Scaapi : Carpet of Life

Carpet of life, I have been inspired by you since I first came accross your beautiful carpets as well as the good you do and the moving thought behind your endeavour - creating jobs for women in the Sahara whilst transforming old clothes and fabrics into stunning carpets.When my mother passed away, my sister's and I cleaned up her house and devided her household. I have always wondered what I could best do with all the textiles I inherited from her and my grandmothers. When I came accross Carpet of life, I knew what I wanted to do with all the inherited linen en fabrics.

For my birthday this year, I want a Carpet of Life!

For those who do not know Carpet of Life, it is an initiative between the Taragalte foundation in the South of Marocco and Butterfly works in Amsterdam.

I would like to take you on the Carpet of life journey.

The Carpet starts it's cycle as discarded clothing and textiles.
When you are planning to have your own carpet made, you collect
all your clothing and fabrics which you would like to tell the story of your carpet.

The fabrics are sent to Marocco to the oasis of M’hamid El Ghizlane, which exists out of 10 villages.

This region has been batteling with extreme drought and as a result
many men have left their families in search of work. To help the women
who stayed behind and to give an economic impuls to the region
Carpet of Life was created as a brand. Carpet of life creates

a better future for women in the region and also
preserves their culture and heritage.

Textiles are hard to come by in the Sahara. This region has no natural
resources for creating textiles. By sending your old clothing and fabrics
to the Sahara, an age old craft can be cultivated and continued.

The Carpet of Life concept is based on Maroccan carpets

named Boucherouite or Boucherwi. This craft is an authentic artform

whereby the process of creation is not planned, but creation takes place intuitively.

Women work in groups of 4-5 on one carpet. The tasks of cutting

the cloth, sorting it and knotting the carpet is devided between them.

Intuitively they allowthe process to lead them to creating a beautiful carpet.

Each carpet is a true tribute to their creativity and imagination,

which only add's to it's uniqueness.

Carpet of Life offers different general style categories as inspiration
for your carpet. Think of diamonds, stripes and large diamonds.
As the women work intuitively the carpet design is influenced by each individual

crafter and cannot be completely predicted ... this is part of the adventure!

Carpet of life will take you on an inspiring and uplifting journey.
Connecting your past and heritage with the future of the
women in Marocco that make these beautiful carpets. Not only will your
living room be genuinely 'uplifted' by a beautiful object,
you will also have an object in your home that
truly tells a heart warming story.