It’s common for genuine hand-knotted oriental rugs to have decorative fringes. These fringes are usually an important part in the structure of the rug. Oriental rug experts say that the fringes tend to wear off after 10-15 years of manufacturer of the rug. The fringes can also become nonexistent after three or four decades.
If you have an expensive handmade oriental rug, the process of fixing the fringes is usually very lengthy and expensive as you have to hire an Oriental rug professional to fix the fringes for you. Although, this is the case, if you have an inexpensive rug and basic sewing skills you can go ahead and repair the rug.
How to fix an oriental rug
You should start by buying a pre-made replacement fringe from a fabric store. As rule of thumb you should ensure that the new fringe matches the damaged one. You should also ensure that you buy a fringe that is long enough.
After making the purchase you should sew a blanket stitch along the damaged area using a strong waxed thread in order to reinforce the rug’s edge. The stitch also aids in preventing the edge of the rug from unraveling.
You should then pin the replacement Oriental rug fringe to the base of the existing fringe. You should ensure that the replacement fringe lies on top of the exiting fringe and leave an extra inch on each side of the rug.
You should fold the overlapping ends and hand-sew the replacement fringe to the base of the existing one. You should do this using a waxed thread and ensure that you completely cover the old fringe.
To prevent the replacement fringe from fraying at the ends, you should double-stitch the overlapping ends.
Important tips
These are tips on how to fix Oriental rug fringes. Before you start the fixing process you should carefully take a look at the rug. If the ends of the original fringe are visible beneath the new fringe, you should trim them to give them a great look.
If you have great hemming skills, you should use blind hem stitches to attach the replacement fringe. You should sew the stitches along the back of the material and leave only tiny, neat stitches visible from the front. If the new fringe doesn’t exactly match the color of the original fringe, you should dye it.
You should note that Oriental rug repair will most likely lower its value; therefore, you should only allow professionals to repair them. In most cases, professionals won’t replace the entire fringe—they will reweave the damaged portions.
