Thin carpet types made with flat weaving technique are called “Kilim”. Although the techniques and motifs used in the rugs differ according to the regions, when we want to learn the age of a rug, it is understood that the techniques and motifs are quite similar. In this case, the yarn and colors used help us to determine an approximate date, but synthetic dyes entered Turkey in 1880. Kilims that tell stories from ancient times to the present with their patterns decorate every corner of our house.
It is necessary to be an expert in the subject to understand the true value of carpets and rugs. The combination of the material used in weaving and coloring and the unique size are as important as the area where the carpet or rug is woven and the number of knots per square meter.
Carpet sales places in Turkey are not only big stores with magnificent and traditional Turkish carpets, but also carpet education and culture centers. Double knot Turkish weaving technique is generally used in the workshops here. We learn from a carpet workshop in Avanos that this technique is only used in our country and that it ensures longer life and durability of weaving.
Some carpet workshops in Turkey also offer carpet weaving courses. During the study or course, strict rules are not applied and the weavers are freed in terms of working hours. In other words, a person who does not like carpet weaving cannot have a job in these workshops. Perhaps one of the features that makes Turkish carpets so valuable and different lies here. Turkish women are weaving very willingly, especially in these facilities, and the love they combine with their labor is reflected in the result, thus invaluable values are revealed.
As the number of knots per square meter increases, the quality of the carpet also increases. In other words, the high number of knots per square meter means that the effort, time and material given to the carpet is also high. Naturally, the price of the carpet also increases.
The completion of a carpet can vary from 11 months to 2.5 years depending on the number of knots and the number of people who weave it. It may be possible for more than one person to work on a carpet from time to time.
Traditional Turkish motifs and designs created by original designers are used in the patterns on the weavings. Some designs can also be taken from traditional folk costumes with Iznik tiles. Sometimes copies of antique carpets can be made as a result of permission from the museum.
In some cases, a nomadic hand-woven rug can be more valuable than a silk rug, even though it has a coarser surface, thanks to its unique design.
Combinations of cotton and cotton, cotton and wool, wool and wool and silk and only silk are used in weaving. Silk is produced intensively in Bursa, which is the best place for production. Almost all of the raw silk produced in Turkey is consumed in silk carpet weaving, and some of it is consumed in the textile and medical industry (surgical yarn).
Natural dyes used to color textiles have been derived from plants, animals and minerals for thousands of years. Today, chemical or natural methods can be used in dyeing. After the plants that grow naturally in the region are collected, they can be used in natural dyeing. Saffron, indigo, chamomile, walnut, oak and onion peel are some of the herbs used for natural coloring.
Coloring done by natural methods is inevitable from one dyeing to the next. It is quite difficult to achieve the same tone a second time. Especially in yarns dyed with onion skin, there are visible fluctuations in color tone.
Since each village has different colors and styles in weaving, it is not difficult to understand from which region a carpet comes from. Of course, this is a valid situation for those who know about this subject. Since three different techniques are used together in Avşar carpets, this feature makes the carpet different from other regions. Hereke carpets are considered the best in wool and cotton combinations. Cotton and cotton combinations look like silk, but are of course thicker than silk and silk combinations.
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