I’ve learned that the urban rugs (from major cities like Rabat and Fez) differ greatly from the ones that are created in the smaller villages in other areas like the Middle Atlas Mountains, the High Atlas Mountains, and the Anti-Atlas area. Each area has a completely different style and color scheme.

The photo on the left above is an actual Berber rug from the Middle Atlas region of Morocco. The photo on the right is part of my adaptation of the rug.

There are several challenges to adapting rugs like the one above. You need to:

1. 1.Maintain the feeling of the Moroccan rug that is woven.
   

2. 2.Choose motifs to adapt.
   

3. 3.Determine needlepoint stitches that give the same look and feeling as the original.
   

4. 4.Determine which threads to use.
   

5. •Should you use the same type of threads to create the same look and feel?
   

6. •Should you try a different medium, and how will that affect the final look and feel? For example, would using metallic thread, even in small doses, change how you and other people perceive the finished piece?
   

7. •Does metallic thread enhance the design or detract from it?
   

5. 5.Select a canvas mesh and size that is appropriate to the finished piece.