Spring Cabin Quilt

This quilt is a simplistic take on the traditional Log Cabin quilt. It is created with six different naturally-dyed colors on lightweight “summer weight” Khadi cotton, hand-quilted with Japanese Sashiko thread, filled with natural cotton batting, and finished with a hand-stitched binding. 

Overall quilt dimensions: 58 inches wide x 73 inches long

The quilt is boxed and ready to ship in a custom made wooden box 

When the weather welcomes us outside and the plants are ready for the first spring harvest, I begin the natural dye process. Working with the rhythms of the seasons and using naturally-dyed fabric creates a harmonious color palette that remains classic and timeless - an instant heirloom quilt. 

The colors in this quilt are plant-based and include: fresh from the tree pecans (brown), just fallen acorns (tawny brown), red onion skins  (light reddish tan), cutch (deep red brown), madder roots (earthy rich pink), Osage wood shavings (bright yellow), and indigo (clear, peaceful blue).

For the dye process, I begin by filling a large vessel with the gathered plants and cover them in fresh water  Each plant species is an individual dye bath. I gently heat the water to extract the color from the plant matter.  After approximately 60 minutes of simmering the dye bath, when the water is rich with color, I strain the plant material and add fabric that has been prepared with a mordant to ensure a lightfast and washfast color. For darker, more saturated colors I leave the fabric soaking overnight or even for a couple of days.