handmade native american rugs

united weavers native american rugs

The Burntwater style is newer and is basically an expansionof the traditional TwoGrey Hillsdesigns by weavers in the Wide Ruins/Burntwater area south of Gando. The second type of rug for Navajo rug ID are the 3 styles of banded rugs--Chinle, Wide Ruins, and Crystal. The Chinle style is the simplest of the 3 styles. There arestrips of plain color alternating with bands containing repeated geometricdesigns. These can include squash blossoms, stacked chevrons, and diamonds, andmay even have railroad tracks. Chinle is in the geographic center of the Reservation andwas thus a crossroad for travel and commerce.

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Not far from Crystal was the Two Grey Hills trading post, known for weavings in which no dyes were used. Instead, weavers carefully combed and spun different natural colors of yarn to yield a beautiful range of creamy whites, tans, browns, and greys. (To get a solid black color, weavers sometimes would overdye dark brown wool with black dye.) The weavers around Two Grey Hills developed very complex geometric patterns, usually based on a large, hooked central diamond with multiple geometric borders. They also were known for very finely spun wool of small diameter which they used to make very thin, dense, and tightly woven rugs that are certainly the greatest technical achievements in the history of Navajo rug making.

area rugs native american design

area rugs native american design

This article covers all that you need to know about Navajo rugs and their origins, weaving patterns, and processes. Doing research on Native American history will lead you to the Navajo, an ancient American tribe. They began weaving rugs and became the Navajo rugs. Rugs were associated with their cultures and traditions as well as their beliefs. The Navajos were initially limited to a small number of pieces when they began weaving. However, over time, the distinctive designs of the Navajo rugs spread all across the country. They weaved them in their vertical handloom using hand-knotted features. They are more well-known in the southwest for their distinctive weaving techniques.

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Once you are ready to have a Navajo rug of your own, you will want to know where to buy one. In order to receive a quality and authentic Navajo rug, you should seek out more reputable dealers. You will know you have found one when they are dedicated to answering any questions you may have. They will be direct and transparent with their answers. Also, they will have no issue providing you with a guarantee of authenticity to make sure you are getting a genuine rug.

native american rugs and wall hangings
9x12 native american design rugs green
9x12 native american design rugs green

First, authentic Navajo rugs feature a unique vertical loom. It uses a continuous loom. This means that the base wool yarn used is not cut at either end. Instead, the warp thread loops from the bottom to top, then loops down to bottom, then loops up to top. The Navajo rug's base is the warp yarn. While the weft yarn makes the design patterns, it is the warp yarn. Mexican looms are horizontally designed and use multiple pieces warp threads with fringed ends. If fringed ends appear, this is most likely a Mexican-made rug. The rug has multiple warp threads and is more durable than a Navajo rug which uses one, continuous warp. This rule may not be true all the time. Some early Navajo "Germantown-style" weavings may have had fringe.

handmade native american rugs
woven rugs native american

Many people who would never visit the Reservation appreciated the exotic designs and laborious handcraftsmanship of Navajo weaving. Proponents of the Arts & Crafts design movement found that the bold, geometric designs harmonized beautifully with their simple furniture and handmade accessories. By 1896, C.N. Cotton, a trader in Gallup, New Mexico had issued a catalogue in an effort to expand his market to eastern retailers. Other traders, most notably Lorenzo Hubble at Ganado, Arizona and J.B. Moore at Crystal, New Mexico, followed up with their own catalogues in the early years of the new century, focusing specifically on rugs. Navajo weaving had quickly gained a national audience.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, please let us know within 3 days from when you placed your order.
As soon as your order ships, you will receive an email with tracking info and then following emails with shipping updates.
We accept all major credit or debit cards. You can also pay with your PayPal account.
Just send us an email with your order number and we’ll send you instructions.  We will give you a full refund within the first 60 days after your order ships out.  After that, we have to charge a 25% restocking fee. You are responsible for return shipping fees unless you are swapping for a different design or size.
Yes! We can ship anywhere in the world. Please send us an email with your address before placing an order outside of the US and Canada though. We need to partially charge you for shipping when you place your order.
All of our rugs are made to order and go through a rigorous inspection process. You can typically expect your rug to be shipped 2 weeks from when you make your purchase.
We find rug pads are not necessary to protect your flooring. However, some people choose to use rug pads to prevent their rug from sliding around.