Handwoven rug dyed with natural dye and hand spun wool will not only easily fit any décor, but it will enhance any interior design. It adds to the natural beauty of the wood or bamboo flooring, brings warmth and gives life to any older furniture, elevating their value to almost that of an antique furniture. With all that value and beauty they add to our homes, Persian and Oriental rugs are the least valued work of art, considering the amount of time and love put in each one of them, comparing to an oil painting that will take maybe a few weeks or even days to be created.
Going back to vegetable dyes, when we look under a microscope, unlike chemically dyed wool, we will see that there are variations of color throughout the wool itself. It is this variation of color that gives the Persian and Oriental rug its warmth and beauty and offers us the benefit of a soothing calm. Plus, the designs that are inspired directly from nature impart in us a spiritual awareness of our surrounding. It is very easy for me to sit and observe my rugs and see in every knot something different and something new. This fills me with inner quietness and calm after a long hard day at work.
Since the Bronze Age, The dyeing techniques have been used in many countries and continents. Primitive dyeing methods were very simple and practical. They simply involved either sticking a plant onto a material or rubbing broken pigment to the cloth. With time, the procedures became more sophisticated and dipping the fabric in a bath of boiling liquid of crushed fruits, berries and other plants were developed. This technique gave the color light and fastness.
Natural dyes can be made from different parts of plants, such as leaves and stems, twigs and pruning, flower heads, barks, roots, outer skins, hulls and husks, heartwood and wood shavings, berries and seeds. They can also be produced by animals such as lichens or insects.
Different colors can be obtained from different plants and their by-products. For example, red can be made from the roots of a plant called Rubia tincture. Yellow from the stigma of the Saffron plant, turmeric or dogwood pulp. Blue, from the Indigo tincture.
We can also obtain natural dyes from metals such as old recycled horseshoes mixed with molasses will result in black color, aluminum sulphate and red earth will produce the color red.
Vegetable dyes are eco-friendly and economical. However, the knowledge of finding and extracting such dyes and mordant is limited. Many research work is still needed to recognize appropriate plants, minerals, etc. that will give us the colors and their different intensities. In some countries, the lack of knowledge on harvesting and processing the plants limits the utilization of this natural and renewable resource. However, in countries such as India, Nigeria and Liberia, this research has been done extensively, therefore, there is easy accessibility of natural dyeing and natural dyes and mordant are used widely.
Today, even though natural dyeing is becoming more and more popular, Persian and Oriental rugs use some sort of chemical stabilizers that will render the natural colors so much richer. In her book "Rugs to Riches", Caroline Bosly claims that when a small amount of synthetic dye is mixed to the vegetable dye, this will result in a rich and vivid color, thus adding to the beauty of the rug itself. In no way, this will take away from the value of the rug. She also says that it is important to test for soundness of the dye with a white handkerchief. Spit on the handkerchief and rub it on each individual color. If the handkerchief stays white, that means that the color is sound and there is no bleeding. However, when you are buying a Tribal rug or carpet and the handkerchief changes the color slightly, that is because the nomads dye their wools themselves and they don't wash them thoroughly. Consequently, a lot of loose dye remains which you need to wash off. In this case, it is better to take the rug to a professional Persian and Oriental rug cleaner that will do a good job, without ruining the carpet.
Astrid Kazarian is a Special Ed teacher and has her own home day care. She takes care of 6 children from the age of 0 to 5 years old. Her hobby is writing children's literature, even though she hasn't published any yet. Over the years, she developed an interest in Persian rugs and started making researches about them. She became fascinated by the way they were made, their different styles and qualities. Astrid is an amateur Persian rugs collector. She bought her first Persian rug at age sixteen. Since then, over the years, she put together a small collection of rugs. Today, Astrid has her own site and she is affiliated with the best Persian rugs importers.
By Kazarian