Factory Friday: Turnberry Rugs

First up on 'Factory Friday' is Turnberry Rugworks near Girvan.  We found Turnberry through a recommendation from Alex Begg & Company in Ayr (thanks John!) and are delighted that we did. A classic case of "you wouldn't know this was here if you drove past", Turnberry sits just off the A77 on the southwest coastline. The old farm buildings (the factory is in-fact a converted granary) on approach do not begin to prepare you for what goes on inside. 

Using a variety of yarns from merino, to silk, linen, felt (or whatever else you might have ideas for) the rugs are all handmade to order. Each piece is bespoke, and so a short run of similar products can be created or one-off pieces can be commissioned. This can be used across disciplines, from fine art fabrication to interior design contracts. The open nature of the team at Turnberry means that it is not intimidating to approach with a sketch and find out more about how to put your idea into production. In the past they have worked on collaborations with Timerous Beasties, right through to the set for Big Brother, and British Embassies internationally.

What we loved about Turnberry too, was that they are training up skilled apprentices including textiles graduates on the factory floor. It makes us think about recent exhibitions, like the Interwoven Connections, based on the Stoddard Templeton Archives. In contrast to these archives, what does industry look like in Scotland today - and where are the opportunities for manufacturers and designers to collaborate?

How it Works

The first thing you see walking in, are huge canvasses lining a corridor. These make up the basis to a rug, and are stretched on a frame, up to 7ft. An image is then projected onto this frame, and drawn in. It's the same way you would project an image for painting onto a canvas or wall. 

Then the exciting part begins! After the chosen yarn is 'fed in'; compressed air pushes the yarn through the canvas, via a hand-held gun. The hand-tufters walk across scaffolding where the frame is set up, back and forth, making sure to keep within the design. The speed and strength behind the tufting changes the feel of the feel of the rug. Fascinating to watch! Afterwards, latex is painted on the back of the rug to keep it all together. 

We didn't realise until we were watching it being done afterwards too, that even the hand-trimming of each rug or carpet can define, shape and become a distinctive feature in each piece.  You can change 'pile height' (the length of yarn coming through from the base) and carve in relief and textures. 

Between the variety of yarn choices, scale, bespoke nature of production, and finishing techniques - there are a huge number of opportunities to develop projects with this company. Turnberry are skilled in what they do, are invested in high quality production and  have an open-ness to work with creatives to realise new projects. Below is one of their own films, explaining the rug making process in more depth.

Thank you to John McKerchar and the team for having us! 

You can check out the full Make Works listing for Turnberry Rug Works here