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Mahbod Foroosh is a master weaver in part because he has mastered working without a binding technique.

His approach to his work—restoring Persian rugs that are sometimes hundreds of years old—requires a certain amount of reinvention, rebuilding a pattern of silk or wool knot by knot in rugs faded from sun and worn from feet.

"I have a feeling by my fingers when I touch the wool and I understand what to do," Foroosh said. "I don't have a technique and use it; I make a technique for it."

So it's unsurprising that Foroosh, who runs the Textile and Rug Museum out of a Kensington warehouse, decided to build a better weaver's loom when the traditional technique failed to be efficient or comfortable enough. His main business is restoration, but Foroosh wanted a way to show people how painstakingly the rugs are woven without making it too painful.

"This loom is very different from the others, others are very simple," he said, showing off his invention, which allows a weaver to adjust it for more comfortable seating, easing the lower back pain that often comes with the craft. Weavers may also tighten the "warp" of the rug, the base threads through which the pattern is woven. A traditional loom doesn't allow for retightening, but Foroosh's loom makes rugs that are more precise in less time.

"The job we are doing will be better," he said, and though the loom speeds the process, a large area rug would still take about two years to weave.

But Foroosh's main business is restoration, so the loom he invented is strictly educational, Foroosh said.

"Right now we use this loom to show other people," Foroosh said. "With this loom it's very easy to show people how we make the rug."

Foroosh grew up in Kerman, Iran, where he learned weaving on a traditional rudimentary loom from his father Ahmad Foroosh, apprenticing in the family shop from the time he was a child. He knew the difficulties of standing at a nonadjustable loom, and knew a better way could be devised.

"That's why I could design this," he said. He now uses the loom at demonstrations to groups like the Kensington Historical Society, about Persian rugs, something he wants everyone to know his passion for.

"I love this art. When I sit down to work I cannot hear if someone calls me." So when people want to know more about Persian rugs, Foroosh is happy to take time out of his day, showing folks the antique rugs in his personal collection, or demonstrating the loom.

Foroosh looked into patenting his design, but found the fees prohibitive. Still, in his head he is inventing more looms that will make his art easier, including one that would allow weavers to work on two sides at once.

"I wanted to make a smaller loom, so we (could) make a class and teach them weaving and they make a rug for themselves, to see how it is done," Foroosh said.

To find out more about a free demonstration of Persian rug weaving, contact Foroosh at the Textile and Rug Museum, 301-942-2885.

Correction: The original version of this story listed an incorrect phone number for the Textile and Rug Museum. The correct number is 301-942-2885.