ABC MONTHLY NEWSLETTER

October 2016

Welcome to Our Monthly Newsletter!

We hope you will enjoy this month's articles.  

This month's topic is:  

ORIENTAL RUGS

Oriental Rugs by Design,

Hamadan Oriental Rugs,

Hamadan Rugs Area.

DIY TIPS

DIY Odor Removal Tips.

Don't forget to scroll down to the bottom for a
special offer!

If there is a topic you would like us to cover in one of our upcoming newsletters, please call us at  607-272-1566 or contact us by clicking here.

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ORIENTAL RUGS BY DESIGN

Oriental Rugs by Design is a fun and fascinating way to study oriental rugs. Since most oriental rugs have names that correspond to the areas where their original designs came from, learning to recognize these areas and the distinctive designs they are known for can lay the foundation to a lifelong love of these rugs.

WHAT ARE ORIENTAL RUGS?

Centuries upon centuries of history and tradition, combined with the skill, stories, and the hearts and souls of each individual weaver come together to create the treasures we call 'oriental rugs.'

Hand-knotted rugs woven in the countries of Iran, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkey, China, and Nepal are most commonly referred to as 'oriental rugs.'

Other countries, such as Morocco, Greece, Russia, etc. also weave distinctive hand knotted rugs and these may sometimes be referred to as 'oriental.' Even Native American rugs such as those woven by the Navajo and other Plains Indians of the United States are often classified as 'oriental rugs.'

CAVEATS

One or two caveats though...the way to accurately identify a handwoven oriental rug is not just from the design, but from the way it is woven and the materials used. Does it have a single wefted or a double wefted foundation? Is that foundation made of wool, cotton, or both? Is the knot a Turkish knot, Persian knot, or other?  It is also important to realize that many countries produce rugs with designs that may copy another country's rug.

Most important is to remember that because of the individual nature of hand-woven rugs, we can study the most common examples but we must be aware there are many exceptions to every example and the terms 'always' and 'never' cannot be used when it comes to the study of oriental rugs and their designs.

HOW TO BEGIN THE STUDY OF ORIENTAL RUGS BY DESIGN 

The best way to proceed to study oriental rugs by design (or by any other way) is to immerse yourself in oriental rugs and handle as many as possible. Go to stores, museums, auctions, etc. You will soon be able to broadly categorize the rugs into the country they come from just from holding and feeling them.    

• Rugs from Iran are finely woven with intricate designs and are made with exceptional materials and dyes.
• Rugs woven in India tend to be less valuable because their wool is not as thick or as luxuriant. Indian rug designs often copy the designs of rugs from other countries and thus the names Indo-Shirvan, Indo-Kerman, etc. 
• Pakistani and Afghani weavers are capable of producing beautiful rugs which are often copies of Persian designs. But the buyer should be aware of quality aberrations, such as distorted designs, very thin rugs, and sides that are not secured properly. 
• Rugs from Turkey today are very well made and of diverse design.
• Chinese rugs can usually be recognized by their open backgrounds, center medallions, deep piles, large borders, and soft colors. 
• Rugs from Nepal include Tibetan rugs with luxurious and rich pile.

IMPORTANT TERMS FOR 
ORIENTAL RUGS BY DESIGN 

Please continue reading here for more information and photos.

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HAMADAN ORIENTAL RUGS FROM IRAN

The topic for this article will be Hamadan oriental rugs. These rugs come from the Persian villages in the mountainous Hamadan region in western Iran. 

The region is the home to hundreds of villages. Each village has its own weaving tradition which determines the exact design patterns used.

The finest rugs from these areas are sold under their own names. The simpler rugs share the generic term of Hamadan.

Please see the article 'Hamadan Rugs Area' below for more information and explanation of terms.

ELEMENTS OF HAMADAN ORIENTAL RUGS

LOOM

The rugs are usually woven on vertical looms without the use of cartoons for patterns.

FOUNDATION

The foundation  of these rugs today is cotton, but earlier Hamadans (before 1915) had wool foundations, usually on a camel-colored background.

Except for the Hamadan rug from the Kasvin area, Hamadan foundations are single wefted. The back of single-wefted rugs features every other warp exposed across the width of the rug giving a distinctive pattern of easily defined lines across the rug.

KNOTS

The knot used is the Turkish or Ghiordes knot, a symmetrical knot. Camel hair can sometimes be used for the pile. When wool is used it ranges from coarse to medium in quality. 

COLORS

The color palette of almost all of the rugs from this region includes the primary colors with backgrounds of ivory, red, blue, or brown. They are usually very colorful.

SIZES

Village rugs such as those from the Hamadan region are woven in utilitarian sizes (smaller sizes and runners). Room-size rugs, however, can be found among the weavings of the Bibikibad and Kaputarahang villages.

FINISHES

A distinguishing feature of many the rugs from the Hamadan area is the weaving of a narrow selvedge or kilim at the bottom of the rug with a plain fringe at the top of the rug. The sides are usually overcast in wool with a single cord.

DESIGNS

The designs of these rugs can be rectilinear (mostly geometric motifs and angular patterns) or curvilinear (mostly more intricate floral motifs and patterns) and some can have both elements. Most Hamadan rugs are rectilinear.

Listed below are some common elements that can be found in these rugs. Some variation of an oak leaf can also be seen as a common element in these rugs.

For more information and photos, please continue reading here.

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HAMADAN RUGS AREA

The major cities of the Hamadan rugs area are Malayer, Nahavand, Tuiserkan, Kabutarahang, and Assadabad. Rugs from the Hamadan district include those from the above cities as well as the rugs from the Bibicabad, Hussainabad, Dergezine, Ingelas, Kasvin, Mazlaghan, and Borchalou areas.

Please note: The spellings of the Hamadan rugs area and their rugs may vary, such as Engelas for Ingelas, Kazvin for Kasvin, Tuyserkan for Tuiserkan, etc. These rugs often contain repeating Herati and boteh designs.

Listed below are the Hamadan Rugs named for their area: 

ASSADABAD HAMADAN RUGS

Assadabad rugs are sturdy and versatile. The patterns vary from geometric to floral and all-over Herati designs. The primary color is red.

BIBIKABAD HAMADAN RUGS

Bibikabad means 'The Village of Grandmother.' These rugs, unlike most Hamadan rugs, are made in room sizes and occasionally, runners.

Their pattern is a repeated red, blue, and white Herati design. The borders will often have the boteh design. Bibikabad rugs usually do not have a field with a solid color but rather all-over intricate designs. A central medallion may or may not be included.

The weaving is of coarse to medium quality and the rug pile is high. This can lead to a lesser quality of rug. They often have predominantly bold colors of red with blue and green highlights.

BORCHELOU HAMADAN RUGS 

These rugs feature a brightly colored medallion on the field, often with a repeating Herati pattern. Fields are usually in red or white with the designs in red, blue, gold, and green. The pile is quite high and of medium quality wool.

DERGAZINE HAMADAN RUGS

Dergazine rugs have well-defined, brightly colored features. They almost always have a repeating or all-over Herati or Seraband pattern with floral sprays mimicking Sarouk rugs. They can also have central medallions.

Red, white, and blue are the common colors used. The rugs are fairly coarse in texture.

For a listing and more in-depth information of the other well-known rugs from the Hamadan area with photos, please continue reading here.  

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DIY ODOR REMOVAL TIPS

Looking for DIY odor removal tips?

Just a few days ago, one of our favorite customers called for help...

Her dog had gotten into a bad argument with a skunk. Luckily, she had been able to confine the dog to just a small back room before getting him to a groomer. After she had scrubbed every possible surface area in that room, the skunk odor still remained strong and was beginning to filter into other areas of the home. 

NOTE: The back room does not have a window and there is no screen on the back door. Therefore, leaving the door open for an extended length of time was not a feasible solution for bringing in enough fresh air or letting out the acrid odor.

In our DIY arsenal at ABC, we just happen to have some good solutions for toxin free, inexpensive air freshening odor removal procedures...

OUR ABC

DIY ODOR REMOVAL TIPS

#1 Box fan (if available)

Place the fan in a window. Rather than bringing the air in, reverse the fan to pull out the air.

In the case of our customer, the closest window was in the next room, a kitchen. She could put a fan in that window and leave the door from the back room to the kitchen open to start the procedure.

#2 Simmering Solution on Stovetop

Fill a pan half-full with water and add any combination of good smelling items such as lemon or orange slices, cinnamon sticks, cloves, etc. Bring the solution to a boil and then let it simmer on the stovetop for several hours. Since there is a real danger of fire if the water boils all the way down, this procedure must be constantly watched. 

An alternative solution, if a crockpot is available, is to add the water and ingredients to the crockpot and let it run all day (without the need to watch it).The end result will be a fresh smelling home!
(Make sure to check the Crockpot manual. Most manufacturers recommend filling these pots with at least 2/3 liquid).

#3. Bowls of White Vinegar

Vinegar has an amazing capability to neutralize odors. It is one of the best DIY odor removal tips we can offer. Just leave a few bowls of white household vinegar in areas where the odor is the strongest.
This works especially well to rid the area of tobacco smells. Don't worry. The odor of the vinegar will dissipate as well.

#4 Vanilla Extract

Place a few cotton balls in a bowl with several drops of vanilla extract and place in the area where there is a strong smell.

For more Do-It-Yourself odor removal tips and more information, please continue reading here.

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