weaving carpets::For five generations the ruiz family has gathered wool, prepared and dyed it, warped their large wooden looms, and woven the family folkart designs into beautiful rugs weaving carpets

weaving carpets

weaving carpets

weaving carpets::For five generations the ruiz family has gathered wool, prepared and dyed it, warped their large wooden looms, and woven the family folkart designs into beautiful rugs.
Prior to the spanish conquest, the weavers of this area wove cotton cloth to pay tribute to the aztec rulers of the area.
The spaniards then began to exact their tribute in the form of wool blankets and serapes, rather than cotton weavings.
Natural dyes have a subtle beauty no chemical dye can match and do not rub off or fade.
Dyes are concocted from a large variety of plant, animal and mineral sources.
Rock moss makes a bright yellow, plant moss a browner yellow, and combined they make many variations.
The secrets of mixing these dyes are guarded and handed down from one generation to another.
Certain natural dyes have been prized and important trade items since prehispanic times.
The wool is carded by hand, spun into yarn, dyed, and woven into beautiful rugs.
Due to the natural differencies in the coloring of the various sheep used, undyed wool is also used for a variety of shades and colors.
There are various levels of quality in woven rugs.
A good piece will be tightly woven, perhaps 20 threads to the inch; the poorer ones have as few as 10.
The denser rugs last longer, keep their shape better whether on the floor or the wall and always look better.
If a rug has a cotton warp it will be stronger and have more body, but the allwool rugs are softer and more valued.
Good rugs should have straight edges and lie flat.
The ruiz family has been represented the best of mexican rug weaving at , ajijic, jalisco for the last 3 years.
Look for them again in 2006.
The photo array below illustrates the timeconsuming process in completing a handwoven carpet.
To watch a video about the ruiz family just click.
If you are interested in purchasing the work of a true mexican artisan, sr.
Ruiz, all marianne carlson at 011522 376 765 7485 or
weaving carpets::Her centers of carpet weaving, since ancient times,
have produced thousands of rugs and carpets, many of them precious and
valuable weaving carpets