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Area rugs made of natural fibers are not hard to find, the problem is not knowing if the natural fibers have been treated with harmful chemicals. Even though you buy a natural area rug, you are still unsure if it is truly non-toxic. 

I am happy to say that I finally found organic rugs! The company Organic Weave contacted me to let me know about their certified organic rugs and graciously sent me samples of their products. 

About the Company

Organic Weave is the first company to manufacture a collection of certified organic area rugs using 100% naturally dyed wool, cotton, and silk. They have partnered with a women’s cooperative in rural India to handcraft their area rugs.

Organic Weave aims to provide dignified work and sustainable income to women who are committed to elevating their economic circumstances through their work as weavers. These women are proud to contribute financially to their families.

Organic Weave is a member of the Sustainable Furnishings Council. 

Every Organic Weave rug is certified free of child labour by Goodweave.

Organic Weave employs the women of Unnayan ( a women’s cooperative) to w​​eave their handmade rugs. 

Organic Weave is the world’s first rug manufacturer to be certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)

OneCert Certified Organic – OneCert is a GOTS accredited organic certifying agency.

Organic Weave will work with you on choosing the type of rug for your needs and will customize colors and patterns for you.

Why Organic?

Organic wool is fully biodegradable and won’t clog up landfills. 

By farming sheep organically the land can naturally regenerate and sustain itself.

By farming cotton organically, the harmful impacts of pesticides and insecticides to the land are eliminated and therefore soil fertility and biodiversity is greatly increased.

Organic manufacturing minimizes water contamination. 

Rugs will not off-gas toxic chemicals into your home. 

Natural dyes reduce the need for synthetic dyes. 

Organic silk is produced without the use of any chemicals or treatments including insecticides, pesticides or synthetic additives (often used by silk suppliers to make the silk feel softer).

Organic silk is “non-violent”. Cocoons are pierced and trimmed so that the butterfly can fly away and not be scalded in boiling water. The broken silk filaments are hand twisted and traditionally weaved.

Production Methods

Every Organic Weave rug is made by hand by skilled artisans using chemical-free and certified organic silk, wool and/or cotton. 

Handknotted

Weavers hand-tie knots of wool, silk, or cotton onto a cotton warp on a loom. The back of the rug will has a mirror image of the front of the rug. There is no latex or plastic backing. Handkotted rugs can take months to years to weave. 

FlatWeave

Wool, cotton, or silk are woven on a horizontal loom to create a flat pile rug. Flatweave rugs are reversible and do not have a backing. 

Shag

Handtufted or handknotted, they may be woven in various pile heights and textures​, and in single color or multi-color combinations. 

HandTufted

A hand tufted rug is made by punching strands of wool with a “tufting gun” into a canvas which is stretched on a frame. Once the pattern is punched onto the canvas, another fabric called a secondary backing is applied with natural rubber glue (latex*). 

Handloom

A weaving practice done on a horizontal loom. The finished product may be flatweave, loop pile (boucle), or cut pile. 

Organic Weave uses FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified natural rubber (or latex) in the manufacture of handtufted, handloomed, and shag rugs. The latex is used to secure (or glue) the pile of the rug to the backing (canvas).

My Review

Organic Weave sent me some samples of their rugs and I am so happy to share them here with you!

Flatweave Wool Rug By Organic Weave

This is a great little flatweave rug. It is fairly thin, but not as thin as the embroidered rug I will show you below. It has lovely colors and is totally reversible. You would need a rug pad under this to keep it from sliding around. 

Imagine having a rug like this in your dining room. The pattern would hide blemishes well and the thickness would be great under a table. It would add so much character to a room.

The edge of the rug.

Organic Weave tag sewn onto the back corner.

This rug feels dense under my feel, but the wool gives it a softness. ​

The edges of the rug have a cotton fringe. This is the Warp that the wool has been woven through.

The colors are blue, cream, and grey.

Each rug comes with a card stating the materials, size, colors and style, as well as care instructions.

Special Offer From Organic Weave

Use the code “BestOrganic” to receive 5% off!

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Organic Handknotted Wool Rug by Organic Weave

The pattern is called High Tide and the color is Toffee.

What a lush rug! You would love a rug like this in your bedroom, waking up to a soft cloud under your feet as you get out of bed. A medium pile rug, it has enough pile to feel soft and squishy, but not enough to be considered a shag. 

The colors of this rug are dusty pinks and plums with some creamy white. It does shed a little bit, but not as much as the shag rug I will show you further down the page. 

The back of the rug. You can tell it is hand-knotted because you can see the pattern on the back.

My son is helping me examine the rugs. He is pulling out a card with care instructions. 

A medium pile.

The edges of this rug have been sewn to hide the fringe.

This rug has a medium pile. It feels soft under my feet.

Special Offer From Organic Weave

Use the code “BestOrganic” to receive 5% off!

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Organic Handwoven Rug with Embroidery By Organic Weave

A little bit of embroidery adds some funk to this rug.

With a rug pad underneath it,  this would be a great rug for a hallway. It is thin and tightly woven, with some embroidery for flair. As with all of the rugs, this one is soft. You will absolutely love the feel of the wool, so soft and silky. 

A flat handwoven rug. The texture is soft and light.

On the back of the rug you can see the knots from the embroidery thread.

Special Offer From Organic Weave

Use the code “BestOrganic” to receive 5% off!

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Organic Wool Shag Rug by Organic Weave

Hand-tufted wool shag rug with a dense high pile.

Ann organic shag rug! What a perfect addition to your home. This is the ultimate rug if you like to sit on the floor, or have a baby who is crawling around. You would want a rug like this in your living room, it would add softness and comfort there. 

A thick pile.

My son decided to take a seat.

A hand-tufted rug has a canvas backing. You cannot see the pattern from the back.

Soft and squishy under my feet. This rug does shed, but that is natural for wool rugs.

Conclusion

I am so happy I became aware of this company! I want some of these rugs in full sizes for my home now, I love knowing that they are totally non-toxic and created in a sustainable way. I also love knowing that they are creating economic livelihoods for Indian women. 

What did I do with the samples?

Now that I have taken photos and written a review, I have found uses for my rug samples. I have used the flatweave rug under my laptop, and the shag rug sample is under my computer desk so my feet can rest on it. I used the handwoven rug with embroidery as a wall hanging and the hand-knotted rug is in my motor home. 

Where to Buy Organic Weave Rugs

Use the code “BestOrganic” to receive 5% off!

Organic Weave offers a variety of styles and colors. You can customize your own rug, or choose from one of their ready-made designs. 

Get Your New Rug Today

If you have any questions, leave them in the comment section below, we are happy to answer them 🙂

Yours Naturally,Andrea

This post was originally published on August 2, 2017.