Handmade Runner Repair

A customer from Orange County recently came in with some runners that needed some repair. They were beautiful hand knotted pieces with a few problems. First prefabricated fringes had been placed at the ends of the runners, taking away from the fact that the whole rug is a hand made piece; those prefabricated fringes had to go. Secondly the sides (selvages) had deteriorated and made the rug look like an eyesore in certain places. Take a look at one of the runners(before repair) below:

The owner had worked with Rug Ideas before and knew that we were the right people to handle the job. We had one of our master weavers work on his runners, first taking of the prefabricated fringes and going a little into the rug so as to make natural fringes from the actual rug. Not only that but both ends were secured during this process to fortify the ends and give the rug strength. Take a look below:

Next was handling the sides, which were completely redone by hand. Take a look at the results:

After our repair job the rug looks absolutely beautiful! It is now all natural with nothing prefabricated and is ready to be used for many more years. Stay tuned to see the repairs of the other runners in a post to come; and if you have any repairs that need to be done to your precious rug, know that Rug Ideas has the knowledge and expertise to make your rug wishes come true.

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)

Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)

www.LosAngelesRugCleaning.com

www.RugIdea.com

Tel. 310-770-9085

Moth Season Is Upon Us! :(

This is the time of year when carpet moths show up in your home looking to snack on Oriental and Persian rugs. We are not the only ones who like the longer days, warm temperatures, and sunny weather.  Moths love warm conditions and this is the season to be especially vigilant with respect to our woolen goods, including our cherished wool rugs and kilims.  These moths are tiny things, hardly noticable as they flutter about. Tineola Bisselliella, they’re called.

Carpet moths rarely cause trouble to rugs that are regularly walked on and vacuumed, so try to keep them as clean as possible and vacuum once a week. On the other hand, they gravitate to dark, undisturbed places where they can eat in peace and often they cause really serious damage. They prefer rugs stored in places like basements and closets, but they will settle for Oriental rugs under sofas or beds or where rugs abut walls and are neither vacuumed or walked on and rarely disturbed. Often they chew away at the backs of rugs rather than their fronts. Strangely, the carpet moth seems to prefer dirty rugs, often avoiding clean rugs.

Be careful with moths.  They will literally eat your woolen goods, as wool is protein, and moths just love it.  And although repairing and/or restoring a moth damaged wool kilim rug, dhurrie, or kilim is always possible (we offer reweaving services for this type of damage), the best route would be not to have them damaged at all.  Some steps you can take:  never store woolen goods in plastic, dark, humid, or enclosed spaces; inspect your wool rugs and kilims periodically; expose your wool rug or kilim to the sun; keep wool kilims or rugs in well ventilated areas; never place wool rugs or kilims in areas known to be infested with moths.

If you do happen to have a moth infestation, call us immediately so we can first get the infested carpets deep cleaned to remove all moths and larvae. We can then offer our moth proofing service, which a bittorent that makes the wool taste bad to moths. So no matter what situation you are having with moths and your rugs, Rug Ideas is here to help. 

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure".

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

Bokhara Cleaning/Repair - The Works

This week a lot of TLC went into a Handknotted Bokhara Design Rug, which a customer brought in after having a great experience with us cleaning & repairing a Sarouk that had been in her family. The Afghan Bokhara design rug had seen better days; it had not been cleaned in over 6 years and the ends and sides were started to fall apart. Take a look below:

As you can see the rug was in dire need of attention, and Rug Ideas was the absolute best place the customer could have taken it. First we did a deep cleaning of the rug to take of of all the dust, dirt & stains that had accumulated over the last 6 years. Once it was done with cleaning it was sanitized and deodorized, which was a great time to now proceed with the repairs. All 4 sides were to be repaired by the hands of one  of our master weavers. All the work was done by hand and we took great care to make sure the yarn colors used matched the rug perfectly so we could get a great finished repair. Take a look at how the cleaning/repair came out below:

The deep cleaning brought back the red vibrancy it once had and just leaps out now. The ends were secured so that no more damage was done to the design of the rug and the selvages(sides) were done perfectly in a great complementary red. This Bokhara now has a new lease on life and our customer is ecstatic with the results and cannot wait to put it back down in her home. If you have a rug that needs the complete Rug Ideas cleaning/repair package contact us anytime so we can step you through your options to bring back the life of your rug!

Dr. Khosrow Sobhe (Dr. Kay)

Certified Rug Specialist (CRS)

www.LosAngelesRugCleaning.com

www.RugIdea.com

Tel. 310-770-9085

Rug Repair/Rug Knowledge

Rug repair, when it's done right, is an art form in and of itself. While handmade rug making is absolutely also an art form which take creativity/time & patience, the making of handmade rugs usually sticks with one type of construction depending on what area/tribe the rug is from. For example, a Kashan rug has a certain type of construction which the Kashan weavers are familiar with and that have been passed down for generations. And while they may be fantastic at creating that kind of rug, it differs greatly from other rugs produced around the world.

Master rug repair involves knowing rug knowledge that spans MANY different types of rug construction as you never know which type of rug may come in at any time. A Tabriz might be brought in one day, a Kerman the next and maybe a Turkmen rug after that. All these different rugs are made with different techniques so knowing only how to repair one type just won't do. At Rug Ideas we have several Master Repair Technicians who have worked with all kinds of rugs/carpets for many years so they know the subtle or major differences of how to work on each individual piece. This type of expertise is what sets us apart from other repair facilities who may only know how to repair certain type of rugs. So no matter what kind of rug you have, you know it's in great hands when you bring it to Rug Ideas!

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

Qashqai Rugs

Weavers of highly desired Persian tribal rugs, the Qashqai people possess a history and culture rich in both struggle and inspiration. It is the combination of these two elements which give their rugs their unusual sense of spontaneity and aliveness.

Since the Qashqai people for many generations inhabited Central Asia and the Caucasus before travelling to southern Persia, their weavings are enhanced by influences from all three regions. Similar to the rugs of the Turkmen people in Central Asia, Qashqai weaving has a boldness and directness, particularly in their dominant triangular central medallion. Through their sojourn in mountainous Azerbaijan, the Qashqai acquired the Caucasian weavers’ love of striking colors and daring combinations of tones. Finally, in their present location they have been inspired by the artistry of Persian city weaving, as well as by that of other nearby tribes. In short, Qashqai weaving synthesizes instinctive creativity with refinement, depth of color with richness of symbolism.

A weaver will work on their own rug for a period of time, move over to the loom of her neighbor, and then to that of yet another friend, before returning to her own weaving. At the same time, another group of women scour the nearby countryside, gathering mountain herbs, barks, and berries to boil in their collective dyebath. This continual interchange of creative energy, along with the deep spirit of interconnectedness of a people engaging together in simple physical activity, undoubtedly is a key element in Qashqai weaving.

A large part of the Qashqai carpets’ tremendous appeal in the West is the weavers’ refusal to sacrifice quality for the sake of expediency. As late as the 1940s, when the weavings of most others tribal groups had bowed to the influence of commercialism which called for more coarsely woven pieces employing the much easier-to-use chemical dyes, there was almost exclusive use of natural vegetable dyestuffs and more traditional weaving techniques among the Qashqai. This attention to detail, in which each step of the weaving process was performed to perfection, is clearly seen in the tribe’s flatwoven kilims and various woven bags, both of which have received attention and admiration equal to their pile rugs. For a tribe which is on the move between summer and winter pastures at least four months a year, conveniently carried kilims and durable storage bags are of central value. For a people who view their daily life as sacred, everything used in their day-to-day activity deserves to express its maker’s highest aspirations.

The Qashqai carpet continues to hold a special place in the world of oriental rugs, as it expresses a superlative level of both craftsmanship and creative inspiration. And it is no wonder, when two elements remain central in Qashqai culture – “il rah,” the tribal road, and their joyous weaving. As the Qashqai say – “Where I am is my carpet. Where my carpet and I am is my home.”

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