Fringe Issues

Recently, I have received a number of calls from clients asking if we are able to stop their rugs from unraveling after they have cut the soiled, worn fringes off of the rugs. Unfortunately, this kind of fringe home remedy can be very costly! If the rug is not properly sewn or overcast to lock in the ends, the pile will simply slip out – either from vacuuming or just from walking across the cut ends. Depending on the tightness of the weave and the current condition of the unraveled ends, clients should expect to spend anywhere from $25 - $50 per linear foot to have this kind of quality hand repair done. Some rugs are well worth spending that kind of money on, some are not.

Why do the rugs unravel??

Hand knotted rugs have an inner foundation comprised of horizontal & vertical yarns. The horizontal yarns are called WEFTS (they run weft to right!) and the vertical yarns are called WARPS. These vertical warp yarns start as the fringe on one end and they run all the way through the rug and come out as the fringe on the opposite end. All of the pile on the face of the rug is knotted, row by row, on to these warp yarns. The horizontal wefts lock in those individual rows of pile knots while the knotted fringes help to hold the whole rug together.

What is the best way to deal with soiled, worn fringes??

This fringe had worn away and the rug began to unravel into the end border.
By overcasting the fringe end, no further unraveling should occur.

White cotton fringes show everything, while the wool face will hold pounds of dirt per square foot before showing soil. The same soil you see on the fringe is also in your rug. It’s just harder to see. Always try cleaning as a first remedy before taking out the scissors! After the rug has been cleaned, we will give your rug fringes a cleaning day all to themselves and, if you’d like us to, the scraggly ends can be trimmed up to appear more “even” without causing any damage to the rug.

You really, really just want those fringes gone??

If you are determined to remove the fringes, please let a professional handle the task for you. The ends can be sewn by hand to lock in the pile prior to cutting the fringes off. It should be stated that any repair that permanently alters the original rug (such as removing the fringes) WILL decrease the re-sale value. If you would like to keep the value for a future sale, but would still like to hide the fringes, a wide binding can be hand sewn to the face of the rug, turned under and then hand sewn to the back, enveloping the original fringes and tucking them underneath. Should the rug ever go up for sale, that binding can be removed, and the fringes will still be intact.

As always, I am happy to answer ALL of your rug questions! Please keep them coming!

Email: Lynn@rugadvocate.com