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If YOU bring your furniture to our cleaning plant! 

See our Articles on Upholstered Furniture Cleaning here and here.
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when scheduled during the furniture cleaning appointment in your home or business.   

See our Articles on Tile & Grout Cleaning  here and here.       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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PLEASE NOTE:   Discounts applied to services MUST be above our minimum charges and CANNOT be combined with other discounts. Services must be performed in the month they are offered only.

WHITE HOUSE EASTER EGG ROLL HISTORY

The White House Easter egg roll is as American as apple pie! But do you know the history?

HISTORY OF THE WHITE HOUSE EASTER EGG ROLL

1800s 

In the 1800s, the rolling lawns of the U.S. Capitol were an irresistible target for kids on Easter Monday. One of the few days off for kids and adults, Easter Monday also included lots of leftover hard-boiled eggs!  

1870s   

The Capitol soon became the site of egg rolls, in which children would compete to see whose egg could roll farther without breaking. It has also been suggested informal egg-rolling parties may have begun under Abraham Lincoln's presidency.    

By the 1870s, Easter Monday egg rolling on the West grounds of the White house had become hugely popular.  

1876  

In 1876, 10,000 children showed up to roll eggs! According to history.com, the spectacle was so noisy that no business could be done in the House and Senate chambers. By the end of the day, the lawns were in ruin.    

Outraged Congressmen immediately wrote legislation protecting the Capitol turf. President Ulysses S. Grant signed a bill banning the rolling of eggs on Capitol grounds two weeks later.  

1877  

A showdown was avoided the next year when rain discouraged the annual invasion of egg rollers.  

1878  

However, on April 22, 1878, even though police had discouraged children from entering the White House grounds, President Rutherford B. Hayes came to the rescue and welcomed players to the White House backyard.    

That was the first official White House Easter Egg roll.  

1889   

In 1889, President Benjamin Harrison added music from the United States Marine Band to the festivities.    

During those more innocent years, families picnicked on the lawns while the kids rolled eggs, leaving behind dead grass, trash, broken egg shells, and many hidden and increasingly smelly eggs! 

1937  

By 1937, the annual crowd had grown to 50,000 inadequately accommodated people on the South Lawn.  

WORLD WARS   

Egg rolling at the White House was interrupted by World War I, from 1917 to 1920 and World War II, from 1943 to 1945.  

1946-1952  

From 1946 to 1952, food conservation and construction on the White house prevented White House Easter egg rolling celebrations.  

For post-war history and how the White House Easter Egg Roll is celebrated today, please continue reading here.

 KUBA ORIENTAL RUGS

LOCATION

Kuba oriental rugs are named for the city and the area of Kuba (Quba), located in modern-day Azerbaijan, close to the Caspian Sea in the northeastern part of the Caucasus region.

The other major Northern Caucasian rugs include the Derbend and the Dagestan. Notable rugs from the Southern Caucasian area include the Kazak, Karabagh, Gendje, Moghan, Talish, and Shirvan rugs.

HISTORY

Weaving in the Caucasus regions can be traced back as far as the Bronze age. Kuba was at one time a Khanate (state or region) of Persia. In 1828, Persia divided Azerbaijan and the territory of today's land became part of the Russian empire while the southern part of Azerbaijan became part of Persia.  

Azerbaijan became an independent nation in 1918 but in 1920 was absorbed into the Soviet Union. It finally gained its independence as a sovereign nation in 1991.

Each region of Azerbaijan had a carpet weaving school established hundreds of years earlier. The schools were named for the various regions. There were Kuba, Baku, Shirvan, Gendje, Kazak, Karabaugh, Nakhichevan, and Tabriz.  

The Kuba region was the largest rug center in Azerbaijan. The town of Kuba was in early times a collection point for rugs from the mountainous region (just as Gendje was) due to its location.

Often, antique rugs made in Kuba, Baku, and Dagestan in the Northern Caucasus were also included under the term Shirvan. Kubas however, can be differentiated from the Shirvans and Dagestans by their dense, ribbed structure and their higher knot count.

Pileless or flatwoven rugs were also woven in Kuba but are linked to an earlier period of rug weaving. These included pileless rugs such as Shadda, Verni, Jejim,  Zilli, Sumak, Kilim, and Palas, all classified as to the style of weaving, the color, structure, and amount of ornaments.

CONSTRUCTION OF KUBA ORIENTAL RUGS

Although, as we will see below, there are many subtypes of Kuba rugs, generally speaking, the foundation was usually constructed with wool though cotton was sometimes used.

The warp (up and down cords) were usually finished by tying them together in several rows of knots. 

The knot was the symmetrical or Turkish knot.

The sides were usually finished with a blue or white selvage of wool or cotton.

As was usually the case with rugs from this region, 2-ply wool was typically used for the pile and it was usually clipped short.

DESIGN OF ANTIQUE KUBA ORIENTAL RUGS

Kuba rugs had detailed and tightly woven patterns. They used some medallion motifs but because they had so many other designs, they did not use medallions as often as other regions in the Caucasus.

Typically, the center field consisted mainly of several guls and other motifs with a lot of scattered large and small elements of different forms. The motifs were geometric ones. The border ornamental patterns usually included various stripes.

The Kuba region had a plethora of various tribes. The rugs incorporated a wide variety of designs and these designs could differ even from village to village.  

Because of the number of tribes, there were many subtypes of antique Kuba oriental rugs from many  regions, each differing from the other with a diversity of designs. Some of these included: 

Alpan

Chi Chi

Garagashli

Gedim Minare

Gonaghend

Gymyl   

Gyryz

Perepedil

Seychour

Shakhnazarli

Ugah

Zeiva

Of these, the Chi Ci types and the Gonaghends are the most collectable.

(Please note: The many different rug and town names can often be found with different but similar spelling. For Ex., Quba for Kuba. We have used the most common spellings here.)

Below are examples of some of the different types of Kuba Oriental Rugs:

To see examples with photos and to learn more about Kuba oriental rugs, please continue reading here.

JUTE NATURAL FIBER

Jute natural fiber is one of the most affordable natural fibers and is second only to cotton in yearly production and it's variety of uses.

Jute natural fiber is extracted from several similar varieties of the jute plant. These are known by different names, depending on the region where they are cultivated. Jute, itself, is known in Hindi as 'pat' and 'allyott.' In its finished form, jute is also known as 'burlap' or 'hessian.'

Jute plants are classified as belonging to the hibiscus or mallow family (malvaceae), although the white jute variety is also sometimes classified in the lime tree family (tiliaceae).

TYPES OF JUTE NATURAL FIBER

WHITE JUTE

The majority of Jute natural fiber is extracted from the long stems of the white jute plant known as Corchorus capsularis. White raw jute is also known as 'bangla white jute.' It is primarily used for yarn, twine and rope.

TOSSA JUTE

Some jute natural fiber is also taken from another variety of the jute plant, the Corchorus olitorius. This plant is also known as jute mallow, nalta jute, Jew's mallow, bush okra, krinkrin, molokhia, and West African sorrel.

The fiber from this plant is silkier and much stronger than white raw jute. Because of its extra strength, it is typically used to make bags such as gunny sacks as well as clothing.

KENAF or MESTA JUTE 

Another variety of jute is called kenaf. It is also known as mesta in South Asian countries. (In the US and Europe, they are both called jute because of their very similar uses or separated into jute and kenaf.) Kenaf is from a different plant than white or tossa jute known as the Hibiscus cannabinus.

ROSELLE JUTE

There is also a third jute plant called roselle or Hibiscus sabdariffa, which is related to the other varieties of jute and has similar uses.

WORLD PRODUCTION

EXPORTERS and IMPORTERS

About 95% of all the jute in the world is grown in South Asia in India and Bangladesh. India produces the largest of amount of jute and also some kenaf.  

India exports a large amount of jute products and the rest is used in India domestically. Bangladesh exports jute as raw fiber as well as manufactured items. China produces mostly kenaf and Thailand produces both kenaf and roselle.

The history of raw jute goes all the way back to the 17^th century when the British East India Company first began trading in raw Jute. India's jute-processing industry began in 1855 with Calcutta as the major center.  

India's partition in 1947 left much of the jute-producing land in East Pakistan, now the independent country of Bangladesh.

The largest exporters of jute are India, then Bangladesh, followed by China, Uzbekistan, Nepal, Vietnam, Myanmar (formerly Burma), Zimbabwe, Thailand, and Egypt.

The largest importers of raw jute fiber are Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, Belgium, and France.

THE JUTE CROP

Jute is an annual crop that is planted two times a year, April or May and July or August, taking approximately 120 days to grow. Little fertilizer or pesticides are needed.

Jute typically grows best in well-drained, sandy loam and needs an average monthly rainfall of at least 3 to 4 inches during the growing season with a humidity of 60% to 90%. The plants grow to an average of 10 to 12 feet with finger-sized cylindrical stalks. Jute plants are cultivated close together so the plants grow tall and straight.  

The jute plant bears small yellow flowers. The leaves are a light green and are 4 to 6 inches long, about 2 inches wide, and have serrated edges that taper to a point.  

The harvesting of jute is begun when the flowers have been shed but before the seedpods are fully mature. If cut before the flowers shed, the fiber will be weak. If left until the seed is ripe, the fiber will be strong but will be coarser and lack luster.

JUTE FIBER

Jute natural fiber is a bast fiber obtained from the inner skin or bast tissue of skin surrounding the stem of the plant.  

Jute is also called the 'Golden Fiber' due to its golden and silky shine, as well as its importance.

Jute natural fiber, unlike most textile fibers which consist mainly of cellulose (plant fiber), is part cellulose and part lignin (wood fiber).

To find out how Jute is processed, the advantages and disadvantages, and its multitude of uses, please continue reading here. 

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