Rajasthan Craft - a reliable source of Indian art and craft

       Kilim Rug making is an ancient craft, and covers a variety of techniques. Kilims are flat tapestry-woven carpets or rugs produced from the Balkans to India. Kilims can be purely decorative or can function as prayer rugs.

        The weave is almost identical with that of modern kilims, and has about fourteen threads of warp and sixteen threads of weft to the inch. The pattern consists of narrow stripes of blue, green, brownish yellow, and red, containing very small geometric designs. With this one exception, so peculiarly preserved, there are probably very few over a century old.

         Because kilims are cheaper than pile rugs, beginning carpet collectors often start with them. Despite what many perceive as their secondary (or inferior) status to pile carpets, kilims have become increasingly collectible in themselves over recent years, with quality pieces now commanding high prices.

        Kilims are produced by tightly interweaving the warp and weft strands of the weave to produce a flat surface with no pile. The weft strands, which carry the visible design and color, are almost always wool, whereas the hidden warp strands can be either wool or cotton. The warp strands are only visible at the ends, where they emerge as the fringe. This fringe is usually tied in bunches, to ensure against loosening or unraveling of the weave.