MATERIALS

Sheep Wool: The quality of wool varies according to the climate, the breed of sheep, and the time of year of the shearing. Wool from sheep that live in warm and arid regions is normally dry and brittle, and since it breaks so easly, it ends up being short and feels lifeless. Good quality wool comes from healthy and well fed sheep found in cold regions or at high elevations with good grazing lands and lots of water. In the colder regions, sheep grow a full fleece to keep warm and their bodies store fat which then translates to a high lanolin content within the fiber which reaches lengths of 10 cm. and more. The wool so obtained feels silky smooth and yet springy. Wool from the higher elevations (cooler also) and from the spring shearing is considered to be the highest quality. Wool is hand-spun by using primative utensils called kirmen (drop spindle) and by spinning wheels. Women usually spin the wool during idle moments. In hand-spun wool, the original length of the fiber stays the same through the spinning process - a fiber that measured 7 cm. before spinning will still measure the same after spinning. Wool can also be industrially spun, but the hard twisting of the fibers by the spinning machines tends to break some of the fibers. Although the broken bits and shorter fibers can be made to adhere together through the use of oils during the spinning process, the fiber will have lost some of its strength, which, in turn, will shorten the life span of the rugs to be woven.

Cotton: In rug and kilim weaving, cotton is used mostly for the warp threads, as well as for the wefts. Compared to wool, cotton is generally considered to be a more resiliant fiber and it is less elastic. So, tighter knots can be tied on cotton warps as opposed to wool. If very tight knots are tied to a wool warp, the fiber will break much more frequently than if the warps were of cotton. Consequently, woolen pile rugs with high knotting density counts will normally have cotton warps, for example, in Hereke, Ladik, and Kayseri Bunyan carpets.

Goat Hair: Goat hair occosionally found in Oriental rugs in the side bindings (selvedge), but is more frequently found in saddle bags, cushions, various types of stacks, etc.

Floss Silk: Floss silk, or art silk as it is some times called, is actually mercerized cotton and is used in certain rugs that are woven in Kayseri. Although not identical to silk, a somewhat similar look is obtained by mixing cypress tree fibers with cotton that has been washed in citric acid. Floss silk rugs are woven with natural cotton warp and weft threads.

The use of vegetables, barko, roots and other natural items to make dyes has been a well known art for many thousands of years. This ancient practice continued unchanged and untouched untill the mid 19th. century when synthetic dyes were invented. The findings at a Chinese spring dating from about 3000 B.C. indicate that the science of dyeing was initially developed in the far east. On the other hand, in Europe, the first dyers were most probably people who lived around Zurich Lake in about 2000 B.C. The dyeing industry was established in the 15.th century B.C. We also know that the art of dyeing belongs to old times in India. Marco Polo in the cronicles of his travels tells us how Indigo was cultured before it was exported to Europe by Portuguese to reach the varied Anotoilan dyeing proccesses are a synthesis of the dyeing, the knowledge that was handed down from centuries B.C., and the rich traditions of Anotolia itself. Why are natural dyes so important? Is it because some shades of color can not be found in various synthetic dyes, or is it because the natural dyes are cheaper or easier to obtain?

Actually, its none of the reasons. The synthetic dye catalogues are quite thick and rich in the kinds of dyes and shades of color that are available. But the natural dyes come from mother nature's own harmony, and they reflect the preferences of the various peoples through the years and centuries. Plus, the natural dyes (vegetable dyes) will mellow with time, and if left under the sun, they'll shine and radiate the most pleasing shades of colour.

In many areas it is common practise to expose naturally dyed rugs to the sun so that the colours fade gradually and gracefully to their ultimate harmony and beauty. But the synthetic dyes dont have this peculiarity. If the dye used is of the cromatic type, the colors are fast to light, as well as moisture, which, in itself, can be considered as an advantage. But if the synthetic dye used is of a lower quality, with time the colors will fade and the various shades will probably be dull and lifeles. We can see with our naked eyes all the differences in dyes, we need to understand the advantages, and disadvantages of each type, and easily decide which ones are more harmonous and eye pleasing.

Fine Turkish carpets recognized for their value and beauty are made with natural dyes obtained from plants, berries and trees. Chemical dyes are also used but to the trained eye they do not have the beauty or lustre of natural dyes. The main natural dyes are listed below.

Dyes Woad (Civit Otu) Blue: From this plant dark or light blue tones are produced depending on length of time which the plant is boiled. It is found along the edges of fields growing wild in Central and Western Anatolia. Dyers Woad and some other plants are used to yield indigo which is the oldest and most important blue dye.

Madder Red (Kok Boya): The roots of this plant are known as madder. It grows wild in Central and Western Anatolia. A two year old plant will be about one and a half meters high . "Rose madder" was a standard color on the plates of the old masters of the Rennaissance and today, many expensive Itailan and English neckties are known as madder ties because of the rich deep toned red color.

Ox-Eye Camomile (Sari Papatya), Bright Yellow: During the spring, one finds this plant all over Anatolia. It's large, golden yellow flowers atop long stems last throughout the summer. It grows along roadsides and in dry meadows. The flowers, fresh or dried, used along with an alum mordant, produces a bright yellow.

Walnut Tree (Ceviz), Brown: The beatifull walnut tree can be found in the forested country of Eastern Turkey. It is a profusely branched tree which has a heigth of up to 25 meters and bears peanut leaves. The fruit is covered with a thick green rind which along with the leaves, is often used by villagers for a green or blackish-brown dye. The walnut tree is native in Turkey and is absent only in the regions with several meters. Turkey produces 15-20 percent of the world's walnut crop. The effective colouring agent is the brown dye, juglone, which adheres directly to wool fibers without a mordant (mordant means a fixing agent). In ancient times the walnut pods were used in medicine and for the dyeing of hair.

Pomegranate Tree (nar), Yellow to bronish yellow and brownish to black: This tree grows in the mild regions of Western, Southwestern, and Northeastern Anatolia. It's a tall tree with a height of up to 40 meters, with branches that are spiny with very shiny, lance-shaped, dark green leaves. It's easily distinguished by it's beautiful pinkish-violet flowers. During autumn, the tree bears a fruit with many seeds which is the yellow-red skinned pomegrate. The fresh or dried skin of the fruit is used for dyeing. If an alum mordant is used, along with the skin, a yellow brownish shade will result. If an iron mordant is used, a brownish-black shade will result. In Oriental carpets and kilims, the pomegranete is a symbol of fertility and abundance because of it's many seeds.

Buckthorne (Cehri), Deep Yellow: This plant grows only in Turkey on slopes with altitude up to 3000 meters (9843 feet). Before the 20th. century, it was mainly cutivated in Central Anatolia (Konya, Kirsehir, Sivas, Ankara and Kayseri). To day only wild shrubs grow along roadsides, in fields and vineyards at Urgup, Corum and Kahramanmaras, which are areas of farmer cultivation. The unripe fruits, fresh or dried are used to create the dyes. When an alum mordant is used, a deep yellow will result. This deep yellow from the dried fruits is mainly used for dyeing silk. This colour dye is ofen used to obtain secondary and tertiary colors.

Supurge (Sutlegen), Yellow: This plant grows throughout Turkey. The entire plants contains a milky juice in its narrow, undivided leaves and clusters of blossoms. Some variaties bloom during the late summer and early autumn. All parts of the plant, except the roots are used for creating this yellow dye. This dye is frequently detected in cottage industry carpets of Anatolia mainly in the Daskiri, Maden and Ortakoy carpets.

Bast Hemp (Gence), Brilliant Yellow: This dye is not used as ofen as other yellow dyes. This plant grows on the mountains of Central and Eastern Anatolia. The brilliant yellow color is common in older flat weaves. The strong color is often mistaken for a chemical dye and for this reason it's not popular in Western Anatolia workshops where weavers cater to foreign market. In Eastern Anatolia, Lake Van area, the kilims are produced for local consumers who prefer bright colours and are less concerned about the distinctions between chemical and natural dyes.

Wild Camomile (Beyaz Papatya), Yellow: During March, in Western and Southern Anatolia, this camomine plant will cover entire fields with fresh blossums. With alum mordant, a clear yellow dye will be obtained.

Tree-Leaved Sage (Ada cayi), Yellow: This herb can be found in most Mediteranean regions. It blooms on the dry hillsides from March until August. It is distintive with all flowering spikes of mauve or pinkish two-lipped flowers. The leaves and stems, either fresh or dried, are suitable for dyeing. Plants are just one of many sources from which to obtain natural dyes. To obtain a natural dye the plant is boiled to extract the color. Next, to ensure the absorbtion of the color in to the wool a second plant or natural salt is mixed with the dye. This second plant or salt is known as the mordant.

A mordant prevents bleeding or running of colors thus it fixes the color. If a chemical salt is used as mordant the dye is still called natural. When alum is used as mordant alone with madder a pale red is obtained because alum is a natural light salt. But if iron is used as a mordant a deep red or burgundy is produced. The choice of modant determines the colour of dye. Today, some people believe that there are no natural dyes because of certain chemicals which are used as mordants. Mordants are from natural chemicals of the earth not synthetically produced, so when they are added to natural dyes they act as a fixing agent and produce the color desired by the weaver.