Materials and Dyes

Materials.

The warp and weft of a carpet can be various combinations of wool, cotton, silk, and these materials themselves come in various qualities and textures.

Dyes.

Until the introduction of chemical dyes in the second half of the 19th century, only natural dyes were used, such as the madder and indigo plant, insects (i.e. cochineal), bark, fruit, and other ingenious methods, to produce shades of red and blue. These primary colors could be mixed with other primary colors to produce a wide range of secondary colors.

Although natural colors are vivid and long lasting, they do too fade in the course of time when exposed to light and alkalis, but this produces a pleasing, harmonious effect which cannot be equaled with chemical colors.

Chemical dyes fall into two main groups. One is the acid or aniline dye, and the second is the chrome dye. The majority of commercial carpets produced today for the world market are made from chemical dyes, although there has been resurgence in the last few years in the popularity of vegetable dyes.

Dyer in Anatolian Villages is very respected figure of the villages where people would consult him for various matters. Following the tradition, information about dyes and plants is handed down from father to son and stayed in the family. Since all these dyes are in the nature and very easily reached by the nomads and villagers, they have been used for centuries. Here some of the dyes used by Turkish nomads and villagers:

Dyes Woad Civit Otu.

When this plant is boiled, according to its boiling length. Various tones of blue are obtained. Dyes Woad grows wild in Central and Western Anatolia. Dyer Woad and some other plants are used to yield indigo, which is the oldest dye used in Anatolia.

Madder Root Kok Boya.

The root of Madder plant, which grows wild in Central Anatolia, is one of the best sources for red color. Madder Plant, which reaches the height of 1.5, meters in two years gives various tones of red.

Walnut Ceviz Brown.

Walnut tree which is encountered every region of Turkey is the source of very attractive brown color. Walnut, which reaches the height of 25 meters, is native tree to Turkey. Nearly Turkey produces 20% of the world walnut output. Fruit is covered with thick rind, which is used to obtain green and brownish-black shades. Coloring agent is brow dye, which adheres directly to wool fibers without a mordant.