Ghotogh Persian Rugs: A fine Piece for Sales

Gholtogh Rugs

Gholtogh is a very small town in the province of Zandjan in north west Iran. The province of Zangjan is surrounded with seven states of West Azarbayjan, East Azarbayjan, Ardabil, Guilan, Qazvin, Hamedan, and Kurdistan. All of these provinces except Guilan have excellent rug weaving traditions. There was a good tradition of rug weaving in this little town by Kurdish nomads and semi-nomads which were settled.
The rugs which are made in Gholtogh are in small sizes and have geometric patterns. In many cases, there is a diamond shape medallion in the center. The colors are strong and the weavers love to use orange, red, mustard yellow and deep blue colors. The foundation of Gholtogh carpets is cotton and the pile is made of sheep wool. These rugs are firm and dense and look like Bidjar rugs. This is due to the fact that each row of a Gholtogh rug is densely pounded by a metal comb and this makes the rug to become tightly woven. These rugs are double-wefted with symmetrical knots which are tightly knotted around two warps.

The piece shown here belongs to a private customer who wants to sell it. We do not ask for commission or any fee. It is a very nice piece and a collectible carpet. Those who maybe interested can directly contact the owner:

Amy Graves
P.O. Box 252054
Los Angeles, CA 90025
310-592-4175 Cell
310-967-4725 VM
www.amygravesphoto.com
amygraves@earthlink.net


Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.rugidea.com
310-770-9085

Nowruz Persian New Year in Santa Ana Bowers Museum

Bowers Museum Presents Persian Family
Festival of Nwruz on March 7, 2010

Event expands the knowledge of history, tradition, and customs of Persian New Year from Ancient Persia to modern Iran .

SANTA ANA, Calif. – Bowers Museum will host the Iranian-Persian New Year in its courtyard with authentic Persian music, dance, art, literature, videos, and children’s activities focusing on Norouz traditions on Sunday, March 7, 2010, from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Norouz marks the first day of spring and the beginning of the year in Iranian calendar.

The program is co-sponsored by the Persian Cultural Arts Council (Affiliate of Bowers Museum). Admission is free.
Here is the list of the activities and entertainment:

• Noted choreographer Anna Djanbazian and artistic director of Anna Djanbazian Dance Company will perform Persian traditional dances with beautiful traditional costumes.
• Persian performances include Persian music masters of Yarsan ensemble, Kourosh Moradi, Afshin Mehrasa, Kourosh Basiri, Faramarz Amiri; Persian dancer Ladan Homayoun; and Persian Pop Dancer Bahar (with music by D J Amir.)
• A glamorous Haft Seen ceremonial table designed by Samira Weddings will be featured. Haft Seen includes seven specific items representing health, wealth, longevity, fertility and more.
• Uncle Norouz (similar to Santa Claus) will be wishing everyone a happy Persian New Year.
• A traditional Persian Tea House will serve complimentary Persian tea and Persian sweets throughout the festival. Eating sweets on Norouz brings sweetness to life in the coming year.
• A documentary, “In the Foot Steps of Cyrus The Great” by Cyrus Kar, will be featured in the Norma Kershaw Auditorium. The film is on the life of King Cyrus, the first Achaemenian king of ancient Persia .
• The cartoon, Babak and Friends, will be featured. Directed by Dustin J. Ellis, the cartoon is the story of little Babak, who is not familiar with the traditions of the Persian New Year. When his cousins visit, little Bobby realizes that he is missing out on the Best Day of the Year. With the help of friends and a trip to the ancient capital of the Persian Empire, Persepolis, Babak learns about Norouz and rejoices in the rich culture of Iran.
• Prominent artist Reza Sepahdari will demonstrate Plaster relief techniques as seen in the Ancient palace of Persepolis .
• Prominant artists Jila and Touraj Hakimi from OC Fine Arts will display their glass art creations. The husband-and-wife artists will also offer an opportunity to participate in arts and crafts.
• Dr. Khosrow Sobhe, Certified Rug Specialist of SOBCO International, will be exhibiting beautiful Persian rugs, and an artisan will be demonstrating Persian carpet weaving on an actual loom and showing techniques of this magnificent ancient Persian art form.
• Davoud Sesar and Ghazal will offer Persian calligraphy and Manijeh will demonstrate her art of painting on silk scarves.
• Jamie Douraghy will exhibit Rostam Comic Books for children. Rostam is the mythical Iranian hero in Shahnameh. The Epic of Kings is one of the definitive literature classics of the world and was written by the famous Iranian poet, Ferdowsi.
• Dr. A. Kamron Jabbari, president of Mazda Publishers, Inc., will exhibit a collection of Persian books of academic value and quality.
• Bardi Borghei will exhibit her book Persian Miniature paintings, paintings and hand painted cards.
• Mohamad Amini Sam from Jamshid Foundation will exhibit his book, “The pictorial History of Iran” and posters on history of Iran .
• CSU Fullerton students will have an information table on the school’s Persian Studies program.
• Students from California Zoroastrian Center , Khayam Persian School Foundation, and Mrs. Sorour Nayeri Persian Language School will sing and perform Persian Music and dances.
• Children’s activities feature arts and crafts, traditional Persian New Year custom of coloring eggs, growing Sabzeh (wheat grass, lintel grass, and mung beans grass), making Norouz greeting cards, learning about Haft seen items, face painting, costumes, Norouz crafts, and dancing.
• There will also be Poetry Reading and Bibliomancy from world-renowned Iranian Poets, Hafez and Rumi, by Shokoufeh.

Food from the Museum’s restaurant, Tangata is available for purchase.

Bowers Museum is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is located at 2002 North Main Street in Santa Ana . For additional information, call (714) 278-4854 or (714) 567-3679 or visit www.bowers.org


Norouz Family Festival, Persian New Year
Event expands the knowledge of history, tradition, and customs of Persian New Year from Ancient Persia to modern Iran

SUNDAY MARCH 7, 2010 11:00- 3:30PM

Norouz marks the first day of spring and the beginning of the year in Persian-Iranian calendar. Norouz is a time of visiting family and friends and celebrating life, and it is believed that whatever a person does on Norouz will affect the rest of the year. So make sure you start the year off right and join in traditional Persian dance, music, literature, poetry reading, see our beautiful ceremonial Haft-seen table, meet Uncle Norouz, and enjoy complementary tea and sweets from the Persian Tea House. Wear new clothes or Persian folk outfits and be ready for a fun, exciting, and memorable time. Children’s activities feature arts and crafts, videos, traditional Persian New Year custom of coloring eggs, growing Sabzeh, (wheat grass), making Norouz greeting cards, learning about Haft seen items,
face painting, costumes, Norouz crafts, and dancing.

Co-sponsored by Persian Cultural Arts Council at Bowers Museum
(949-929-8492)

TARGET FREE FIRST SUNDAY

Free Admission to Festival and Galleries

Carpooling Recommended
http://www.bowers.org/index.php/visit/directions

BOWERS MUSEUM 2002 N.MAIN STREET
SANTA ANA , CA 92706 714-567-3600

Rug Buying Secrets and Tips

Rug Buying Secrets & Tips


1- If you do not know much about Oriental rugs, try to get to know your Oriental rug dealer. The dealer should be knowledgeable and should not be overly persistent in trying to sell you a rug. You as a customer should not feel that you are under pressure to buy a rug. The rug dealer should provide you with the right information, based on which you can make a sound and informative decision. Choosing the right store and the right dealer is the most important job in your rug buying adventure.

2- When you buy a Persian, Oriental or area rug, ask the dealer to write a thorough description of whatever he claims the rug to be on the invoice. For example "Hand knotted Persian rug with vegetable dye and handspun wool". Ask him to give you a copy of his printed return policy. This should be simple and clear and not with many preconditions.

3- Never trust "Going out of Business" rug stores or traveling auctions. In many cases, "Retirement Sales", TV and the Internet auctions by unknown sellers are not trustworthy.

4- Do not trust those who claim to give you 80% off. Think for a moment. How is it possible to buy a hand knotted rug and pay only 20% of what it is worth? Why should somebody do this big favor to you?

5- Material of the rug you would like to buy is very important. Wool is the best material for pile. Silk pile is luxurious, but is not good for high traffic areas of your home. The warp (foundation of the rug) can be cotton, wool or silk. Usually, tribal rugs are made of wool warp. Machine made and area rugs may look beautiful, but there may be some health issues and concerns with them. Especially when compared with hand knotted rugs which use natural fibers such as cotton, wool and silk.

6- To make sure a silk rug is real, take a little piece of the fringe (warp) and burn it. If it leaves a little stem and smells like burning hair, it is silk. If it disintegrates and smells like burning paper, it is not real and is probably rayon, mercerized cotton, viscose or other synthetics. Some dealers refer to rayon/viscose in the rug industry as "artificial silk", or worse "art silk". In either case, it is not real and natural silk. A lot of silk rugs that come from India, and China, are not made from real silk, so make sure you know what you are buying. A reputable rug dealer would always clearly tell you what material a rug is made with.

7- Choosing the right size is very important. Make sure to measure your room correctly before referring to any rug store. Get the maximum and minimum sizes you may want to cover to have a better choice by considering several rugs of different sizes.

8- Color is another important factor in selecting a rug. Many buyers would like the color of the rug to match with the wall, furniture, draperies, and other items surrounding it. Light colors make the room look bigger. Darker colors do not show spills and dirt.

9- Choosing a design of a rug is a matter of taste. Some people like busier designs while others may prefer less crowded designs with a more open field. In classical and traditional rugs, there is a medallion in the center with a corner medallion (1/4 of a medallion) in each corner. Another design group is overall or floral with no center medallion while there are repeating flowers and motives. This design is more popular than the classical design with medallions. Persian rugs have a vast collection of designs which can satisfy many different types of customers.

10- Price is also an important factor which you should consider. There is no set formula rug pricing is based upon. Determining the price of a hand knotted rug depends on many variables such as size, origin, quality of the wool and dye, density of the knots (Knot Per Square Inch, KPSI), material and age. As mentioned earlier, if you find a reputable dealer who is an active member of several professional societies and associations and has knowledge of the rug, you are probably in much safer hands.

11- We at RugIdea.com will be happy to give you free advice on your rug buying journey. We, as third generation rug enthusiasts and Certified Rug Specialist (CRS), practice what we preach. Please give us a call at 310-770-9085 if we can be of assistance to you.

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.rugidea.com
info@RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

Persian carpet designs

Persian Carpet Designs

In a book called Persian Carpet Designs, by Mehry Reid, a reader can catch an insight at the hundreds of designs a Persian Carpet could possess. Reid was born in Iran and studied all over the world. She studied the many designs and arts of ceramic flower crafts and flower arrangements, along with many other fine arts.

In the beginning of the book, Reid gives a brief introduction to the Persian Carpet. She defines the many different terms, like Oriental and hand-knotted rugs. Reid also gives a short history to the Persian rug, dating these historic rugs to a beginning at least 3000 years ago. She tells readers where the first rugs were thought to have been created and about their detailed designs.

Reid also describes the making of an Oriental carpet in the introduction. She introduces the different types of fabric used and the different techniques of weaving. The introduction that is written is very informative and contains a very good chunk of quick information.

After the introduction, Reid has pages upon pages of examples of designs. Primarily the designs in this book are of floral prints, but the designs are not limited to that. There are many examples of central designs and more geometric patterns.

Reid describes that the designs presented in her book are not necessarily basic patterns, since over the years many weavers modified these patterns and changed them to their personal preferences. Reid also states that in this book it would not be a surprise if a reader found more than one design that was featured in one rug. Many designs were meshed together to create one overall pattern.

Overall, the book takes a dip into the history of the Persian Carpet, with information that is small in quantity, but full with knowledge. There are many designs that are common to carpets found today and those from many years ago. The book is full of wonderful examples, and can show any reader how unique and varied Persian Rugs can be.

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.rugidea.com
310-770-9085

The Legend of the Persian Carpet at Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)

The Legend of the Persian Carpet

On January 18, 2010 I went to Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) to say good buy to the famous Ardabil and Coronation carpets which had been on display from November 14, 2009. I then went to the museum's bookstore and bought two interesting books. Here, I am writing a review on one of them.

In The Legend of the Persian Carpet, by Tomie DePaola, readers are intrigued with pages full of colorful illustrations that describe how the Persian Carpet came to be. The book is a children’s book that is brightly illustrated, by Claire Ewart, from start to finish with pages that are so full of color a reader may feel like they are right there with the narrator telling the story.

The story is about a great King that lived in a land once called Persia. This king was very kind and generous to his people, he had a great diamond that he let everyone in the town come and see when the sun set at night. The book describes that at night, when the sun was setting, the diamond would be hit with light and send rays of color all through the great room that the king kept the diamond in. The king was very proud of his diamond and trusted his people.

DePaola then describes that one night a thief came into the room while the sun was setting and after it had set, the thief stole the diamond and ran off on his horse with the precious jewel. While the thief was riding away, the diamond caught a ray of light and temporarily blinded the thief with its brightness. The thief dropped the diamond and it shattered on the desert floor.
The king became very depressed, but then a little boy found the diamond out in the desert and took his king to the spot where it laid shattered. The king could not bring himself to leave this place, he couldn’t go back to the darkness that his palace now was. The little boy was very worried because without a king ruling, their land could be attacked.

The little boy set out with an idea to bring the king back to his palace. The little boy went to all of the weavers in Persia and convinced them to weave a massive rug that was filled with all of the colors of the rainbow. Something so bright and majestic, it would bring the king back to his ruling place, and make him happy. The little boy convinced the king to come back to the palace for a year and one day for them to complete the rug. If they did not complete it in that time, the king could leave.

The book efficiently illustrates all of the color and beauty of the diamond and the Persian rug that was brought to the king. All of the pages in this book are filled with color and joy; it is hard to not enjoy this easy read. The colorful pages are delightful and will lift the spirits of any reader. DePaola is a wonderful author, who gave the legend of the Persian carpet a wonderful story for readers to understand its beginnings. The illustrations by Ewart brought the story to life with beautiful drawings and colorful creations.

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.rugidea.com
310-770-9085

Oriental Rugs Today

Oriental Rugs Today

When someone thinks of an Oriental rugs, many people automatically think of an aged carpet that is considered an antique and very expensive. What may surprise people is that many area rugs that are being woven in present times are quite possibly higher quality than their predecessors. There is very little text about Persian Rugs of today, but in the book Oriental Rugs Today by Emmett Eiland, readers can learn about Persian hand knotted rugs that are being woven today, and their new found techniques that make them a higher quality carpet.

Oriental Rugs Today is a great read and is also very easy to follow along with. The writing style is very pleasant; it is as if you are having a conversation with the author. This piece of literature includes many stories of the author’s voyages. These stories make the book more enjoyable and easier to understand. Eiland also includes many pictures of area rugs and the weavers. With the pictures he includes small, but very informative captions. All of these components add up to a wonderful and informative book.

In the text readers learn about, what Eiland calls it, a “Renaissance” of Oriental rug weaving. Eiland teaches us how many weavers are re-mastering the art of hand spinning the wools and using natural dyes for the wool. When wool is hand spun, Eiland explains how the color is not fully absorbed, leaving some areas lighter or darker than the rest of the wool of that same color. With machine spun wool, color is absorbed evenly and the colors are consistent throughout the rug. Some area rugs made with synthetic dyes are being made in a fashion where it appears the colors are inconsistent, giving it the look of hand spun wool. As Eiland puts it, “this illusion is good, but it lacks depth and liveliness.”

Eiland states that many people believe that Persian rugs woven today are no longer handmade and all use synthetic dyes. With the belief that Oriental carpets woven today are all machine made and made with synthetic dyes, it can lead to people losing interest in them and downplaying their quality. Some people make the mistake of believe that area rugs being created in present times are not as genuine or authentic as the carpets that were woven in the past.

Eiland proves this belief wrong in his book, while he discusses his journeys across the world and his findings of people reverting back to the old ways of making oriental area rugs. Many weavers are once again using the hand spun wool and naturally dying it, with more advanced techniques than the way it was done in the past. These current weavers are also using the advanced techniques to weave the carpets at a higher quality.

It was hard to lose interest while reading this book about Oriental rugs; Eiland keeps the reader intrigued with his stories and plethora of pictures. The author also uses different forms of text, like question and answer sessions that keep the reader interested and gives the information a new spin by challenging certain misconceptions that may arise while reading on this subject. The book overall is a great find and is full of useful information that can give readers more understanding and respect for the high quality Persian rugs that are being created today.

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

Turkish Silk Rugs and American Tourists!

Emmett Eiland in his book Oriental Rugs Today writes:

American tourists often return from Turkey with Kaiseri rugs made in central Anatolia. Local rug merchants represent them as silk rugs. In fact, they are made with mercerized cotton, a poor imitation. I have examined pile fibers from many Kaiseris in microscope without finding one that is really silk. Those who have purchased "silk" Kaiseris in Turkey, still in denial after hearing the bad news, sometimes produce receipts from Turkey that read,"Made from 100% pure art silk." Art turns out to be an abbreviation for "artificial"

Picture of the rug courtesy of rugs on sale.

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.rugidea.com
310-770-9085

Oriental Rugs Today: Buying Rugs in Turkey

This morning, I was reading Oriental Rugs Today written by Emmett Eiland, a very informative book. One topic seemed interesting and since sometimes my customers ask me if they should buy rugs when they are on a trip to Turkey, I cite this part of the book here.

Of all the rug-weaving countries in the world, Turkey may be the most fun for travelers looking to buy...Turkish rug merchants are engaging people who can make the whole process of buying a rug fun, and they are perfectly capable of shipping rugs internationally.

Given these attractions, travelers often buy rugs abroad that they wouldn't have bought had they had an opportunity to try at home on an approval basis. travelers get caught up in the local aesthetic and admire rugs in Turkey, for instance, that don't look so good to them at home. Of course,that is not the fault of Turkish merchants.

But there is a more sinister side to the story. Nearly all the folks who show us rugs they have brought back from Turkey have been lied to by Turkish merchants in some respect. Most have been given an exaggerated notion of a rug's age. Very often they have been told that a rug was woven with natural dyes when, in fact, it was not. Lately we have seen a number of cases in which Turkish rug dealers have sold tourists cheap rugs from other countries and passed them off as Turkish.

Worst of all, sometimes people are sold rugs in Turkey for far more than they are worth. Sometimes thousands of dollars more-and usually a buyer in that case has little recourse.

...Our advice? Buy rugs in Turkey and elsewhere abroad just as you would gamble. That is, have fun-but don't bet more that you can afford to lose.

I thought this is what many who travel and buy rugs should know. The picture of the rug I used here is the courtesy of PersianCarpetGuide.com

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

Persian Hand Knotted Varamin/Veramin Rugs

Varamin Carpets: Old Traditions, New Ideas

We produced Gabbehs rugs for many years in the province of Fars in Iran. The city of Shiraz was our center and headquarters in Gabbeh production. In 1995, we were looking for another place with rug production traditions closer to Tehran where we lived, worked and had our offices and warehouses. We considered several cities such as Qazvin, Kashan, Arak and few other places with rug making history. We found the right weavers in Varamin (Veramin), an old town with excellent carpet weaving traditions and culture 25 miles south east of Tehran.

A Brief History of Varamin

Tehran became the capital of Iran in 1795. Many head of the tribes moved to Tehran either by their will or by the Shah who wanted to disperse them in order to diminish their power so they could not question and fight the central government. Tehran did not have the facilities and the infrastructure to place all these tribes and their horses, sheep, and goats. The neighboring Varamin which was the backyard of Tehran was an ideal place for their residence. Several Arab, Azari, Lor, and Kurdish tribes migrated to Varamin and its suburbs. Animal husbandry and farming was their way of living. Tehran became a huge consumption market and provided a good venue for the farm products. The means of transportation were horses, donkeys and camels. Many of these tribal people knew how to make rugs as it was in their culture and a part of their family traditions. We exploited this craftsmanship in Varamin weavers.

We started with 5 looms and in 2000, and we reached at our record of having 120 looms scattered in several small villages around the city of Varamin. We found few old Varamin carpet designs but those had to be modified. We gave the old designs to a master designer called "Master Moussavi" in Tehran carpet bazaar to modify. The sizes for the new carpets were also to be modified to fit the American rug sizes such as 4' x 6', 5' x 8', 6' x 9', 9' x 12' and 10' x 14'.

Weavers of Varamin Rugs

Having a centralized carpet workshop in rural places in Iran is next to impossible and that is due to legal procedures (tough workman's compensation laws and insurances), cultural and traditional barriers, and so many other variables. Therefore we had to set up our looms in different homes and this made our supervision very difficult and time consuming.

The majority of our weavers in Varamin were adult women but in some cases we had men weaving rugs. It is not part of the culture to have kids work on looms to weave rugs. On the other hand, there is a very strict law prohibiting kids under 14 to work in carpet workshops or homes. All the kids of the weavers attended school while their mothers or in rare cases fathers wove rugs. When I went to Varamin to see the progress of the jobs, mostly on weekends, I took a big bag full of pens, color pencils, crayons, note books, books and candies to distribute among the kids whose grades were B or higher. To my surprise, many of the kids had A grades! Why? Because working hard is part of their family culture and traditions. These rural kids are not spoiled like urban and city kids who have everything they want, but are always bored.

If the weavers worked constantly and full time meaning 8 hours per day on a rug, they could weave 2 feet on the length of the rug per month on a 6'x 9' loom. We paid them by the yardage and the square meter, so they were not our employees and were considered independent contractors. The weavers were not on payroll and did not receive an hourly wages. It was up to them how many hours of work they wanted to put in weaving a carpet. If the speed and the quality of the work were satisfactory, they received bonuses and a new job when they finished the rug they had worked on.

Varamin Carpet Designs

One of the old designs was called "Pashotori" or "Came Foot" design which resembled the foot stamp of a camel. We prepared the cartoons (designs on graph paper) for all mentioned sizes.

Another old design from Varamin was called "Shah Abbassi". We modified this design and made the Shah Abbassi motives and flowers bigger.

Some times our customers asked for asymmetrical designs and a little out of balance designed rugs. We created such design and produced several pieces of these rugs in Varamin. Traditionally, there was a contrast between the color of border and the background in Persian carpets. For example if the color of background was red, the color of border was dark blue or visa versa. Recently, there has been a shift in demand in this regard. Therefore we produced some rugs in Varamin with Ivory background and borders. Below, you can see a picture of a rug with this type of color palette and out of balance design.

We produced many Varamin rugs for Atiyeh International Ltd. of Portland, Oregon. We had several trips to Varamin with Tom Atiyeh between "2000" to "2003". Tom provided us with very good information on all aspects of the American rug market and the customers' tastes.

Varamin Carpet Dyes

We produced all our Varamin rugs with hand spun fine quality graded wool with natural dye. The quality of the dye in Varamin was not satisfactory, so I asked my good friend master dyer Abbas Sayahi in Shiraz to dye our hand-spun wool and yarns. We shipped our cargo of yarns from Varamin to suburb of Shiraz, where Abbas Sayahi's dye plant was.

We produced our Varamin carpets in three main color palettes of Burgundy (deep red), Dark Blue, and Ivory. For the red, we used root of madder which were seven years old grown in the desert in central Iran. Cochineal is not grown in Iran any more and is imported from south America, the Caraibe Islands and India. Since it is imported, cochineal is very expensive compared with locally grown root of madder and there was no need to use cochineal. If we needed darker and deeper red, we asked master Abbas Sayahi to mix the root of madder with a little bit of walnut husk in the dye bath in which wool was boiling to get dyed. For the dark blue, we used indigo which is locally grown in Fars province.

Construction of Varamin Rugs

At the beginning, we used wool warps and foundations, but it seemed to be a bit difficult to manage this as the wool foundation was softer and more elastic. The rugs could not be as straight as we wanted. We changed the foundation to cotton and our problem was solved. All our looms were vertical and our weavers who were from all these four ethnicities of Turk, Lor, Kurd and Arab, used hooks to weave rugs and the knots were all symmetrical. The knot per square inch of these rug are approximately 160.

Varamin Kilims and Flat Weaves

In the past and before Varamin became famous for its rugs, making kilims and flat weaves was more common. All the kilims were woven on horizontal (ground) looms with wool foundation.

In one of our trips to Varamin, I saw a very old man who had an antique Kurdish Varamin Kilim Farsh, a combination of flat weave and pile rug. The size was almost 7'x 7'. Part of the rug in the center was made with un-dyed camel hair. I wanted to buy this beautiful piece but the man did not want to sell it to me. I said I would buy it from you with any fair price you give me but he rejected my offer. I said at least let me take a picture so we may reproduce a piece like this. The man agreed. We prepared the cartoon and made few pieces. Three female weavers worked on these kilim-farsh rugs. Two were rug weavers and one woman did the flat weave part. I have one of these rugs in my carpet store in Los Angeles. The central part and some motifs on the borders are pile rug and the rest is fine flat weave. The size is 6' 6" x 6' 9".

References:

1- Parviz Tanavoli, Tribal and Rustic Weaves from Varamin, Tehran (2003)
2- www.rugidea.com
3- Personal experiences of the author, Khosrow Sobhe

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.RugIdea.com
310-770-9085

Rug Water damage and Rain in Los Angeles

Yesterday was Saturday and it rained a lot here in Los Angeles. The rain had started from Thursday. We received few emergency phone calls from customers who had water damaged rugs. We picked up those rugs. Some of these rugs had bleeding and color run. Our response to picking these rugs up was around 45 minutes in each case.

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.LosAngelesRugCleaning.com
310-770-9085

Sheepskin Lambskin Cleaning Los Angeles

The carpet, rug and floor covering industry has gone through many changes in the past forty years that I remember. There were limited types of rugs and kilims used as floor covering. But now, you see innovation everywhere.

Since we are very active in rug cleaning, rug repair, rug water damage restoration, and appraisal, we see and receive all kinds of sheepskin lambskin rugs, Flokati rugs, shag rugs, leather rugs and etc.

Here, I like to write about one particular rug that we have been receiving very much lately; the Lambskin/Sheepskin rugs. This type of rug, if we can call it rug, is very decorative. A Sheepskin rug adds beauty and character to any home. They are soft and add a very sophisticated look to any place in which they are used. Sheepskins have different uses around the home; they can cover the floor to give a room some warmth, cover a sofa, and be draped over a bed for style and comfort. These are just a few of the many uses of a lambskin rugs. Sheepskin offers style and comfort to any room and is a wonderful addition in any home. Sheepskin rugs are long lasting and last much longer than many man made fibers if we take care of them properly.

Sheepskins should be shaken or lightly vacuumed preferably without using the beater. We should never vacuum Lambskins with beater which have metal brushes as this would damage the long and fluffy pile of the rug.

We specialize in professional cleaning of sheepskin Lambskin rugs. Many of the owners of this type of soft and beautiful objects or women. Some of these animal skins have pet stains on them. Why? Because these skins are soft and comfortable to lay on; therefore, pets love them.

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.LosAngelesRugCleaning.com

Rug Repair Los Angeles

Rug repair comes in between rug restoration, and rug conservation. It does not necessarily use the same original weaving techniques, color types or fiber. It makes the damaged rug look nicer. It prevents further damages by for example securing the fringes on the ends and replacing the damaged selvages on the sides.

Rug repair is an art by itself. A weaver usually knows how to make a specific type of rug. He/she may not know about rug making in other regions or even countries. But a repair person should know how to repair a rug made with symmetrical or asymmetrical knots. A repair person, man or woman should be able to use different techniques and methods to repair rugs from around the world. He/she maybe assigned to repair, a kilim, a tapestry, a saddle bag, a Navajo rug, a shag, rug, a Flokati rug or you name it. He/she cannot say oh I have not done a repair on such a piece!!

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.LosAngelesRugCleaning.com
310-770-9085

Rug Conservation Los Angeles

I did not want to have a very lengthy post, so for rug conservation and repair, I am having separate posts.

Conservation of a rug when we try to preserve the rug and protect it against more damages and further deterioration. Different methods maybe used to stabilize the damage and the condition to make sure it does not get worse.

Some of customers bring in their rugs for cleaning while the rug is damaged. They do not want us to do the repair. They do not want to spend money on the repair or for some reasons they may not be ready to have the rug professionally repaired. In this case, We try to secure the damaged areas in a way that those damages do not get bigger in the process of dusting and cleaning. This is what conservation is all about.

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.LosAngelesRugCleaning.com
310-770-9085

Rug Restoration, Rug Conservation, and Rug Repair Los Angeles

Rug restoration, conservation and repair cannot be used interchangeably as each one is different from the other one. Then, what is the difference? We do all these three.
Restoration of a rug is when we restore an repair an antique, old or damaged rug to look its best and original condition. In this highly specialized process, we use the same weaving technique, same type of fiber, and dye. For example, if the colors of the rug are natural dye, we use naturally dyed yarn. Or if the wool is hand spun, we use the same type of hand spun wool to have the same look. If the knots are symmetrical, we use the same technique and the same type of knot construction. By employing all these, we try to get as close as possible to the original condition of the rug. Restoration needs a higher level of expertise compared with conservation or repair.

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)
Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)
www.LosAngelesRugCleaning.com
310-770-9085