The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California

Carpets And Rugs

European Hand-Tufted Carpets

Savonnerie carpets are hand-tufted, using woolen yarn and a Turkish knot. A front and back view of a sample of this type of carpet is shown in Figure 12. The pile is usually left fairly long and therefore this carpet is more difficult to clean than the average Oriental or the various machine-made carpets.

Both the Aubusson and the Savonnerie carpets are extremely expensive. At the present time the prices range from approximately $140 to $260 a square yard for Savonnerie, and from $180 to $345 a square yard for Aubusson.

In Figure 14 is shown a sample of Spanish hand-tufted. This particular sample is made with a Turkish knot and extremely long pile of sharply twisted worsted yarn. It is unusually reasonable in price, because it is made by simple natives who raise their own sheep and spin their own yarn. Like most other hand-made carpets it can be purchased only on special orders.

Manufacture of Carpets

The processes of making the various machinemade carpets have so much in common that it seems wise to consider the process of carpet making in general before taking up the individual types. In this way a proper perspective of the process can be obtained and much repetition avoided. Then too, it has the advantage of permitting a discussion of each individual type of carpet in which stress is laid only on those points wherein that type differs from others.

In general the process of carpet making is divided into four groups of operations.

1.Choice of materials and their preparation for weaving.
2.Dyeing of materials for weaving.
3. Making of designs and preparing them for
use by the weavers.
4. Weaving of the fabric.