Fourth generation rag rug maker, Dee Nierman continues to weave using the same barn loom that her great-grandmother used. She explains, this loom has “seen many, many miles of rugs and carpets come off of there.” Growing up, Dee remembers when neighbors would bring rags to her mother for weaving. “We needed a little income, and my mother would weave some rugs. And when I was young, I wound the shuttle. I’d be too little for my feet to reach the treadles.” Although born out of subsistence, weaving has remained a hobby throughout Dee’s life. She and her niece, who is also a weaver, participate in regional fairs and festivals, where their rugs find an enthusiastic market. As Dee puts it, “you’ve got to either sell the rugs or stop making them!” Dee gets a more out of weaving than a supplemental income. She explains:“That's where I do my thinking... maybe the years gone by, my childhood, some happy thoughts. You know the world so busy nowadays, and I just enjoy having my time for myself to do my own thinking --my own thoughts.”
