Ellen Thomas

Ellen Thomas is a textile artist currently based in Priceville, Alabama. She earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nebraska. After working in the craft industry as a professional knitting pattern designer, teacher, and technical editor, she now focuses on weaving. Influenced by her Finnish-American heritage, Ellen specializes in rag rug weaving to artfully give waste fabric a beautiful new life. 

Ellen’s interest in weaving was sparked by her paternal grandfather, Heming Niemi, a gruff diesel mechanic who was fiercely proud of his Finnish heritage. After 30+ years in storage, Ellen inherited one of the sturdy rug looms her grandfather built and wove on. Like her grandfather, Ellen is a self-taught weaver who scours thrift stores for discarded fabrics to be used as rug weaving materials. 

In addition to traditional, utilitarian rug weaving, Ellen also explores more contemporary, artistic techniques. During an extended stay in Finland, admiring the craftsmanship and clean minimalism of Finnish design, Ellen’s artistic vision became clear. Her work is often inspired by the colors, textures and geometry of nature. She combines tapestry techniques with cotton rug warp and thin, upcycled poppana (bias-cut fabric strips) to weave an artform she calls ‘scrap-estry’. 

“With each handwoven creation, I’m honored to continue the thread of Finnish-American rag rug weaving where Grandpa left off.” –Ellen Thomas 

View more of Ellen’s work by visiting her website or socials!

Bluesky – https://bsky.app/profile/thechillydog.com