HAND QUILTING, NATURAL DYES & FABRIC

Quilting

All my quilts are machine pieced, hand quilted and bound by hand. My quilt designs are either intuitively pieced or inspired by traditional quilt patterns that span many years and cultures and are re-imagined in a modern style. I mix naturally hand dyed fabric with vintage/second hand fabric and also make quilts entirely out of naturally dyed fabric. All my quilts are hand stitched using Japanese sashiko thread and bound with a double fold binding for a durable edge.

Natural Dyes

I truly fell in love with natural dyeing the first time I dyed a piece of fabric using the skins of yellow onions. The beautiful golden yellow that came from what is normally discarded opened up a world of wonderful color possibilities only the earth could produce. I hand dye 100% natural fibers in small batches using plants, wood, food scraps and minerals that I forage for in and around Baltimore, dyes that I can not locally source like cochineal (bugs - that produce a brilliant magenta) I order online from a small business who sustainaby source their dyes.

Fabric

I search thrift stores for 100% cotton or linen table cloths or bed sheets for natural dyeing along with any vintage linens already dyed or printed with a pattern. All fabric used for natural dyeing is scoured (boiled) to remove any oils or waxes that may be hidden within the fibers that make up the fabric. After scouring, I prep the fabric for natural dyes using a mordant, this helps adhere the dye to the fabric.