These Magnificent warm rich Tribal rugs are Hand made by Afghan weavers in Northern parts of Pakistan by using centuries old Techniques of weaving with Hand spun wool that comes from sheep raised in southern mountains of Afghanistan and dyed with Natural dyes such as walnut peel, Madder, Indigo, Pomegranate, Daises, Henna and several others.

What I love about tribal rugs is the fact that they can work in any kind of decor either be a Contemporary, Traditional, or Ethnic. The merge of sudued and rich tones in these rugs can create a warmth in any room.

Old Yarn handmade rug or hand knotted rugs are made by using recycled wool from old rugs. This is a very difficult process of making rugs, the wool selected from older rugs is some times dyed again. The old yarn handmade rugs give a unqiue texture which cannot be achieved by new wool. Enjoy some examples of these carpets, if you like to know more about old yarn rugs please contact us.

Handmade Rug making video of Amara rug's manufacturing shows step by step process of making of a fine quality handmade rug.

Please click on the link to watch this 7 min video (this link will redirect you to amara rug's website where the video is hosted).

Handmade Rug Making Video

AMARA’S MANUFACTURING:

Amara’s ambition is to provide more than just rugs.This is reflected in our manufacturing
that consists of a highly specialized process resulting in the highest quality of handmade
masterpieces. Along with other production Amara’s recent focus has been on developing
organic rugs by ensuring the use of a hundred percent natural products throughout the
manufacturing process. Making of a rug requires several months to a few years depending
on the size.The main process consists of seven carefully conducted steps.

WOOL COLLECTION
HAND SPINNING
DESIGNING
MAPPING & TRANSLATION OF A DESIGN
NATURAL AND VEGETAL DYEING
WEAVING & HAND KNOTTING
WASHING & SHEERING, BLOCKING & FINAL TOUCH

  
WOOL COLLECTION
Our manufacturers raise free grazing sheep in the northern areas of Pakistan.The wool
obtained is rich in Lanolin and rare in its kind.This sets us apart from most rug weavers
that buy pre processed wool from local market.The sheep are carefully sheared during
spring, enabling them to grow their blanket back before the onset of the winter season.

 HAND SPINNING
There are several ways to spin the wool; the method we use is Hand spinning. Hand
spinning is more primitive and time consuming, but at the end we have wool strands that
are all different in their structure.This subtle variation in the wool enables us to achieve
beautiful texture in our rugs.

  
DESIGNING
To ensure that our rugs are tailored according to the needs of the times, integrated coordination
among interior and fabric designers is carried out within the United States and
overseas.This step consists, primarily, of color and design forecasting aimed at keeping up
with recent and forthcoming color trends. In coordination with other rug designers in
Pakistan, Adeel Malik finalizes the designs and colors of our products.

 MAPPING & TRANSLATION OF A DESIGN
Before a rug can be woven, weaver needs a design to follow.That design is drawn by
Rug Map artist. Once Map is drawn, it is then painted in to the actual rug colors which
afterward is translated in to rug weaving language.
NATURAL AND VEGETABLE DYEING

 In an effort to revive the century old method of dyeing and to reduce our impact
on the environment and to achieve a certain patina we have chosen to use mostly natural
and vegetal dyes in most of our production.Thus doing our little part in enabling our
clients to own a natural product with minimal or no environmental impact. Natural &
Vegetal procuring resources include, but are not limited to, reds from tomatoes and
dried madder root, yellows from weld, greens from sequential dyeing in indigo
and weld, blues from indigo from plants, and browns and camel colors are obtained
from walnut husks.

 WEAVING & HAND KNOTTING
Rug weaving is an art that dates back to 5th century BC. Using the same method Weavers
then start the process of weaving the rug.Weaving is done by tying a knot around multiple
longitudinal threads. An average weaver ties 50 to 55 knots/minute. So for a decent quality
9x12 it takes roughly 344 days to weave.Tools such as sickle shaped knives and sharp
sticks are used to facilitate the process and to achieve precision.

WASHING, SHEARING, BLOCKING & FINAL TOUCH
Once the rug is off of the loom it is Hand washed several times and then put on a stretch
or a blocking board upside down under the sun to dry and acquire a straight shape.
When the rug is woven the pile is un even, once off of blocking board it is then sheared
to achieve an even pile. Having errors in Hand made rugs is a beauty of its own but some
times those errors are unpleasant. Rug weaver goes thoroughly over the rug and reweaves
where ever it’s needed and thus we achieve a piece of Art.

With recent increase in color lovers, over dyed rugs are very popular these days. Being an over dyed rug manufacturer today I will describe the making of new oriental over dyed rugs. 90% of new re dyed rugs are made in Pakistan so we can call these Pakistani over dyed rugs. Following are some key points to know before buying a new over dyed rug.

Making of over dyed rugs:

1. Original colors are removed by a washing process known as de-colorization.

2. The neutral carpet is then re-dyed using mostly natural dyes, this step can take 5-8 color washes to achieve the desired colors.

3. The base carpet which in this case is a Pakistani or Afghani rug is sheared down to make a thin pile carpet. In some case the process of shearing the carpet is done before re-dying process.

4. A final wash is done to give the carpet a finish look.

Key Points for New oriental or Pakistani over dyed rugs

1. The base rug is simply a new rug, so quality factor remains the same as of buying any quality hand knotted  rug. It is very important to make sure that quality carpet was used to re dye the carpet because after a few years a poor quality rug will start to fall apart and will lose its color.

2. Use of dyes is another important factor. When a rug is freshly re dyed in let’s say bright pink or in Blue, 99% of time it will look very nice at that time. The quality of dyes will come into play after using the rug for a few months, so for a quick test of dyes before buying an over dyed rug is to take a slightly damped paper towel or white cloth  and gently rub it over the top part of over dyed rug, colors should not come out.  

 To view New Over dyed rugs please visit www.amararugs.com

 To View Vintage Over dyed rugs please visit www.colore.us  

Below are a few images of new over dyed rugs: (To check stock on over dyed rugs please call 310.378.6999 or fill out contact form)

Blue Over Dyed Rug 

Brown Over Dyed Rug

Fuchsai Over Dyed Rug

Apple Green Over Dyed Rug

Aqua Over Dyed Rug

Orange Over Dyed Rug

Solid Purple Over Dyed Rug

Blue Green Over Dyed Rug

Runner Over Dyed Rug

Qualtiy Hand made rug is an investment. If you have spent a decent amount of money or planning to buy a piece of art, you should take proper care of it, with just a little bit of care you can inhance your rug's life by 50+ years. Here are some important points.

1. Vacuuming

In almost all instances, regular vacuuming of an Oriental rug with an electric vacuum cleaner is good for the rug. A dirty rug wears prematurely, and regular gentle vacuuming helps prevent dirt on the surface of the rug from filtering down into the pile where it can accumulate and cause increased wear. Still, be careful with a cleaner equipped with a power brush or "beater bar", these powered brushes in the vacuum head helps the vacuum to do a good job on machine-made carpeting, but they cause a raking effect on the top layer of an Oriental rug's pile if used too strenuously. For routine cleaning, use just the plain vacuum nozzle. This is especially important for fringes; try not to run an upright vacuum or a power brush attachment over the fringes. The brush shreds the fringes and causes rapid wear. Frequently fringes get caught and chewed up by the rotating mechanism of the brush and hence try to vacuum along the nap of the rug.

2. Rotating

Rotate your rug as often as possible, at least every 3 to 6 months. Do this more often if you notice that the high traffic areas of your rug are starting to appear dirty, or if the nap has lost its original direction or shape. Also, rotate your rugs according to the amount of direct sunlight they receive as overtime, direct sunlight can fade the dyes of your rugs.  By rotating your rugs it will allow them to wear more evenly, which helps them to maintain their original appearance and value.

3. Padding

Having pads under the rugs can prevent sliding of the rugs, prolongs the life of the rug by cushioning the impact between shoe sole and the hard floor surface, and also provides comfort while walking over it. Now the question is to determine if you need a pad? The rule of thumb is: a heavy thick rug does not necessarily need one, whereas a thin, soft rug does, as does an older rug or a rug that has been rewoven or patched or which has a weakened foundation. A pad should be about an inch smaller in size than the rug so that the pad will not be prominently seen.

4. Spot Cleaning

In case of a food spill, the spot should be treated promptly before the spill dries out. Always try to work on the spill spot rather than brushing it for the spill spot to spread around. Blot up as much liquid as possible with paper towels or a clean white cloth. Try to rinse out as much of the spill as possible. If necessary, use a tablespoon to scrape up all the material. Blot the area dry and immediately sponge several times with rug shampoo or with the cleaning solution made from a mixture of 1/4 cup white vinegar,1/2 tsp liquid dishwashing detergent and 2 cups tepid water. Don't scrub too hard too much manipulation of the pile can spread the stain. Make sure that you sponge in the direction of the nap.

Most Oriental rug dyes are acid reactive. However if you add a little white vinegar to the solution you will make the solution more acidic, and this reinforces the bond between the dye and the wool in the rug also helps prevent the colors from wearing away.

Finally, sponge the area with cool and clean water. Use absorbent towels or a firm, non-shedding sponge. Don't use a brush stiffly that it pulls out the fibers from the pile. Don't scrub the pile too harshly. Place some towels under the spot to keep the floor or pad from getting wet and then let it dry thoroughly. When the nap feels dry, check the back of the rug to see if the area is completely dry.