionalrugrepair.com