Sarah McMurry
Back in the Saddle, 2025
Naturally dyed cotton 39" x 49"
In the making of this quilt, each step was influenced by the previous one, building off each other. Before having a plan for the design, I used thickened mordants to hand-paint stripes onto the cloth. I naturally dyed cotton fabric with combinations of weld, pomegranate, madder, cutch and indigo, responding to the created colors for the composition. By cutting into the quilt top at various stages of construction, I leave room for surprise and deconstruction.
Sarah McMurry
Interworked : Slow Sailor, 2025
Naturally dyed silk organza, mohair yarn, gold thread 38" x 36"
Quilting has historically been used to provide strength, warmth, and comfort. By replacing dense cotton with gentle materials like silk organza, I create a vulnerable quilt. By relying on the physically demanding process of nuno-felting in place of stitching to hold these three layers together I confront expectations of durability. Mordant is what allows the dye to bond to the fiber and through the act of mordant painting stripes by hand, I create a mark that captures the moment of authenticity, remaining in conversation with the history of color through natural dye. I stitch with gold thread in the spaces where the knit structure is absent to emphasize the cloth held together by the felting process.
Sarah McMurry
Blue Ridge, 2026
Naturally dyed cotton, silk, wool and linen, gold thread 36" x 38"
Blue Ridge conceals while simotaniously revealing. By using sheer silk organza in combination with opaque materials like cotton, linen, and wool, the quilts interior is made visible. This is an act of uncoiling that references lineage, as quilts are often passed down from generation to generation. In doing this, I explore the unseen in my own familial history.
Sarah McMurry
Silent Gift, 2025
Naturally dyed silk, wool yarn, gold thread 28" x 34"
Silent Gift honors the melancholy by taking the quilt to its most deconstructed state. This work brings light to what, at first glance, may appear imperfect. The scrunch of the fabric, the raw edge and its shadow, the drape that moves down the center, all shrug together into a perfect sadness.
