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Is Your Rug Antique?

Antique  Rugs | Flat Rate Carpet BlogArea rugs fall into many different categories, most of which refer to where the rug was woven. A Persian rug comes from Iran, whereas an Oriental rug categorizes any rug from the East. No matter where in the world your rug was made, antique rugs are a special category.

Antique rugs are area rugs that were woven at least 80 years ago, and rugs woven at least 50 years ago are labeled as semi-antique. Most antiques are woven before the year 1925, when synthetic dyes were introduced into the rug industry. Synthetic dyes lack the richness and uniqueness of natural dyes, and are considered to be lower quality.

Antiques are hand woven, with all natural dyes, but that’s not all that makes them antique. Antique rugs aren’t just old, but they also have to fit into an undefined category of quality. The rug must be well preserved, and well designed.

If you think your area rug might be an antique, it’s worth taking it to get appraised. Antique rugs are very valuable, and must be cared for properly.

How to Weave a Rag Rug

Weaving is an ancient art form that is found in almost every culture around the world. Some groups of people weave so beautifully that their rugs and other woven pieces are considered fine artwork. Fine oriental and Navajo rugs are prized household items, however you can easily weave your own rug right at home.

Rag rugs are sturdy, home made rugs made from leftover t-shirts, bed sheets or other old fabric lying around the home. They make wonderful decorations for doorways, outdoors or even in the kitchen. In a society that’s used to tossing away old items, rag rugs are also the perfect way to reuse and recycle.

Here are links to two different websites with easy to understand tutorials about weaving your own rug:

http://www.wikihow.com/Weave-a-Rag-Rug
http://www.craftpassion.com/2010/03/recycle-tutorial-woven-rag-rug.html

It’s a fun and easy project that requires nothing more than old fabric, or a piece of cardboard. Making your own rug doesn’t take a long time, and leaves you with a sturdy woven rug for your home.

Navajo weaving

I love hand made rugs and blankets, one of my favorite is the Navajo weaving, not only for their simple geometric beauty but also due to the high quality of modern Navajo weaving.

Handmade Native American rugs and textiles can be as beautiful and perfect as a works of art; as many other hand made items they are one-of-a-kind items that take many months to create.

Native American weaving is mainly associated with Navajo wool blankets. These famous handmade Navajo blankets are part of a sacred history that dates back more than 300 years, when weaving was introduced to the Navajo tribe.

These blankets are mostly flat weaves, although in modern days one can find a wide variety of hand made Navajo rugs and blankets.

Today Navajo fabrics are woven on reservations in northern Arizona. Original styles consisted of stripes and simple geometric shapes. Navajo weaving could be divided into the four types of the Chief blankets, Serape blankets, Eye Dazzler weaving, and fabrics after 1890.

to learn more about Navajo weaving you can start here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navajo_weaving