Rugsville Vintage Patchwork Overdyed Blue Wool Carpet 6' x 8'

Indigo blue is the most demanding over-dye colour for a patchwork rug, because the dye sits differently on each panel of the assembled field, depending on the original colour and weave density of that panel. The Vintage Patchwork Blue takes the challenge and produces a field where the indigo over-dye unifies the patchwork into a single deep blue reading at distance, with the underlying panels visible as quiet tonal incidents on approach. The technique was developed in the late twentieth-century overdye workshops of West Asia.

Two to three weavers worked this 6' x 8' (183 x 244 cm) loom in India over around four to five months to assemble the patchwork and apply the over-dye. The panel material is hand-spun wool worked over a cotton warp and weft. After the patchwork was joined and reinforced, the rug went through an antique wash, was sheared close, and then immersed in a hand-mixed indigo bath in copper vessels for several hours.

The composition

The patchwork grid is irregular; the indigo over-dye unifies the field into a single deep blue reading. Older panels drink the indigo more deeply; newer panels hold the colour closer to the surface, producing the soft tonal variation that distinguishes a hand-overdyed piece from a uniform machine fibre. Over the first decade the indigo will deepen rather than fade, the way good denim does on cotton.

What you are buying

Hand-assembled patchwork indigo over-dyed wool rugs at this size price at two to three times this MSRP at international dealers. The patchwork is hand-stitched, the over-dye is a hand-mixed immersion bath in extended cold-water vats. A patchwork over-dyed wool rug appreciates with use as the wool gains lustre and the indigo settles.

The piece in a room

6' x 8' (183 x 244 cm) anchors a small primary bedroom against a queen bed, sits under a low coffee table with a two-seat sofa, or works as the floor element in a study. The deep blue palette pairs with cream or ivory plaster walls, with limewashed white, with leather upholstery in cognac or tobacco, with brass lamps. Avoid pairing with strongly competing blue walls; the indigo field needs a quiet ground.

Conservation

Rotate the rug each season for even wear. Vacuum weekly with the beater bar disengaged. Blot spills with a clean white cotton cloth from the outside in. Hand-wash by a wool conservator every five to seven years. The indigo deepens with use rather than fading.

Reference

• Medium: hand-knotted wool patchwork on cotton foundation
• Dimensions: 183 x 244 cm (6' x 8')
• Construction: patchwork, indigo over-dyed
• Hands: 2-3 weavers, ~4-5 months
• Pile: hand-spun wool
• Dye: antique wash and indigo over-dye
• Origin: India

Free shipping across India. Cash on delivery available. 7-day exchange.