Bulgaria’s Magic Carpets

Bulgaria’s Magic Carpets

Monday, 19 January 2009 10:23

bulgarian kilims

Bulgaria has a long history when it comes to carpet weaving. The art of making colourful, yet practical carpets began long before the Ottoman Turks invaded and conquered the country. Today, the tradition of crafting unique, quality carpets by hand continues in some of the country’s most far flung villages. Yet it is no longer an industry confined to supplying local villagers with flooring; Bulgarian carpets are now exported all over the world.
The durability of a real Bulgarian carpet is quite incredible and they are said to last a lifetime even if they are on floors with high traffic. Some carpets though are used purely for decoration as wall hangings because their colourful intricate designs, each with their own meaning are sometimes too beautiful to use for the purpose for which they were intended. Bulgarian carpets are still made from either goat’s or sheep’s wool, with sheep’s wool being the material most favoured by weavers because of its softness. In terms of techniques very little has changed in the way the carpets are made now compared to 500 years ago; possibly the biggest change is the type of dye used. Whereas the wool used to be dyed with vegetable dyes, today synthetic colouring is used.

Jeravna Carpets

a traditional loom

In this tiny little village in the central part of the eastern Balkan Range, local women craft works of art on old looms in their homes. The carpets or kilims as they are called in the carpet trade are extremely cheap to buy when you consider the workmanship that goes into them. They are made to many different designs and décor and it is even possible to specify your own style. The first Jeravna carpet was made in around 1780 and today the oldest kilim available from this region hangs in Sofia’s National History Museum. It was made by Ergen Noniovitsa in 1820 and it is now classed as a national work of art. Jervana carpets contain a variety of different designs but broadly they fall into two categories; geometrical motifs and natural floral designs. Each design has a special meaning which has been passed down from generation to generation over many years. Some of the most popular designs include the “Tree of Life,” which symbolizes rebirth and longevity. “Horns of Animals” is a design signifying power. “Hands on Hips” is the design most associated with the Mother of God and fertility. The “Hanging Candle” is a design synonymous with the light of God and eternity.

Chiprovtsi

chiprovtsi kilim

Chiprovtsi is a small town in the north west of the country close to the border with Serbia. For many it is seen as the birthplace of the Bulgarian carpet and the carpet making industry remains one of the town’s main industries. Carpets are designed to original patterns and to customers own specifications. It takes around 50 days for the craftsman to complete a kilim of around 3 m × 4 m. Chiprovtsi carpets have received international acclaim having been exhibited all over Europe including at exhibitions in Paris and London. Weaving has been passed through generations and there are many traditions associated with weaving; a long time ago, when a rug was completed the waver’s daughter or granddaughter used to lie in the carpet and family members gently rocked her from side to side in it to make sure that the girl would grow up to be a good carpet weaver like her ancestors.
Chiprovtsi carpets differ from other region’s carpets in that they are usually always made from wool are made from wool and are intertwined on both sides. They are made on small looms called stans. The designs are colourful and geometric, with a contemporary style. The Karakachka, or “Black-eyed Bride” is the most popular pattern from this area; the pattern was conceived in the 18th century and it is a red-on-black or black-on-red design, which allegedly looks a lot like a girl carrying two buckets of water. There are many other common Chiprovtsi designs like “the Chickens”, “The Vines” and “The Flower Pots.” These natural designs are said to represent natures gifts to man.

Rhodope Mountain Carpets

Carpets made in the Rhodope Mountains are not nearly as popular as those made in other parts of Bulgaria, however they are extremely warm and often used as blankets rather than carpets. They are usually made from goat’s wool and are natural in colour. In days gone by they were used for warmth by revolutionaries who camped in the mountains hiding from the Ottoman Turks.

Kotel

a kotel chergi

Kotel, the museum town in central Bulgaria is world famous for its handcrafted carpets. Carpet production here is believed to go back far beyond that of any other region in the country and has its own weaving school. Kotel carpets are made on vertical looms and it usually takes around three months to weave one carpet. Its Chergi are particularly renowned. They are colourfully striped long, thin rugs that are used as runners. Sometimes they are sewn together to make a bigger carpet. Other styles, which are popular, are Guberi, which are the tufted rugs and Postelki, which are used as blankets. Kotel carpets are famous for the fact that they are usually only made from four colours, blue, black, red and green. They often contain diamond patterns, which symbolize the moon, stars and sun. Other designs are constructed from triangles. They represent images like the fight between good and evil. The most famous designs are “The Trays” and “The Crosses.” Carpets made with the trays design was made when the weaver had their first child, whilst a carpet with the crosses design was given as a Christening gift for the weaver’s grandchild.
Kotel carpets are sold all over the world and many say that they are as good as a Persian carpet. The carpets can be purchased from the weavers in the town and different designscan be seen at the local Carpet Museum, which is housed in the Galata School.

Last Updated ( Monday, 19 January 2009 10:30 )

Victoria's Parlour Antiques

Victoria's Parlour Antiques

Belleair Bluffs business owner grew up in the rug business

By Christina K. Cosdon, Times Correspondent
In Print: Sunday, January 18, 2009

---

Pat France’s rug collection includes more than 200 rugs from all around the world, some of which are a century old.
	[ATOYIA DEANS | Times]

Story Tools E-mail this story Contact the editor Print this story Comment on this story Social Bookmarking Digg Facebook Stumbleupon Reddit Del.icio.us Newsvine

ADVERTISEMENT Business News Money Minute: Circuit City to Close Your Money: Your Profile and You Foreclosures Up 81-percent From '07 AP Money Minute: Foreclosures Soar First Person: Steve Jobs' Importance to Apple Your Money: Getting a Deal on Auto Loans Apple CEO Jobs Takes Medical Leave Jan. 14: Stocks Slide for Sixth Straight Session First Annual Drop in Retail Sales Since 1992 Money Minute: Nortel, Lehman Dubai Your Money: Detroit Auto Show First Annual Drop in Retail Sales Since 1992 Jan. 13: Stocks Fluctuate on Earnings Anxiety Your Money: Online Sales Taxes Money Minute: Pfizer, Bankruptcy, Amazon Video Essay: Different Shades of 'Green' Bernanke: Obama Stimulus Would Lift Economy Toyota Unveils New Prius at Detroit Auto Show Jan. 12: Stocks Tumble on Oil, Earnings Fears Money Minute: Citigroup, Cessna, Oil High Volume Stressing Employment Centers Your Money: Same-store Sales Demystified Newly Unemployed Struggle to Maintain Optimism Out of Work? Try These Professions Jan. 9: Dow Sinks on Bad Unemployment Numbers Money Minute: Boeing, Dell, Circuit City Your Money: Mutual Fund Management High Volume Stressing Employment Centers Jobless Rate Jumps to 7.2 Percent in December Jan 8: Stocks Boosted by Mortgage Deal

Jewelry, glass and pottery, lamps, paintings, wall hangings and bric-a-brac crowd the aisles and walls of Victoria's Parlour Antiques. But the heart of the business is a back room jammed with a jumble of Oriental rugs, some standing upright in rolls, others on open stacks. The only way to see the sizes, shapes, colors and designs of the rugs is to thumb through books featuring them in more than 200 photographs.

Pat France grew up in the rug business and has spent a lifetime developing an eye and taste for them. Her collection represents every major rug-making area in the world, she says. Some are a century old.

"I have a lot of Persian rugs, some Turkish, Armenian, some Chinese," she said. Styles range from art deco to traditional and modern.

When France was a child, her playground was a store filled with more than a thousand wool and silk rugs from around the world — Paulson & Co., a family business in Swarthmore, Pa., established by her grandfather in 1914.

From age 4, she played on the store's rugs, watched them being cleaned and saw them displayed for customers.

On family outings to museums with her brother and sister, "we would always play a game," she recalled. "Whatever was on the walls — paintings or rugs — we would have to describe why we liked it, whether it was the beauty of the colors, the clarity of the design or something about it that caught our senses."

Seeking a warmer climate, Wesley and Dorothy France left their hometown of Swarthmore in 1957, moved to Largo with their three children and started France Rugs.

At the time, Pat France was 8 years old and entered Mildred Helms Elementary School.

She worked summers in the family store as a teenager and after graduating from Florida Southern College in 1971, she joined the business.

When she turned 20, her uncle, Paul Paulson, invited her on a buying and selling trip to New York City. The only room for her was in the back of the truck on top of rugs.

It's one of her fondest memories.

"It was the neatest experience," she said. "We would stop at a dozen places a day. I got to go into all the showrooms and warehouses and see how different people do business."

She also learned the art of rug repair and reweaving. Her teacher was award-winning artist Mildred "Muggsy" Kelso, who learned her craft at the Philadelphia Institute of Art.

When her parents retired in 1984, some of the rugs went to the family store in Swarthmore and Pat France took some when she started her own business that same year in Antique Alley in Belleair Bluffs.

"For years, I had customers that I inherited from my parents," she said. "I've always liked the challenge of finding things for people. I brought paintings and jewelry for one customer, then her kids and now her grandkids."

With the changing economy, her buying has become more selective.

"I used to buy everything under the sun. Now I'm much more particular, much more critical," she said.

"I buy as high quality as I can or something that's really unique. Things have to have something extra to sell these days. Usual isn't going to cut it."

Chris Cosdon can be reached at ccosdon@gmail.com.

Victoria's Parlour Antiques

Where: 568 N Indian Rocks Road, Belleair Bluffs.

Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.

For more information: Call (727) 581-0519.