For furnishings and fixtures, visit our sister company,
integral interiors 
For furnishings and fixtures, visit our sister company,
integral interiors
Integral Thread takes a deeper dive into quality control from the very first steps of weaving: sourcing the highest quality fibers.
In the midst of global trends shifting toward solid, single color rugs, Integral Thread’s rug development studio, Studio Wild, has been creating our new “Luxury Plain” Collection. The process beings by sourcing pure, high-quality materials from all over the world, then working with our partners in India to set new standards of quality and beauty by scientifically testing the fibers used to make our rugs. This testing ensures the highest quality of fibers are being used, and also confirms the content is pure. Not only are we controlling quality throughout the weaving process and finishing, but we are insuring the highest quality rug from the very start of the design process, even before any spinning, dyeing, or weaving begins.
Our pure fibers for the “Luxury Plain” collection are Peruvian Alpaca, South African Goat Mohair, Wild Indian Eri Silk, Merino Wool, Mongolian Cashmere, Chinese Silk, English Lincoln Wool, New Zealand Wool, and natural Sardinian Wool. We have samples of the pure fibers in hand-knotted form, and we are also experimenting with combining these fibers to create new blends and textural appeal. The blends include but are not limited to:
Fibers can have more luster or be matte, have longer filaments or short filaments, can brighten in the sun or may yellow, and different fibers are protein (like silk and wool) or are cellulose (like cotton and linen). When spun into yarns, these fibers can be inherently soft or are more coarse, can have a natural kink or be naturally pin straight, can be “sticky” or slippery, and some are naturally pure white while others lean yellow, grey, or brown. These molecular differences alone will affect how fibers take dye and how they feel. Yarns made of differing fibers that are dyed with the exact same dye color will appear different because of the fiber’s personal properties. Plus, we can achieve various looks through different processing techniques. Mill spinning versus hand spinning, or machine carding versus hand carding, will all greatly impact the final look and feel. Fiber qualities are also influenced by their environment. For example, a domesticated silk worm in China will produce a much different silk than a wild Eri silk caterpillar in India. The amount of rainfall, sunshine, food given to the sheep/alpacas/silkworms, climate, and food scarcity can all affect the final qualities of the material.
All fibers have different properties, and this affects how they act in every part of the rug making process: carding, spinning of the yarn, dyeing, knotting, and washing. Because of this vast array of material qualities, and our ability to make endless possibilities through the blending process, we can achieve many different luxurious rugs using the same knot and high-quality fibers. Over the course of the next few months, we will go into depth on each fiber included in our Luxury Plain Collection, and touch more on their special qualities and origins.
© Copyright 2024 Integral Thread. All rights reserved.
303-282-4444 | info@integralthreadstudio.com
|
