Cait Nolan
Quilter
Monroe, NJ, USA
Recommended by American Craft Council
Quilts in the colours of the land
- Cait creates heirloom quilts from hand dyed and second-hand fabrics
- She grows and forages her own plants for fabric dyeing
- Her practice embraces slowness and care as a response to overconsumption
From her small farm in New Jersey, Cait Nolan creates colourful quilts from fabric she has plant-dyed by hand. Her practice is twofold: growing and foraging a wide variety of plants to use for hand dyeing, as well as sourcing second hand and thrifted linen and cotton; and then designing and crafting quilts by hand. Cait works in community projects or on her own, often with themes of nature or social justice at their heart. Her practice embraces the seasons and natural rhythms of the world around her. “This limitation intentionally slows my process down and actively functions as a counter to over-production and capitalistic consumption which can creep into an art-making practice,” she says. The earthy tones of Cait's quilts are set against contrasting sashiko stitching for a refined finish.
Discover her work
INTERVIEW
I am a lifelong artist and gardener. In 2018, when my partner and I were building a small farm in North Carolina, he bought me some Japanese indigo seeds for my birthday. That was all it took to send me down the path of plant dyeing and eventually quilting.
A significant turning point was when I listed a quilt for sale for the first time and it sold within a few hours. I would make these items regardless, but knowing that there are ready buyers for pieces that I pour an enormous amount of time and effort into makes it easier for me to justify a high level of dedication to my craft.
Commitment to the environment and to social justice is central to my approach. I only use plants that I have grown or foraged , and I source the linen that I dye from thrift stores and second-hand shops. Quilting has a rich history of integrating with social justice movements, and I am honoured to have participated in multiple community quilts and quilt fundraising projects.
My practice is highly seasonal. From May to October, I grow and forage plants and dye fabric in my outdoor studio. I enjoy creating gradients of colour as I exhaust dye baths, but I am not dyeing for specific hues, instead letting the plants give what they have to give. In the fall, my practice moves towards quilting. I sketch ideas based on the pallet of fabric I created over the last year. I work on quilts through the winter until it is time to start planting again.
