There was, however, a lull in production during the reign of Chieftain in the mid 1700s (Art Arena 3). The art form regained popularity and production in the 1800s when factories were built by other countries. .
There are many different factors to take into account before weaving a Persian carpet. First, one must create a design for the carpet, called a "cartoon" (Persian Galleries). For the city carpets this is usually done on graph paper in a very detailed way, so that the weaver knows where each color goes in the design. Nomadic carpet weavers, on the other hand, may just go by their memory and allow for changes and improvements along the way (Persian Galleries). While one is designing the pattern for the carpet, the material that is going to be used should also be decided. The material, either wool or silk, will most often depend on the intricacy of the design for the carpet (Persian Galleries). After designing the pattern and choosing a material, choosing the quality of the wool is important. The quality often depends on the season, the location, the age of the animal, and the area on the animal from which the wool comes from (Persian Galleries). The wool must then be cleaned because oils in the wool will affect the way it can be dyed and also the life of the carpet. Too much lanolin in the wool will hinder the dying process, while too little lanolin will make the wool too brittle (Persian Galleries). The wool must then be spun and carded so that it is easier to work with, and the dying process is the last step in preparing the wool. Natural dyes are the traditional way of dying wool for Persian carpets, but synthetic dyes have also been used more recently (Persian Galleries). .
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Synthetic dyes are usually brighter in color and the hues are a little different than those of natural dyes (Persian Galleries). Plant dyes come from various plants, such as oak apples and saffron for yellows, henna leaves and flowers for reds, and indigo for blues (Aschenbrenner 18).
