Navajo Rug Weaving Techniques

Native American Navajo rugs were influenced by the Pueblo Indians and by the Spanish explorers.
Navajo rugs are handwoven on an upright loom. The wool is hand spun and dyed using natural dyestuffs.

Black or grey came from the natural colours of the sheep. Yellow was made from turnip roots or sage. Senna gave a rust colour and walnut was used for brown.

Navajo rugs are hand manipulated. Each thread is woven by passing it by hand over and under the warp threads. A few of the techniques, that are also common to other tapestries are described.

Tapestry Weaving Techiques

Slit Technique
In the Slit technique, each colour is woven back and forth, separately. This is generally used in small sections as a slit is created in the rug.

Tapestry Slit

Warp Interlock Technique
Two colours can also meet by wrapping around the same warp thread. The Warp Interlock creates a jagged edge and is used in diagonal joins.

Warp Interlock Technique

Weft Interlock Technique
In the Weft Interlock, the two adjoining colours wrap around each other between two warp threads. It is used on long vertical joins.

Weft Interlock Technique

Diagonal Technique
Diagonal (or other) shapes are woven using a combination of interlocking techniques. The steepness of the diagonal determines when to change to the next colour.

Diagonal Technique

D.Y. Begay – Navajo Weaver
D. Y. Begay described the process of weaving a Navajo rug. How the sheep are shorn, the wool is carded and spun on a Navajo spindle and dyed using natural dyes such as mistletoe fungus found on juniper trees, yellow from Chamizo stems and flowers, and rose colours from the prickly pear cactus fruit. She also uses black beans, walnuts, cedar bark, blood roots, onion skins and cochineal for her rich palette of colours.