Author: Bunyaad

All of us here at Bunyaad believe in preserving the rich cultural heritage of traditional rug-making. We love to share our love and knowledge of hand-knotted rugs, Pakistani culture and artisan stories. Stop by anytime and enjoy a cup of Pakistani green tea with us!
  • |

    When a Pet Leaves a Gift

    ByBunyaad

    rug-cleaning-cat-02

    This is the classic Whodunit story and no one is willing to admit to having done the deed. I could tell you quite a few stories and can only imagine the stories you have to share.

    Can you see the guilt written all over Katie, our black rescue cat? At least we think she might have been the one who gifted us.

    The Deed is Done – Now What?

    If your are the happy owner of a Bunyaad rug which is made with very high quality wool and you find a puddle on your rug, never fear. Follow these easy steps to clean up the mess:

  • | |

    Natural Dye for Eggs and Rugs

    ByBunyaad

    The natural dye on the eggs goes well with this Persian rug.

    Have you ever tried your hand at dyeing eggs with natural dyes?

    Naturally dyeing eggs is truly a labor of love. It speaks to my instilled love for eating healthy. Collecting and prepping all the ingredients like onion peels, purple cabbage and chopped beets shows dedication. Allowing the eggs to simmer in their dye bath for 30 minutes or even overnight for truly stunning deep colors is worth the wait.

    When I look at our naturally dyed Chobi Tribal rugs and our Kazak Tribals, I have a new appreciation for the amount of work that goes into producing one of these rugs.

    Naturally dyed chobi rugs are roughly 100 knots per square inch but take the same amount of production time as their Persian counterparts at over 500 knots per square inch.

    The preparation for getting a Chobi on the loom is over half of the time needed for the rug’s production, where as it takes less than 10% of the total production time of a Persian to get it on the loom.

    What takes so much time to get a Chobi on a loom?

  • Can you Balance an Egg on the First Day of Spring?

    ByBunyaad

    Egg-Balance-Banner

    So it was the first day at the Ten Thousand Villages Rug Event in Harrisonburg, Virginia. I was staying at the manager’s house for the event. I came down ready to leave and saw Val Weaver intently concentrating with an egg on the kitchen counter.

    It’s a family tradition, she told me. Every year on the first day of spring her entire family, regardless of where they are, balance an egg and send photos boosting of their skills to the rest of the family. “Actually, every year my dad always buys a carton of eggs and gives them to the office staff so we can compete!” said Danielle, Val’s youngest daughter and a pro at egg balancing.

    I had never heard of this tradition but I was oddly touched by this Weaver family tradition, and the great fun that they have with it every year. So last year I sat down and tried it myself…

  • | |

    Fair Trade Makes Every Day Women’s Day

    ByBunyaad

    Celebrating first rug

    Artisans go to the local sweet market and grab their favorite mithai (sweets), maybe hot gulab jamun soaking up the sugary sweet cardamon syrup or to the local jalebi vendor who is busy lifting hot, orange mini funnel-cake-like rounds out of their copper pot of bubbling oil as the jalebi head to their own bath of heavenly syrup.

    One woman carries a carafe of chai made with her water buffalo’s milk. Another grabs more tea cups from her home. It’s time to celebrate.

  • |

    Truffula Trees & Whimsy in the Rug World

    ByBunyaad

    20160216-Persian-Lorax

    Look at this rug. Really look at it. What comes to your mind?

    Upon discovering this rug as he checked in the new shipment, our co-worker Doug proclaimed that he was convinced that Dr. Seuss had something to do with this rug. “Look! Look at those trees! Don’t they remind you of Truffula trees from The Lorax?”. At first, we rolled our eyes but we then saw what he meant.