by Chris Mercerhill
36" x 64"
Upcycled cotton
Dyed with indigo, turmeric, madder
This quilt is a true exploration of the spectrum of colors I can acquire and produce. I began collecting all of the brightest colors that caught my eye at local thrift stores. If I found an interesting shirt, I would buy it, take it home, and cut it up. I only work with cotton because it is more environmentally friendly and because it takes dye better than synthetic fabric. To extend my palette, I took upcycled fabric and dyed some of it. Indigo makes everything bluer, turmeric adds bright yellow, and madder is a salmony red. Sometimes, I would dye a pale blue fabric with turmeric to get bright green. Other times, I would overdye a light green with indigo and get teal. If you look closely in this quilt, you can find two or even three different dye combinations on the same fabric.
When thinking about a motif to use with this fabric, I landed on this equals sign. In seeking out the widest breadth of colors for the palette, the desire to emphasize that they are unified and not in competition became important. Some blocks are taller or shorter, wider or thinner, bright and brash or calm and cool. It’s a cliché that rings true: together, we all make up a big beautiful quilt.
by Chris Mercerhill
36" x 64"
Upcycled cotton
Dyed with indigo, turmeric, madder
This quilt is a true exploration of the spectrum of colors I can acquire and produce. I began collecting all of the brightest colors that caught my eye at local thrift stores. If I found an interesting shirt, I would buy it, take it home, and cut it up. I only work with cotton because it is more environmentally friendly and because it takes dye better than synthetic fabric. To extend my palette, I took upcycled fabric and dyed some of it. Indigo makes everything bluer, turmeric adds bright yellow, and madder is a salmony red. Sometimes, I would dye a pale blue fabric with turmeric to get bright green. Other times, I would overdye a light green with indigo and get teal. If you look closely in this quilt, you can find two or even three different dye combinations on the same fabric.
When thinking about a motif to use with this fabric, I landed on this equals sign. In seeking out the widest breadth of colors for the palette, the desire to emphasize that they are unified and not in competition became important. Some blocks are taller or shorter, wider or thinner, bright and brash or calm and cool. It’s a cliché that rings true: together, we all make up a big beautiful quilt.