I’m no photographer, but…

I love a challenge as much as anyone else, but when customers or fellow rug cleaners send me photos of rugs for my opinion, I often (almost always!) have to ask for more or better images.  There isn’t a whole lot I can tell you about something I can’t see clearly.  I’m already handicapped by not being able to feel and handle the piece.  I thought it was time for me to lay down some ground rules, so…

This is what we professional Ruggies are looking for in any photo submitted for ID or consultation:

1:  A clear, well-lit image of the entire rug, showing all four corners.  The rug should have little to no furniture covering it.

2:  A clear, well-lit image of an 8”- 12” section of the back corner of the rug, showing BOTH the end & edge finish.  Include a coin of some kind (preferably a US Quarter) in the image both for scale and for clarity. If you can read the words on the coin clearly, the photo is a good one!

3:  A clear, well-lit image from both the front AND back side of any damaged areas or places of concern.  Please include in the image a ruler or open tape measure next to the damaged areas.  The ruler markings should be legible in the photo.

Several of the examples I’m going to share with you have come from the Facebook page “What Is My Rug?” where I am one of a handful of administrators.  The concept here is simple - you post photos of your “mystery” rug, and we will try to help you identify what it is.  Easy, right…?

NOTE: I want to stress that my intention is NOT to pick on anyone out there.  I simply wish to show examples, side-by-side, good and bad, so that you are able to see exactly what we’re looking for in a quality photo.  Once you see how best to photograph a rug, it will save you (and your chosen expert) tons of time and frustration down the road.

The "I HAVE EVERYTHING I NEED RIGHT HERE" photos:

This image shows all four corners clearly, is well lit, and there is no furniture covering any of the design elements.

This image clearly shows the end & edge finish, and the coin is legible.

The "IT'S NOT AWFUL BUT...MAYBE ANOTHER PHOTO IS CALLED FOR" photos:

Not much wrong with this photo other than it's taken from a little too far away for my liking.

This photo of the same rug leaves much to be desired.
While the edge finish is fairly visible, I'm left wondering what is going on across the fringe end.
It's too far away to really "read" the knot shape and style.
A close-up with a coin included for clarity would have helped a great deal.

The "I REALLY CAN'T TELL YOU MUCH." photos:

The tape measure is just too far away to count knots per square inch.

This one gives me a definite vertigo feeling.

Too close!!

Artistic shot.

Design motifs are so interchangeable between countries that you can't identify a rug based on that information alone.

I saved this next photo for last because it is my favorite example of what NOT to do. It has something for everyone! The lighting is bad, the photo is fuzzy, the rug is covered in furniture. Is it a 10 x 14 or a 5 x8? The photo was sent to a friend of mine for ID purposes because this rug may end up in court as part of an insurance fraud scam. It was the ONLY photo available and I could only scratch my head in wonder.

???

I hope my latest ramblings will help you with your future rug photo submissions! I look forward to seeing them either on Facebook or in my email. :)

As always, I can be contacted by email: Lynn@rugadvocate.com

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