Old Kelim pouch | 176 x 30 cm | Nr. Z-1618

Heathered old Kelim bag, black and white with stripes

Origin	Turkmenistan
Dimensions	176 cm x 30 cm (= 0.53 m²)
Construction	hand-woven
Material	Weft (pile): wool Warp: wool
Pile height	3mm
Year of manufacture	1930
Colour	Black and white, light red
Edition	one-of-a-kind piece

Origin

Kelims (also written Kilim, Qilim) were traditionally made only for the weavers' own use. Nomads and farmers used and still use their Kelims as rugs on the floor, but also as tent or wall hangings, blankets, cushions or – like this Kelim – as containers for transport. This Kelim bag was probably woven as a saddlebag for donkeys, camels or a bicycle. If you have neither donkey nor camel, you can use the bag on your bike or to keep your newspapers and magazines in – there are no limits to your imagination.

Because Kelims were and still are constant companions in everyday life, their patterns – however naive they may look – always carry a personal message and hold meaning for the weavers and their families.

Kelims are hand-woven and consist only of warp and weft threads, so they have no thick, upward-facing pile. Kelims show the same pattern on both sides. The pattern is created by the coloured weft threads that are woven into the warp threads. A new thread has to be used for every new colour in every row. The thread ends are woven in as well.

In Europe it is above all Kelims from Turkey, the Caucasus, Iran, Afghanistan and the Turkmen cultural region that are well known and loved. In fact, rugs are hand-woven in every country where rugs are knotted. This old Kelim pouch is around 90 years old and a real collector's piece.

Pattern

The straight stripes of this Kelim pouch give the pattern order and structure.

The surface of this Kelim bag has a mottled look. The shifts in tone and the light-and-dark shading of the pile yarn make the colours shimmer and keep the rug from showing dirt. These so-called colour shifts, known as abrash, give the rug a livelier look. The mottling occurs because the wool of this Kelim bag was hand-spun. During dyeing, the natural dyes are absorbed to differing degrees.

The overall impression is dominated by black and white and by light red.

Condition

You are not the first to take a liking to this Kelim bag. It has had owners before you who valued and used it. It was hand-woven around 1930. It has been cleaned thoroughly and is in good but unrestored condition. The edges are damaged in parts. The rug has a few small stains. We have not restored this Kelim bag, because we feel it has a special presence exactly as it is. If you would prefer otherwise, we will of course be happy to restore the rug for you. Either way, this Kelim bag will give you pleasure for decades to come.

Material

Kelim bags are made from hand-woven Kelims. Once the weaving is done, the Kelims are sewn together into bags and – the finer bags in particular – embroidered by hand afterwards.

The Kelims that are made into Kelim bags consist only of warp and weft threads, so they have no thick, upright pile. Kelims show the same pattern on both sides and can therefore be used either way up. The pattern is created by the coloured weft threads that are woven into the warp threads.

The weft threads of this Kelim are made of hand-spun sheep's wool dyed with plant colours. Before the Kelim was woven, the sheep were first shorn and the wool was then cleaned, combed and finally spun. After spinning, the wool for the Kelim bags is dyed with natural colours in an elaborate process. Thanks to this traditional method, the pile of the Kelim bags feels dry and slightly furry. Wool was used for the warp threads.