Hi Beth,
The selvage binding (with wool yarn) would not commence "unraveling" while the rugs were in dead storage. The instances of trouble in your images, including what appears to be areas of pile disturbance around them, look very much like moth damage.
Not too long ago, the New England Rug Society received a talk from Buzz Dohanian, who with his family operates a rug cleaning business (begun by his grandfather) with a specialty in oriental rugs. He noted that the long term storage of rugs carried a considerable risk of moth damage, and that the risk is difficult to manage. He told of instances in which rugs in sealed storage were discovered completely eaten while still sitting in mothballs. As I said, I am not an expert, but I think the problem is moth eggs or larvae that go into the storage, then raise heck when they come into their own.
If I am right, I do not know what to tell you to do about it. The best thing one can do with rugs to protect them from moths is to move them regularly. That may not be feasible for you, but I think you need to take strong action. Maybe someone here can weigh in with good advice.
Rich
|