HANDTUFT
Hand tufting is the process of filling out a design by using a small drill motor with a custom yarn attachment. Because the yarns are hand placed, hand tufting gives a more precise design with a crisper look. This method also gives a broad variety of techniques such as shading (from one color into another) and yarn combinations (many colors in the same needle). We offer three different yarns (wool, Halo art silk, and silk) and eight separate finishes with this method each as beautiful as the next.The resultant look can be very similar to hand knotting and the wait for the rug is less than half. Again, any Davis design can be made using this method.
THE PRECISION OF EACH TUFT CREATES THIS GORGEOUSLY TAILORED ART.
Handtufting is like filling in a huge poster with a quarter inch sharpie. We have partners in Thailand and our relationship has been many, many years in the making. These partnerships do not happen overnight. They are carefully cultivated through many trials set around our quality tolerances. When a rug arrives on our shipping table we stop and gather around quietly astonished at the stunning beauty of its quality.
This is the back of the rug. On the reverse side is the face where the wool tufts coalesce to fill the gaps. You can see how the parallel lines of wool are used to fill in the detail. The field area will be rendered with the same precision. Because the lines follow the shape of the detail the color changes can be extremely crisp.
ENORMOUS? NOT A PROBLEM!
Size? Enormous is not a problem. Number of colors? Textures? Shading? Not an issue! Many of the wonderful effects seen in overseas craftsmanship are available here. As we described each penetration of the yarn is guided by the artisan. So the detail can be literally one tuft in resolution.
OLD WORLD METHODS
The drawing is ponced on the stretched canvas backing with a chalk powder bag through perforated paper much like Michelangelo transferred his Sistine Chapel art. The areas are then filled with a three yarn line of perfect New Zealand wool.
Unlike handknot, handtuft must remain stretched over a large frame. This means the the artisan must travel over the entire rug while stretched tight. Therefore you see scaffolding and workers at varying heights. Some on a scaffolding board and then some on a stool on the board slowly filling in the piece.
