Ortonville- D’Anne Van Hooser will be giving some very special, unique Christmas gifts to family members this year? 16 rugs made out of fabric her late mother, a seamstress, owned.
The rugs were made at the Old Mill on a 1915 loom by local residents Marilyn Featherston, Laurie Dallape, and June King.
Van Hooser said after her mother died, she had a lot of leftover fabric and she didn’t want to just give it away. When the Davisburg resident visited the Old Mill and saw the women weaving rugs on the loom, she was inspired.
‘The rugs were so beautiful, and I had to have some,? she said. ‘I’m giving them to the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.?
Marilyn Featherston has been weaving rugs at the Old Mill since 1998, when Grace Geisler taught her to weave on the loom. Featherston taught Dallape six years ago, and King joined them two years ago. The loom, a two heddles, was stored in a basement in Oxford before being purchased by the Mill in the 70s.
‘We weave a lot of rugs? that’s our thing,? said Featherston. ‘I just thought I would love to do this.?
The most difficult part of using the loom is putting on the ‘warp,? which is what makes the weave stay together. The process takes a couple evenings, and when finished, weavers can make 30-40 rugs before putting on a new warp.
The next part in the process is cutting and sewing together strips of fabric, which can include blue jeans, polyester, corduroy and more. This may take 3-4 hours. Once the fabric is cut and sewn, it is wrapped around a shuttle and then, without interruption, a rug can be made in three hours.
Featherston says they weave rugs every Saturday from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Old Mill, 355 Mill St., and she sneaks down during the week when she can. All proceeds from rugs the women make go to supporting the Old Mill.