Milton Laughing is from a well-known weaving family that includes his grandmother, mother, two sisters, and two brothers. As a teenager, Milton began weaving the striped bands of his mother's rugs and has been constructing his own textiles for about five years. He draws his weaving designs on graph paper and continues to master the family's traditional weaving styles. "We use a unique family design that's like a horned moon around a serrated diamond," explains Milton. "We're also the only family that does a half- or full-offset checkerboard design in the Wide Ruins- or Crystal-style."

On weekends, he usually drives to the family home to weave, often assisting his mother and sisters with oversize rugs. They sometimes weave through the night to meet a deadline for an art show or a client. While studying civil engineering in Albuquerque, Milton supports himself by selling his textiles and working as a heavy equipment operator.