RUG FABRICS
There has been a lot of discussion and confusion in regards to the fabrics that carpets and rugs are made of, which ones are best and why.
Historically the first carpet ever made, discovered in the Pazyrk Valley of Siberia in the late 1940s and dated back to the 5th Century B.C. was made of all natural wool. Over the centuries wool from sheep has been the primary fabric used for Persian Carpets and Rugs, having a natural protective lanolin that even after washing remains in the fibre. This lanolin naturally protects the sheep from absorption of dirt, which rolls off their bodies in the rain and in a similar manner the rugs are thus protected from dirt with this natural phenomena.
In later times the use of cotton was introduced for the base on which to weave the wool. This cotton warp and weft is finer and firmer and stays in place so the carpet does not go out of shape like it could over time on a woollen base.
The majority of our Modern Persian Carpets are on a cotton base for this reason and when we do not include the base in our description it is assumed it is on cotton.
Then came the silkworm base which is the strongest and finest but deserves a discussion about different Persian Rug qualities on a blog of its own.
The cotton which the wool is hand knotted onto is exposed at the ends of the carpet, and is known as the fringe. We at Master Rugs now have wool hand bound over our cotton fringes for our Modern Carpets for ease of washing and to protect the cotton from fraying or being soiled.
Often Handcrafted Carpets have a silk inlay. This is where some of the knots are silk rather than wool to give a contrast between the shine of the silk and the flat look of the wool.
Fabrics such as acrylics are man-made feel harsh, and are very difficult to maintain and keep clean but are used for machine-made rugs for economic reasons.
In the past years, there have been a number of fabrics introduced to the hand-woven carpet market. One is known as Bamboo Silk and another is Viscose. The performance of these fabrics depends on the construction and fabric quality of each carpet.
The name Bamboo Silk is mostly made from bamboo and timber fibres. This fabric is often more difficult to clean but looks shiny and feels silky. However, Viscose is generally made from Rayon or can be mercerised cotton. This looks like silk and is easier to maintain or wash. There are numerous qualities of viscose but some can feel soft like wool with a sheen like silk.
There has been a recent introduction of recycled plastics that are environmentally friendly Indoor Outdoor Rugs but feel a bit rougher than wool. There is also Jute which is made from timber and plant products. The best thing about Jute is that it can be put in the garden compost and it will decompose.
In conclusion, the best fabrics for longevity and ease of maintenance of Handmade Modern Rugs and Persian Carpets are wool, silk and viscose.
