Gabba Rugs: How Kashmiri Artisans Turn Waste Wool Into Art

Before “upcycling” was a word, Kashmiri artisans were doing it.

When a woollen blanket wore thin — fraying at the edges, too soft to provide warmth on the cold stone floor — it was not thrown away. It was collected, washed clean in river water, milled until the fibres matted together into a dense, sturdy felt, and dyed in whatever the Valley provided: walnut shells for rich brown, pomegranate rind for crimson, indigo for deep blue, saffron for gold.

Then came the Aari needle and the embroiderer’s hand — and the old blanket became a Gabba.

What a Gabba Is

The Gabba is an embroidered floor rug made from recycled wool blankets, locally called lois. Old blankets are washed, milled, dyed in bright colours, then stitched together and backed with waste cotton cloth. The stitched base is then covered in dense chain-stitch embroidery using an Aari hook needle in floral and geometric patterns.

In traditional Kashmiri homes, the Gabba sat as the everyday floor covering — beneath the Namda in the layered floor system of a typical Kashmiri room. It served as carpet, prayer rug, and mattress in the coldest months.

The History

The tradition of Gabba-making dates back to the late 16th century in Kashmir. Popular legend traces it to a poor shepherd boy named Lassa Tota in Anantnag, who pieced together old woollen scraps to make a floor covering. The craft gained royal patronage when Maharaja Ranbir Singh of Kashmir ordered a Gabba for his personal use.

Unlike the Namda — which uses fresh wool and is associated with Mughal patronage — the Gabba emerged directly from village life. It is the craft of the Kashmiri common household: practical, improvised, made from what was already there. The embroidery tradition is closely associated with Kashmiri women working in village clusters, particularly around Anantnag and Srinagar.

How a Gabba Is Made

Step 1: Collecting and Washing

Old woollen blankets (lois) are collected and thoroughly washed — traditionally in cold river water — to clean out years of accumulated dust and soil.

Step 2: Milling

The washed blankets are milled — carded and worked with warm soapy water in a process similar to felting. This process of milling, pressing, and matting the fibres transformed the soft, fraying wool into a tough, new canvas — recycled in its purest form, centuries before the term became a slogan.

Step 3: Dyeing

The milled felt is dyed in bright colours — traditionally using natural sources: walnut shells for brown, pomegranate rind for crimson, indigo for blue, saffron for yellow.

Step 4: Cutting and Layering

The dyed felt is cut into pieces and stitched together — either as appliqué or layered for thickness. A cotton backing is added for strength.

Step 5: Embroidery

The surface is decorated using an Aari hooked needle and wool or silk threads — chain-stitch embroidery covering the surface in dense floral and geometric patterns. Artisans trace designs using perforated sheets and chalk, then work the Aari across the surface building patterns of chinar leaves, flowers, central medallions, and border compositions. Each Gabba can take up to two weeks to embroider.

Gabba vs Namda

Both are Kashmiri felt-based floor coverings but distinct: Namda is made from fresh sheep wool, felted from scratch, lightly embroidered, with Mughal-era patronage. Gabba is made from recycled old blankets, dyed and stitched, with dense Aari chain-stitch embroidery of village origin. In the traditional Kashmiri home, the Namda sat above the Gabba — one layered on top of the other for maximum insulation from the cold floor.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Gabba rug made from?
Recycled old woollen blankets (lois) that are washed, milled into felt, dyed, stitched together, and covered with chain-stitch Aari embroidery.

How is a Gabba different from a carpet?
A Kashmiri carpet is hand-knotted on a loom from new wool or silk. A Gabba is made from recycled material, embroidered using the Aari hook needle — a fundamentally different structure and technique.

How long does a Gabba take to make?
The embroidery alone can take up to two weeks depending on size and density of the pattern.

Where are Gabbas made in Kashmir?
Primarily in Anantnag and Srinagar districts, with production clusters historically in village communities.

Conclusion

The Gabba is Kashmir’s answer to waste: take the old, make it new. Wash the fraying wool, felt it into something dense and useful, dye it in the colours of the Valley, cover it in chain-stitch flowers. It is one of the oldest forms of upcycling in the world — and one of the most beautiful.

At Kashmir Origin, we source authentic Kashmiri Gabbas from Valley artisans. No machine-made substitutes.

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Published by Kashmir Origin — A Brand for Products Originating in Kashmir