The Artisanal Process

Ethical Sourcing

Moroccan Amazigh rugs stand out from all other rugs by their weaving quality and their timeless charm.

The art of making Amazigh rugs is an ancestral art. Amazigh women have mastered and developed several unique techniques to weave these one of kind master pieces.

Gathering the material

Sheering Sheeps

Sheering sheeps, this step belongs primarily to men. The sheep is immobilized laying on its side and fleece is obtained using big scissors. Generally, it takes between 50 to 100 sheep to get enough wool for a standard-sized rugs.

Prepping the wool

WASHING AND PREPARING THE WOOL FLEECES.

The ladies then sift the wool and remove the impurities such as twigs. Most of the time, they soak it and beat it with a stick before gently washing it in the river, then placing it in the sun to dry and whiten. At the end of the day, the wool is stored at home for several days until needed.

Select the thickness

Refining the wool

Once to wool has been washed and cleaned from all impurities, the weavers spin it by hand by stretching and twisting the wool fibers. They demonstrate unfailing patience.

Select the colors

Dying the Wool

The yarns are then dyed with natural dyes, often based on plants, minerals or spices, to create beautiful, authentic and long-lasting colors.

Select the size

Preparing the loom

When preparing the loom, Amazigh weavers work on two important elements: t’di and immerguel. The wool threads are knotted on t’di, these long cotton threads represent the structure of the carpet. The size of the rug is determined when the loom is prepared. The immerguel is the structure which stretches the carpet during weaving. Essentially composed of a metal piece and a piece of wood, the immerguel has historically been the same for decades.

Select the knot

The Weaving

It's time to prepare the loom. The women wind the woolen threads on the warp of the loom after preparing a weft. They then use shuttles to weave rows of knots row by row. The knots are tied by hand, one by one, using an ancestral technique called the “Amazigh knot”.

Women weavers very often give free rein to their imagination and inspiration and thus produce unique rugs. Amazigh rugs are therefore a work of art, full of history and tradition.

The weaving process can take several weeks or even months depending on the size and complexity of the rug.

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