Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1915-08-19
She REVIVED RAG CARPETS
Death of Aged Woman Recalls
the Work She Did.
Mrs. Claressn Dikcman of Enst Lee,
Mnss, Made Floor Coverings of
Denuty for Luxurious Homes
In the berkshire Hills.

Inc death of Mrs. Claressa Dikemap,
at the age of 49, the oldest rag car
pet weaver in the country, at her home
In East Lee. Mass, removes celebrity
or central berkshire county, says the
Springfield Republican. Through her
work there has been rag carpet or, per-
haps, more strictly speaking, a rag rug
revival In Berkshire county. Many years
ago In Berkshire homes rag carpets were
familiar, then for a considerable period
they passed into disuse. For 10 years
pack they have been again In high favor,
though they are most likely to be found
in the midst of surroundings quite diff
ferent from those of the old and are US
cd not only for their ordinary purposes
OF floor covering, but largely for their
ornamental and decorative effect in house
furnishing.
In old times the thrifty housewife saw
ed AL the rags that were suitable and
tore them into strips, the ends Of which
she sewed together and then this long
continuous strip she rolled into a big ball
she Kept on rolling up such balls until
she had rags enough for carpet re-
CURED and then she took these rags to
a rag carpet weaver in her own town or
in some place neighboring and had them
made up into carpets, such weaving be-
Ing done on hand looms only. The old
time rag carpets thus made, fine, solid
and good wearing carpets, were laid
sometimes in parlors. often in sitting
rooms. and commonly in chambers and
In Kitchens. and they might be found on
stairs. There might. indeed, he found
| houses earpcted throughout with rag
carpets, and the homes of most comfort
able people these might often be- and
1t seemed as If YOU might almost tell
the personal characteristics of the people
by the rag carpets you found in their
houses.
Some of these were of duh colors. be-
| tokeninC the soberer rament that the
| people here had been accustomed to wear;
| while some of these old-time rag car
! pets were shot with red and white and
green and blue. all colors: rag carpets
that were agreeable to the eye and that
lit up delightfully."- when the windows were
open and the sun shone upon them. and
| that We're thick and comfortable under
| foot.
/
sive use; and brussels carpets came to
he cheaper and people liked their color
ings and their patterns. The cities grew
! and flats came in. with their small
rooms, and then people took 10 carpe,
rugs. made in endless shapes and sizes
and In endless variety, and this fashion
spread the country over, until rag car
pets came to be Droportionately fewer
and fewer In number. until they might
be said almost to have passed. And We,
| through all this there remained some rag
| carpet weavers, who found more or less
| employment. for there We're OCCASIONALLY
a few people who wanted rag carpets.
East Lee, where Mrs. Dikenlan lived
has its summer colony, and Lenox /.
but six miles away. Her rugs We're pretty
as well as otherwise highly suitable fol
, summer homes, bungalows, country
houses and the veranda. In fact the
rag rug is largely summer rug; bu
rag rugs are also used the year rounc
in dens and smoking rooms and In bath
rooms and in front of bureaus and o.
beds, and the aged weaver of East lie,
was kept very busy. In the first of thi:
| rag carpet revival women who took thei
rugs to Mrs. Dikeman to be made UP tool
new rags. of materials they had bough
expressly for this purpose ana then tori
up materials I'm colors to make rugs tina
would harmonic with the furniture o
the wall paper or the fittings of tn
rooms in which they We're to he use,
and there are women who will have thei
rugs made that way.
Others have found that the rag rug /
h.,in
that they are to be found on sale in stores
Sn many sizes. including large sizes 70
floor coverings and In unending variet,
of colorines and designs. These powe
loom rag rugs are, of course. Of ney
rags, that Is to say, of new materials pre-
pared for this manufacture. and grea
numbers of them are Of cotton goods an
are sold as such. All hand made ra
rugs are more expensive than those mad
on power looms, but this fact did no
lessen the demand on Mrs. Dkeman.
She was born in IIinsdale and afte
her marriage Went to Afford whore sh
kept a boarding house at the Alfor
duarries. Her quarrymen boa rders pal
her $3.50 week for room and board
During extra hours she worked at tn
loom. When she moved to East Lee I
occupy house along Mill brook, whlc
had withstood the East Lee flood
years ago, Mrs. Dikeman took with he
a hand loom century ana a half ole
she had been weaving almost every wor
day In her spare bedroom for 90 years
up to her Dist birthday. She desgne
her own patterns as she wove and the
are delight to the eye Light color
are In most demand She had rag rug
that were beautiful In their delicate co
orings and designs
The use OF rag carpets is, indeed,
quaint revival and Vet with this poir
or difference that while the rag carpet
OF our fathers Were made primarily wit
view to utility, those Of the preser
day are marked as well by their fulfil
ment of the modern requirements of lu,
ury and beauty
HE NEVER DISAPPOINTED.