About the Film
Weaving Indiana presents the lives and work of two rag-rug makers who learned to weave on their family farm in Bartholomew County, Indiana. For Dee Nierman and her niece, Margaret Luckey Snyder, making rugs is more than a hobby. It is a practice deeply rooted in family history and community life. Dee weaves on a loom made in 1864 for her maternal greatgrandmother, Sarah Cox Collins. Margaret also weaves on a hand-made loom passed down through several generations of the family. For many women in their family, weaving has been an important source of income—particularly when resources were scarce.
The film centers on the historical roots of this creative practice and the ways it has found new life in Southern Indiana today. Though they learned the craft out of necessity, Dee and Margaret have continued to weave throughout their lives, serving as important fiber arts ambassadors in Southern Indiana. They regularly participate in regional fairs and festivals, where their rugs are met with an enthusiastic market. By focusing on the work of two individual makers,
Weaving Indiana tells a larger story about women’s work, family life, and cultural continuity in Southern Indiana.
